The call of Christmas

Two weeks ago, we sat down to a Christmas dinner that almost failed to happen. Reasons were varied, ranging from the venue being too far to be the meeting place, traffic expected to be horrendous, and their calendar of activities being almost filled to the brim. In response, a poll was conducted, and options were presented to facilitate attendance. The utmost consideration was adherence to the usual time when the majority of the participants would call it a day, which meant being in bed by 9 p.m. A member of the group, exhausted from arranging things, decided to move the celebration to January, a little slighted that there seemed to be a generally anemic response to a party. The thread from thereon was silent until someone wrote, “Ang lungkot naman ng Pasko dahil hindi tayo mag-celebrate ng birthday ni Jesus Christ.” That comment was responsible for the turnaround. Out of the 15 people who were expected, 11 showed up.

I am sure that all of us were glad to have made the effort. The venue and the food provided by our gracious hostess made us all feel like we were sitting down to a family dinner. There was no fuss, no program to follow, no themes to stick to that would have sent us rushing to dig through our treasure chests, run to the nearest mall, or rent a costume. The only request made was to come in Christmas colors, which was easy enough to follow and was met with sighs of relief. Don’t you agree that most people are either timid or just too polite to verbalize that setting rigid rules can sometimes be a deterrent?

Reflecting on how our early dinner party went, it was a lesson on how get-togethers could be made more meaningful not only because spontaneity was encouraged, but more importantly, because by keeping things simple and uncomplicated, we were more present for one another.

In the middle of the celebration, we were all asked to deliver a Christmas message. Since it was a long table and more than half were in their 70s, everyone was repeatedly reminded to speak louder, not just once but countless times. For every prompt, there was an accompanying burst of laughter.

Normally, messages border on being generic. This was not to be the case. Each and every one took the opportunity to express just how blessed we were to be in each other’s company and how we continue to value our ties over the years. The most memorable were two messages. One was from a mentee who took the opportunity to pay tribute to his mentor, whom we hadn’t seen for a time because of his health issues. His one-liner said it all: “All that I am today is because of what you were to me, and I will always be grateful.”

Running second was from one of our advisors, who candidly spoke about how happy she was to have made it to the party, and even if she was losing her hearing, she was at peace and thankful to God for allowing her to have the ability to lip-read and see the joy in our faces. These were enough.

I wonder how many of us can be that calm and accepting?

My answer to that question came two days ago. It had come from a patient who was wheeled in from the ward to join us in the annual celebration that we hold for chronically sick children as part of the childcare program in a military facility. When I asked her if she had fun at the party, she did her best to turn her head toward me and replied with a very serene smile, “Sobra po.” Her mother had earlier supplied the information that she had just undergone an operation for her hydrocephalus, and that she was taking care of her child alone. They were from the province. I looked around at our venue, a rundown gym with plastic chairs and tables and our simple fare of spaghetti, chicken, pizza and a variety of desserts, and thought to myself: It really doesn’t take much to make someone happy, and that there are so many things to be thankful for, beginning with being alive.

I sent a picture of her to my donor of food carts, who, despite having a chronic condition that has remained undiagnosed for years and being beset with her own financial obligations, has been saving up for the Christmas celebration. Unable to attend this year, as she wasn’t feeling too well, she promised to make up for her absence and recommitted to sending a different set of goodies next time.

There will always be joy in simplicity, in sharing thoughts and blessings, and in being truly present for one another. Let these be the thoughts that accompany us as we wait in anticipation and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

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