In our 3rd series for Christmas Away from Home, we feature stories from one iSTORYAn student in Canada and another iSTORYAn who experienced the winter depression. Share these stories if you have friends or family members in North America. For sure, it will make their Christmases a little less colder.
thisbe.ara
Editor-in-Chief, iSTORYA.NET
Winnipeg, MB, Canada winter as photographed by Lito C. Inso
iSTORYA.NET Nick: yon-g
Full Name: Tanya Ty- Yuvallos
Montreal, Quebec CANADA (4 years)
Student
We celebrate Christmas here on the eve of the 24th with family, relatives and friends. It is somewhat the same as how we celebrate in Cebu. We put up the Christmas tree a few weeks before; the only difference is that every year we buy a new one, and that fresh pine tree smell adds to that authentic Western Christmas spirit that we see on TV. We usually prep Filipino dishes, and add some international cuisine that we have adapted here. Others bring their own home cooked meals and baked goods, and my mother-in-law brings a roasted a turkey to replace the lechon that we so dearly hold sacred during feasts. We drink wine to toast the season. Most of all, we exchange gifts with everyone. Then first thing on Christmas morning, tear up the wrappers and open the gifts! I usually call my family through Vonage during Christmas.
You can never find lanterns being sold on the streets here. Those Christmas parols make our country unique; there is just so much authenticity, innovation and creativity to that. Every year in elementary through high school, I remember that I would always bring parols to school. Most of the Christmas décor this side of the globe are just being sold inside stores, and sadly they are all too commercialized and mass produced from China.
I miss the little kids who go hopping from house to house to sing their Christmas carols with their handmade tambourines made from bottle caps nailed onto a piece of wood. It was always a riot when my lola gives them a few centavos, and then they sing “Thank you. Thank you, ang kuripot ninyo, thank you”!
Christmas parties held annually at my family’s business place are always fun. The employees always have something in store, like dancing or singing. The games are a blast, and everyone is glad to get small prizes that range from ten pesos to a hundred. The men are contented to sit at the back with cases of San Miguel beer at their feet.
Although I never religiously completed a Simbang Gabi in all my life, just knowing that people all over the country are flocking to churches at the crack of dawn is just inspiring. I never had the courage to get myself up that early, but I remembered every year I would go at least once or twice. Hey, at least I tried. Then the aftermath of going to church was always getting a treat of hot sikwate paired up with pancake, puto, bibingka or suman. People here don’t have this church-going-practice-at-the-crack-of-dawn in their vocab!
Lastly, nothing could ever compare to my childhood Christmases. We’d set up the ancient tree, deck our trees with lights and hang garlands and parols as early as October. Yeah, isn’t that obvious that we are way too excited? The weeks leading to it were filled with mischief and good cheer as me and my cousins would peep at the gifts under the tree. We’d try to tear off the scotch tapes meticulously, and then put it back in place so we won’t get caught. Our families and relatives would gather every Christmas Eve. We would all go to church, and line up in the middle to bring our offerings. I also remember how my uncle, who just passed away this year, take on the role of Santa Claus; he’d call out people’s names on the microphone, and call us one by one including all the helpers at home then he’d ask us to say something after getting our presents. With all the best Filipino dishes, desserts and lechon, gifts, craziness and prizes, our Cebuano Christmases were just memorable and heart-warming. Most of all, I miss the people and our culture, and how we all celebrate and put so much fuss about my favorite holiday of the year!
Read another iSTORYAn's story who was about to migrate to Canada but decided not to because of winter depression. His story is also depicted through pictures.. Read more in the next page...
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