Concluding the Christmas Break

Christmas break’s over, and now its back to the quarry… But it’s nice to look back on what happened this vacation. Here are the top 5 occasions:

5.) Joining a New Choir. It was a usual evening Christmas novena mass in the MSJ Chapel. Well, by chance, we sang “Give Love on Christmas Day” for the Communion Hymn, which is not liturgical, and inappropriate. After the mass, one of the parishioners approached me and told me about the fault. Well, that correction did hit me, but I was brightened up when they said they have a choir that could sing for the Chapel – a timely offer for us leaving the place. Moreover, they also asked if I could join, and I accepted the offer. Starting this weekend, I would regularly go home to practice and sing or play the keyboard.



4.) The Batulao Hike. At the start of the vacation, the Don Bosco Ex-sems Calamba Hills Chapter decided to take a hike up Batulao. Incidentally, my younger brother and my father joined the hike. Finally, after a long dormant period, I was given the chance to appreciate God’s wonder, and to celebrate my youth. Who knows? It might be my last climb, but hopefully not. My brother remarked that hiking is an exercise you don’t find in the city (except Baguio and other mountain cities).



3.) Bonding with Cousins. Of course, vacation is vacation, and in Philippine tradition, vacation is reunion. We had a swell time together, laughing, taking pictures, going places, eating and… eating. LOL.



2.) My Brother's Wedding. When Tito Bong died, our family had to compromise preparation time for mourning. There were only a few weeks to go before the wedding, so there we were all cramming – Christmas gatherings, delays, and distance constraints were all pressing factors. At one point, I even resolved NOT to marry because of the hassle caused by the preparation. But then again, if one wants a memorable wedding, it should be given reasonable time and resources. Then wedding day came. Though it was another day, we all had fun, because of the effort we put into the preparations, but more importantly, because we, the family, worked together, and enjoyed together.



1.) Christmas. This is supposed to be the essence of the vacation, but it seems that the items above were more emphasized on those weeks. There are good reasons though, and reflecting on the vacation’s “misplaced accents”, I see the greater picture, which is family spirit. That apparently is Jesus’ birthday treat to our clan. I am grateful for this opportunity to spend my vacation with my family, and to strengthen my bonds them.