Has Christmas changed?

Has Christmas changed, or have we?

Since I was young, Christmas has been one of the most awaited celebrations. No matter how far everyone was, especially with my siblings and me pursuing different paths in different schools away from our province, it has always been an opportunity to come home. This time, our family, on a rare occasion, finally became complete.

Christmas is when everything becomes special. From outfits being more well-planned to the food on the table being more diverse, we welcome “noche buena” with our family when waiting for 12 midnight becomes so exciting. We celebrate as if there is no tomorrow, as the next time we see each other will be on a school break when our schedules may not even match, or perhaps, next holiday season a year from now.

Some families or friends play party games, others simply take the time to talk to one another after finally being able to let go of responsibilities for once. Some may have extravagant dinners like lechon and fruits in the comfort of their homes, while some enjoy the simplicity of bibingka with a cold breeze on the streets. Regardless of how it is celebrated, this holiday has a special place in our hearts, for it allows us to live out not just our religious, but also Filipino, familial, or even personal traditions. It allows us to be truly us as we take time slowly.

However, when the pandemic halted our lives, it was not just a public health concern. It has also become a precursor to an era of rapid technological advancements, deep economic sufferings, and political disruptions.

Many people are excessively on their gadgets now, unable to live in the present, connected by signal but not by authentic presence. Many nostalgically recall the iconic Christmas-related remnants of the prepandemic life, such as ABS-CBN’s Christmas station ID, “Star ng Pasko,” as the only reminder of life’s innocence and simplicity that are now all gone. It has already been five years since the pandemic first hit, and somewhere in between, we have all grown up. Christmas may no longer feel the same for some because we have evolved, too. No one remains static—not an event, not a person.

However, as much as Christmas no longer “feels” the same, something has not changed.

Many workers are still unable to enjoy this holiday, as the economic environment has forced them to choose survival over spending time with their families. Many security guards protect establishments, ensuring the safety of people, instead of letting their personal guard against rising needs down to simply enjoy a bit of time with their loved ones. Nurses have to stay alert as other people sleep because of emergencies, and they themselves do not or cannot, just to receive paychecks that make one question how they can survive not just shifts in hospitals, but life in general. Overseas Filipino workers find themselves searching for even a little Filipino-ness abroad just to feel at home a bit.

With several officials suggesting that P500 is sufficient for a noche buena, a meal that is supposed to be special and celebratory for all the hardships we have conquered this year, we see how authorities continue to be detached from the people they have pledged to serve.

What has not changed with Christmas is the fact that it is not just cultural; it is political. The call to celebrate it simply, which may be favorable as it is really the holiday spirit that matters, is actually a glorification of Filipino resiliency in disguise. The diminishing capacity of Filipinos to celebrate Christmas joyfully, considering the rising prices of goods yet declining quality of jobs, reflects the failure of our political and economic system to make survival possible, let alone a celebration, even for a single day out of 365.

As much as I am inspired by the success stories of people who have not celebrated Christmas in their childhood as their inspiration in moving forward, it is disheartening that this narrative takes away a core memory for parents who deserve rest and life outside work, and children who deserve childhood. It is disheartening that we just admire these narratives over and over again to the point that they are normalized.

Looking from a sociopolitical perspective, Christmas has not changed. It is still the same reflection of society’s joy and defects.

Although, if anything, this reminds me to treasure our capacity to celebrate.

Now more than ever, there is a need to live out its values personally, where the current environment has failed—to give, to help, to empathize, and to celebrate togetherness. Only in this way can we mount a silent protest against the brutality of the status quo. Only in this way can we truly live out being religious and Filipino.

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Paulo Rudell Fajardo, 18, is a management engineering freshman from Ateneo de Manila University.