How many Christmas parties are you going to attend this month? So far, I have three invitations (and exchange gifts) in my itinerary. And there’s one where I’ll be co-hosting so I’m already conceptualizing a theme and program for that one.
And since were talking about Christmas, do you that there’s one Christmas tradition in the Philippines that I missed doing? I’d been missing the Simbang Gabi (or Night Mass), a nine-day series of masses that starts on December 16 and ends on December 24. It is held in the wee hours of the morning (4AM or 5AM, depending on the church). I last completed the nine days of Simbang Gabi in 2007 and it will probably be years before I can ever attend (and complete) the Simbang Gabi again.
Some people say that if you complete the nine-day series of masses, your wish will be granted. Well, I used to complete the Simbang Gabi masses and believe it or not, my wishes were granted. There was a year when my wish was for my grandfather to get well and live longer since he was very sick at that time. My wish was granted because he lived for a few more years despite his condition. (It was recently that I learned that my younger brother also made the same wish during that year so it added to the strength of our prayers).
Anyway, enough of me. What’s the Christmas tradition that you like most? Or do you ever celebrate Christmas? Care to share your thoughts?
