For many people, Christmas is a time of enjoyment, reunion, feast, celebration, exchange gifts and renewal. But the Christmas of 2006 wasn't for me. It changed. It was a time of silence and serenity, an opportunity that made me discover the deeper significance of Christmas, the value of home and the comfort that it gives me and the warmth of a family and the security that it provides.

Christmas has always been the highlight of my every year. I vividly remember spending it with my family and a bunch of relatives. It's a time for us to gather and share what has happened over the years and also a time for us to reminisce the good and bad things that had given us precious lessons we truly value. It is some sort of reunion after long years of work, study, and residence abroad or overseas.

On the other hand, my Christmas in the United States was totally different. It is focused more on material things, especially the gifts that we gave or received than the spiritual aspect of it. At first, I thought my Christmas in the U.S. would be my best one since I'll experience a white Christmas. But, I was wrong. I understood that Christmas is more than the snow, food, gifts, songs, and decorations, more than the material possessions. It is about being home sharing the laughter and tears of our family, celebrating the power and glory of Christ, and enjoying the warmth and comfort of everybody.

It should not be focused on the things we can hold. It should be focused on things far greater than the objects we can see. It is felt.

I clearly remember how overjoyed I am when I looked at the many gifts big and small wrapped in colorful papers shadowed by the blue, red, green, yellow, and orange lights dancing in the tune of Christmas medleys. I even recall how big my smile was while I opened the gifts for me. But after that short moment, the big smile and the joy was gone. I felt the dissatisfaction and incompleteness. It seemed like I was craving for something immaterial that I always get every pasko in the Philippines .

Family. That is what often comes to my mind whenever I think of Christmas. It has been a tradition for us Filipinos that we get together every Christmas eve after the Misa de Gallo. We eat together, drink together, and have fun together. In my family, we even have parlor games for the kids and even for the elders. We exchange gifts, sing Christmas songs, and tell Christmas stories. We forget our worries, problems, and burdens.

That serene night during my Christmas in the U.S. was a great time for me to appreciate the beauty and wonder of how us, Filipinos spend Christmas amidst the adversities we battle – poverty, criminalities, political squabbles, economic and educational instability, and corruption. Christmas has always been a time for us to get away from our problems and turn to welcome the coming of the Messiah, the warmth of the family, and the security of a home.

We have proven to the world again and again that we can afford to be happy in spite of inadequacy in material things. We spend Christmas not only in the 25th of December but almost everyday in our lives. I remember my host Dad telling me how amazed he is how we can afford to smile even if we have great burdens to carry. I just told him that that's how God made us Filipinos. We find ways to enjoy life with the blessings God provides us. We value the spiritual and emotional aspect of Christmas rather than the materialistic aspect of it.

This Christmas eve, I am confident, will be the best Christmas of my young life. That is because I now realize what a real Christmas is, a holiday spent with love, care, and understanding not with the material things in this world. It should be a more spiritual holiday focused on God.

The writer is the editor in chief of THE CTY LIGHT, the publication of Bacolod City National High School . He spent his Christmas last year in Austin , Texas where he studied for a year as an American Field Service grant-awardee.