Christmas on Samal
As I was attempting to finish up the details for another Christmas in Spokane (my 20th) I started to consider how different this will all eventually be once we are living on Samal Island. Sure there would be the obvious lack of snow and cold weather – not a bad thing at all in my opinion, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
My mom is here visiting as she does most years. She lives in another part of the United States, so often I only see her this time of year. She wasn’t going to come up this time, but mentioned to me that this would be the first year ever that she had not spent with family. That really made me think. Would I have any family, other than my new pilipino relatives, to celebrate with? Would my sons, as they get older, be willing to come visit all the way across the world during the holidays, especially as they start to build families of their own? Would I be willing, if I could even afford it, to travel back the the US during this time? Not really any answers to those questions, just something to consider.
Then there are the smaller things – christmas trees, stockings on the fireplace mantle and Costco at Christmas (OK, I won’t miss that & I know the malls there can beat anything Costco could offer in terms of crowds). The traditions that you’ve established, but of course new traditions can be made. As I think about these smaller things, there’s nothing that matters much there.
Christmas has gotten so commercial here in the US, as I suppose is the case around the world, that maybe it’ll be a chance to see a better side of the holidays. What Mindanao Bob & his family do each year has to be much more rewarding than the pure spending for spendings sake that we are caught up in. So if we end up helping relatives, and relatives of relatives, maybe just maybe there will be a more fulfilled feeling during these times.
So really it comes down to family, and my new family. I may miss my boys and my Mom during the holidays, but we may have the chance to give to others that really need it and I can only hope that makes it all worth it.
Merry Christmas to all my friends and readers. I hope you are enjoying your time with your families, both old and new.
Merry Christmas! Hope you have a nice family get-together. Have a good one.
Ellen
Merry Christmas, Ellen.
I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas as well.
Hi Randy – Merry Christmas to you and the whole family! You know, I went through the experience of what you are thinking about. It was a little hard to go through, but in the end you do develop new traditions of your own, and I feel that your holiday will be even better than it was before, because you will take the good from the past, discard some of what was not so good, add more good new traditions, and come up with something that really works for you.
Good luck!
Merry Christmas, Bob. I hope you had a great one yesterday, too.
Well you certainly have done a good job with a fine new tradition. Though we may not do what you and Feyma are doing, it does open up my eyes unto how things can be more appreciated and needed.
I’m sure you are correct, and new traditions will be formed that very likely will be better.
Merry Christmas Randy to you and your family. And here’s to a good new year of health, happiness , and more blog posts.
Merry Christmas, Kevin. I hope you and your family are doing well, and had a wonderful Christmas.
Let’s hope we both have good health, happiness and lots of blog posts.