Pasko

The folks left for the Philippines today. It's the first time my mom has been back in nine years. Considering she grew up there, and then spent more than two decades as a career missionary, such a long absence doesn't seem possible. But there it is. I imagine that they'll find Manila almost unrecognizable. Not really sure what their plans are, but I do know that they'll be missing this wretched sleet/snow/rain mix we're getting.

They're going at Christmas, which puts me in mind of the customs we used to enjoy (or grit our teeth at):

• carolers will come to your gate, shriek out some strange version of "Jingle Bells" or "O Holy Night," and you will give them something.
• every little begging waif in Manila will accost you as you go from SM to National Book Store, wheedling "merry christmas, sir. Merry christmas"
• Christmas music starts as early there as it does here; it's just more absurd to listen to "White Christmas" or "Sleigh Ride" when it's maybe getting down to 70 at night.
• Elaborate manger scenes on the fronts of the tall office buildings in Makati.
  
• The parol, a typical Christmas decoration representing the star of Bethlehem. They used to be primarily paper and cellophane or capiz shell; now they're mostly fancy-schmancy electronic jobs.
• Oh, and: no real christmas trees.

The big question when we boys were little was how Santa Claus could get in our house if we didn't have a fireplace or chimney. Somehow it worked out every year. One of my absolute favorite gifts ever was the HO-scale train set I got one year--I still remember coming down the stairs and seeing it running in its oval. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Most of my toys, particularly of the electronic variety, broke pretty quickly. We chewed up things like walkie-talkies and remote control cars.

Enough nostalgia. I hope Mom and Dad bring back some Mini-Fruits or Fruit-tella. ang sarap na sarap!

Maybe I should look into a visiting professor position at Ateneo or one of the other universities in Manila. Hmmm.

(picture from Keith Bagongco, Wikimedia Commons.)