We Wish You "Amara" Christmas!

              By Nancy D. Galang, M.A.

"I think that as you grow older, your Christmas list gets shorter, because the things you want can't be bought." - Author unknown

Mga Nan-sis! It's a few days before Christmas! And Christmas used to be my favorite time of the year. 

Until four years ago. 

Ano ba ang ganap sa akin four years ago? If you have read my very first blog, it was December 22 when my ex started discussing our separation. It was December 25 when he said he was just staying for the kids. Hindi ko na babanggitin na December 27 supposed to be ang 23rd wedding anniversary namin. (Ay nabanggit ko na!)

But we never got to celebrate it na. 

(To read more on this story click this link: https://nancydavidgalang.blogspot.com/2020/04/becomingsingled-6-2020-nancy-d.html?m=1)

Since then, hindi ko na favorite ang Christmas time. Paano naman, perfect timing si ex sa drama n'ya, don't you agree? Na-trauma tuloy ako. 

But growing up and spending Christmases with my eight siblings--Noel, Norman, Noemi, Neri, Nelson, Ning, Nilo, and Neil--was truly memorable and wonderful. My parents made sure each Christmas was happy for all of us. 

Of course it was a family tradition to put up a Christmas tree in the house. But can you believe it? Among all the Christmas trees dad and mom put up all those years, ang naaalala ko hanggang ngayon is that one tree na homemade.  Its base was made of plywood and the rest were thread that were connected to that base. Then of course may lights and hanging decors.  

Nine kids and all. Mom and dad made 
all our Christmases always something to
look forward to. 

Ngayon ko lang naiisip ulit, especially now that Dad is gone (and this will be the first Christmas without him), the effort my parents put into making our Christmases memorable.  

'Yung homemade tree na 'yun, was it because they just wanted to be creative, or were they on a tight budget? After all, having nine kids and sending us all to private schools was no joke. Ako nga, apat lang, tuma-tumbling na tuwing bayaran ng tuition fees!  So, I think it was more of the latter. My parents were being practical. Kung puwede naman na 'wag pagkagastusan, e 'wag na.

Check out the look on dad's face. Parang
 mas excited pa s'ya while I open my
gifts. 

Then every Christmas Eve, mayroon kaming Noche Buena. Mom would normally prepare macaroni soup, ham, baked macaroni, fruit salad, leche flan at iba pa. Then mayroon opening of gifts.  Nung maliliit kami, we would get gifts from mom and dad. When we were growing up into teenagers, mas gusto na naming mag-shopping sa Greenhills kaya pinera na lang namin! Hehe. Kaya may days na kami ng mga kapatid ko sabay-sabay mag-iikot to buy what we want for ourselves. 

Eventually, four of my siblings were based abroad
and there's only me, Neri, Noemi, and Noel & 
our families that attend our Christmas celebrations. 

Eventually, we also learned the value of gift giving. So we would also buy gifts for each other and for our parents. This tradition was passed on to our kids as well. My dad also loved seeing his apos perform on these occasions.

From L to R: Nastassia, cousin Angel, Nadja
(front, middle) and Nix perform for their Lolo
Noli and Lola Nita during one of those
Christmases. 

Kaya excited kami laging magkakapatid tuwing dadating ang Pasko. Pero gaya din 4 years ago, iba na rin itong Christmas na ito for the Galangs. 

Hindi na kami kumpleto, for the first time. Dahil wala na si Dad, alam ko lahat kami may lungkot sa puso namin and parang wala na 'yung looking forward to celebrating it. 

What we all look forward to, even when 
we had our own children already  - gift giving,
especially the ones from dad and mom. 

Wala na ang usual na nakasanayan namin. Sa Galang compound kasi lagi ang Christmas gatherings namin. With dad passing away, Mom is now based in Lipa. Though she invited all of us to spend Christmas with her, for me and the G Skwad, it is a bit of a challenge, kasi may newborn kami at bawal ma-expose. Hindi na din lahat ng mga kapatid ko na nandito sa Pilipinas ay makakapunta. 

Pero naging iba man at di kumpleto sa pakiramdam ko since 2017 ang Pasko namin ng G Skwad, at ngayong 2020 ay wala na si Dad, mas gusto kong mag-focus sa kakaibang "positive" na nangyari sa amin this year. 

We lost our youngest fur baby, Bella, July this
year; but we gained a new baby, Lulu. 

Alam ko, mga Nan-sis, you would agree with me, bad trip ang 2020! Nagsimula sa pagputok ng Taal Volcano. Sinundan ng Covid. Lockdown. Madaming nalugi at nagsarang negosyo at companies.  Ang iba ay namatayan dahil sa Covid. Yet, mayroon pa ring mga namatayan kahit di dahil sa Covid. Ang pamilya namin, bukod sa dad ko, we lost an aunt and two uncles.

Our Christmases will never be the
same without dad. But hey, we still
have mom, and now our new addition
to the family - Amara. 

But if God takes away, he can also so generously give!

With this pandemic, karamihan naman din sa atin ay nakapagtayo ng small businesses. May mga naging "panadero at panadera", "chefs" at sari-saring entrepreneurs. 

Marami rin ang nasa work from home set-up kaya't nagka-oras na magdiskubre ng ibang hobbies, talents, at passion. Most of us rediscovered and reinvented ourselves. May mga naging "plantitas", "painters", at gaya ko, isang blogger at vlogger (naks!)

Marami pa rin ang ikinasal. Marami rin ang nagkaroon ng pandemic/covid/lockdown babies!

Isa na kami d'yan.  Dad passed on last August 8, and Amara Catrice was born November 29. 

With the arrival of my first apo, the
pain of missing dad is more bearable. 

Through my moments of sadness and missing my dad terribly, God gave me my first apo as real good source of (good) distraction. 

Kaya kakaiba rin ang Christmas na ito, and perhaps, this is the year na kung hindi ko man magiging favorite ulit ang Pasko, at least I can look forward to it again.

I look forward to doing Christmas shopping for my apo. I look forward to more fam pics with her by the Christmas tree.  (Sayang at wala na si Nix, as of this writing, she is on her flight back to Riyadh for her work. Oh how I miss her! Ang tindi ng sepanx ko, I've been crying since she left)

Of course, sana mapuntahan ko rin ang mommy ko sa Lipa kahit sandali. Naroon din sina Nelson (who is now based there)  at Neri and her kids. Then pupunta rin si Noemi and family.  I am actually looking forward to it! 

Then kami ng G Skwad, sanay na naman kami na dito lang kami sa bahay pagdating ng
December 25. Kami-kami naman ang nag-e-exchange gifts.  This time, may bago na kaming reregaluhan. 

Christmas 2019 with the G Skwad. Nix
was in Riyadh for work.

I can imagine all the coming Christmases with Amara around. And perhaps through the years, more apos to come! 

Kaya, mga Nan-sis, this Christmas, let us try not to focus on what we have lost. Four years ago, I did that. I dwelled. I wallowed. But it did me no good.

Kasi sometimes, 'yung akala mong loss, gain pala actually. 

Kapag puro 'yung nawala ang inisip natin, di na natin na-a-appreciate ang mga bagong dating na regalo at blessings sa buhay natin. 

So instead of trying to recall what we have lost this 2020, maybe we can give attention to what God gave us this year. 

Kaya despite and inspite, from the G Skwad and I, "We wish you Amara Christmas!"

Until then. Catch you next year!

Nancy Mommy