Saturday, 03 January 2009
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Then & Now...Here & There
This was officially my first Christmas “away” from Family, and I must say…I have never been so homesick and ironically appreciative of holidays spent at home (the Philippines).
Food wise, the “American sized” portions did not make up for the lack of culinary variety and delectability. At his Dad’s house, we had seasoned pork loin, glazed ham, salad, freshly baked rolls, sweet potato pie, apple pie and wine.
In the Philippines, we’re talking 12 course meal of all kinds of meats, sticky sweets galore and an endless fountain of ice-cold Coca-Cola and San Miguel Beer.Despite the sparkly lights and bejeweled tree...It was kind of quiet and somber. Maybe because there was no Karaoke singing? There was some witty banter though, and I love love loved the smell of a fresh Christmas tree =)
I didn’t witness nor hear even one Christmas Caroler of any age, race or attire...just muted images of a Christmas parade on tv.
We didn’t get any envelopes stamped “Season’s Greetings” from our local postman, electrician or any other government entity (Oh wait, I did get a letter from Firefighters about a pledge – but that’s different.)
Unlike in the Philippines…where 3 or 4 generations of my Family as well as Family friends and even Godchildren come from far and wide to celebrate – only Tori’s Dad, Stepmom, Stepbrother and his niece were present. We exchanged gifts, said our goodbyes and thank you's and packed up to leave.
And what about the games? If I suggested we "make the longest line" or play inverted charades, they would've looked at me like I was some crazy person.
I missed it though. My aunt's echoing laughter, my mom's delicious cooking, my cousin's affectionate raucous, my son's weight on my shoulder as he drifts off into sleep...
Sometimes traditions and the familiar can be fun and even comforting.My sister was right. We should start a few of our own.
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Comments (2)
Hey Sis!
Yeah, the holidays aren't quite the same in the USA as it was back home. Hell, Hubby said the same thing, and he's from Denmark! He said their Christmas was merrier there. Maybe by next year, your rugrat will be with you -- and we can start our own little traditions... Like playing those goofy games!
I think my fave was a cheesy rendition of musical chairs, except we used a piece of newspaper & paired up with a cousin... Do you remember that? How we'd fold up that piece of newspaper each round so it'd get smaller and smaller, making it that much harder to stay on the paper and off the floor once the music stopped.
Gigi & I were a team, and since she was smaller than me ( think I was 14 & she was a couple years younger) - all I had to do once the paper was folded into a 3in. size was have her step on my one foot & balance herself while I hugged her close so she'd be off the floor!
Our late-teen cousins, Ronald & Obet -- they were the pair beside me & had us cracking up so hard!! Here they were, one full-grown male carrying the other, while trying to balance on one tippy toe (copycats) cuz their big feet wouldn't fit on the paper they stood on -- in hopes that they could hold their position long enough to win the game. ROFL Needless to say, after the "judge" (one of our aunts) hovered over them for a few grueling, long seconds to see how "stable" they were, the pair couldn't stop laughing with the rest of us and ended up losing their balance! LOL
Ahhh, those were the good 'ol days!
Anywho, after this Christmas -- I announced to the family about some changes we're gonna do with our holiday traditions. Guess we'll see how it works out! Hopefully, we'have some fun like we did back home...
Being away from home myself, I've discovered that making your own traditions is often the best part of my holidays.