10 free (or almost free) things to enjoy that Christmas-Day feeling

Are you feeling quite scroogey? Here are my top 10 things to get you in the mood, keep Scrooge at bay and really enjoy Christmas this year.

1. Watch the Greenhills Christmas Show

A lot of us have all trooped with our parents to see the COD Christmas display decades back when we were children. With the decline of the Araneta Center (pre-Gateway era), that particular ritual has lost its appeal. Now, a new generation can again enjoy it.

This year the theme is about the environment with filipiniana complete with the carabaos and bahay kubos.

We usually make a day of it, we arrive before 10am to get good parking, do our Christmas shopping, transfer to Tiendesitas (free shuttle) or even the other malls (there’s an fx terminal to take you to Megamall and Galleria if you wish) and come back for the display.

2. Watch the UP lantern parade

This celebration started and is the highlight of UP life every year. Every college prepares a float according to a theme, some are more elaborate than others and quite a sight to see. This year, with the Centennial celebration coming to a close, this promises to be really something to look forward to.

3. Go to at least 1 reunion and not more than 3

Reunions are great, it’s a chance to reconnect with our loved ones and friends. And, it’s just plain fun. But let’s face it, after the first few parties, it just becomes too much to handle and we become more frazzled the more we attend and the nearer it is to the holidays. Three is just my magic number, you will know yours when it becomes less fun and more stressful. It will help if the gatherings are spaced well apart, preferably before and after Christmas, so you can gather yourself and properly enjoy each one and have something more to look forward to even after Christmas.

4. Wrap your own presents but not more than you can handle

For the newbies, just wrap one or two this Christmas and let your imagination run. I have the most fun wrapping, rather packaging my presents when I use the most unusual containers and wrappers or making the container as part of the gift.

If imagination fails, get simple, solid colored wrappers then punch it up with bold, wide ribbons, then when budget and time permits, find a bell or tassle and attach it to the ribbon.

5. Bake cookies with children for Christmas

Nothing fancy is needed here, let your skills and taste guide you. It’s more of the ritual of doing something with children that allows you to slow down, experience joy with abandon, and fill your home with the great smells of something baking in the kitchen. Best of all, who doesn’t love cookies?
As for me, I’m partial to gingerbread/shortbread cookies. I’m still looking for a good recipe.

6. Decorate the tree with family

Make an event of it, don’t let it become just a chore to do, something you have to get over with. It’s the best when the kids get to do some of the things themselves. You should see their faces light up when they see you light up the tree.
Doing this with kids gives you a glimpse (again) of seeing things with their sense of wonder. Isn’t it that Christmas was used to be filled with so much wonder, something we lost through the years (and for me, it’s something I sorely miss).

7. Shop early so you focus on the giving not just settling for something

Believe it or not, I really start my Christmas shopping around August – September during the Sale-Midnight-Madness marathon of the major malls. This way I really get to great deals, maybe a season or two past its prime, but really great deals nonetheless. This way I not only spread my budget a couple of months, I also get more bang for my buck and it becomes more of a treasure hunt for me rather than an extra-challenge I have to get through with.

8. Drink hot chocolate in one specially cold late evening

Again, nothing fancy is required here, do as your tastebuds dictate. May it be the quintessential Swiss Miss, the ever-faithfull tablea (Chinese or Spanish) or the gourmet kind, it’s a ritual I usually reserve for a cold night to get into the feel of things. I usually drink it with a cookie or two, the lights turned low, the Christmas tree lighted and with soft Christmas songs in the background. There’s nothing like chocolate to help you feel pampered and with the lights to give you that inner glow.

9. Play Christmas songs

Christmas songs have a certain magic, maybe it’s the melody or the lyrics or just our great memories that trigger good thoughts and bring an over-all sense of well-being. You may have guessed it from the way I write that I’m not really a fan of the disco version of Christmas songs, but there’s one or two upbeat tunes that still get to the heart of the season. I usually like them sweet, romantic and nostalgic, but not melancholic (except for Pasko na Sinta Ko, of course)

10. Watch old (and new) Christmas movies

Warm fuzzy feeling all around, triumph of life and spirit, and just your ordinary feel-good types. Like my songs, I gravitate to the nostalgic, romantic, and feel good varieties. These movies tug at your heart and make you appreciate love and family all the more.

11. Attend the Simbang Gabi at 4am at least once and better if you attend all (then eat puto bumbong and bibingka while you are at it)

Nothing better helps me get into the feeling of Christmas than attending the dawn masses. There’s something about the cold air, muted lights and quietness that helps me to feel more centered. Of course, if this becomes too much to handle, the evening masses are still a good thing to do. For me though, the Simbang Gabi is not complete without the compulsory puto bumbong and bibingka, I never got used to the salabat that’s supposed to go with it, but having at least one always gives me that fuzzy feeling that Christmas is just around the corner.

But at the heart of it all, attending the Simbang Gabi gives us the chance to reconnect with our spiritual life, something we take for granted with our busy schedules. And being the Catholics that we are, attending thefull nine nights allows us to pray for our deepest wish and who knows it might just get granted after all its Christmas.

12. Light a candle for a little quiet time by yourself and count your blessings

Counting your blessings is another thing we take for granted but it is exactly that, that can put us into a greater grateful mood and truly appreciate life in all its imperfections.

So there you have it, I know I said ten things, but being a Christmas list calls for it to be 12. If you went through everything, you would get the sense that it’s all about slowing down, being in the moment and appreciating what we have.