That short joyride helped me realize that Christmas is more than just the decors and the gifts. It is more than breaking out into Christmas carols and even more than the Simbang Gabi. It is about family and friends and the people we love.

Christmas evening in Manila, we drove around to show our inquisitive 1 ½ son the lights and sights of the city in full Christmas mode. The usual destinations included Ayala Avenue in Makati and the Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard. Lit up Christmas displays, ranging from the basic and mundane firefly lights strung over sari-sari stores to the amazing Las Vegas type facade of the Manila Pavilion along U. N. Avenue, are greeted by Diego, my son, with the same enthusiasm, screaming out, "Lifht, Wooww! , stomping on the laps of his mom or his tita as he got overexcited by lighted displays left and right.

Driving slowly and enjoying the genuine ecstasy of Diego as he was being treated to a smorgasbord of lights, Christmas trees, reindeers, Santas, balls, stars, parols, and even "Christmas-themed" economic charts at the BSP building; I could not help but be jealous at the way children approach Christmas with such innocence, joy, wonder, and excitement. Diego may not be able to string a fully coherent sentence together, but anybody in the car could see that he was generously giving glowing reviews at any genuine effort to partake of the Christmas spirit along the streets of the city. He did not care if it is the effort of the simple storekeeper who stretched a P200 budget to be able to string a set of lights sparsely but wholeheartedly on his storefront or if it was the gigantic budget of hotels and buildings who contracted the services of professional decorators and technicians to producing jaw-dropping lightshows on the facades of their buildings.

The other aspect of this Christmas evening drive that made my jaw drop was when we passed through the Baywalk area along Roxas Boulevard. It was teeming with people. There was no free show to attract the hordes of people, no free food, no free gifts. They were there simply to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones and, I guess, concurrently decided to spend it there. Traffic was relatively light all over the city except for that stretch. In the CCP area, there were makeshift picnic areas being occupied by families. I was driving so I couldn't really see just how many people there were, but there was a lot. They were sitting, standing, strolling, and picnicking. Basically doing their Christmas bonding right there.

There was even an amusing part along the Baywalk where some almost-life-sized dinosaur replicas were being displayed and the dinosaurs were literally being mobbed by children. The biggest dinosaur, a brontosaur, was practically inundated by kids riding its back and as high up the long brontosaur neck as they safely climb. I was truly shocked to see that many people there. Being my first time to take the time to drive out to that area during Christmas evening, I don't know if it is a regular Christmas crowd or if the crowd this year was especially large.

The thing that struck me about this crowd was that the spirit of Christmas must still be truly alive and well among those people. Here I was, wondering if the Christmas spirit was weakening, and I get the answer in the form of an unexpected crowd along the world famous Manila Bay. The sheer number of these people taking time out to be with their loved ones during that Christmas night told me that a sizable number of people still thought Christmas was special. It doesn't have to be celebrated in a mansion, inside a gated village, with people dressed in either the prettiest or new clothes, feasting on expensive meats and goodies for Christmas to be special. The people at the corner of Vito-Cruz and Roxas, holding hands with family or loved ones and enjoying the lights and the fountain of the CCP could be experiencing Christmas with more intensity and fervor. The family in front of Malate Church, strolling among the massive crowd of friendly revelers, indulging in street popcorn or cotton candy and buying each other the toys being peddled by the entrepreneurs in the crowd could be feeling more "Christmassy" that I ever did throughout this whole holiday season.

That short joyride helped me realize that Christmas is more than just the decors and the gifts. It is more than breaking out into Christmas carols and even more than the Simbang Gabi. It is about family and friends and the people we love. This special holiday where we commemorate the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ is one of those days of the year when it is almost a certainty that most if not all family members, from all parts of the country or the globe, are home. Them bearing gifts is just icing on the cake. Their presence and company is what makes the Christmas season a truly special time for all of us.

We have until the New Year before everybody starts to troop back to their jobs and their separate lives. Unless another significant event during the year like a diamond wedding anniversary or God forbid, a death in the family happens, the next chance everybody will see each other again will be the next Christmas season. Recognizing and enjoying this opportunity the season has given us to spend time with our loved ones is one way to make sure we get the most out of Christmas season. A Happy New Year to All.

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