Christmas Is Here!

In the Philippines, Christmas is a very much celebrated event of the year. We are a Christian country, so almost everybody gets excited with simbang-gabi or misa de gallo(in Spanish). Traditionally, simbang gabi is the gathering of people in the church at night or dawn for a Catholic mass. And if there is simbang-gabi, there are bibingka and puto-bumbong also. There are so many delicacies under the Philippine cuisine and in the family of rice cakes, bibingka and puto-bumbong are included. Among the two, the first is my favorite. The latter is a best-seller among kids, though. They usually like the fun of eating those elongated purple cakes cooked in bamboo tubes. However, the simbang-gabi is yet to start on the December 16th as always. That means, not much of bibingka and puto-bumbong stalls are on the streets this early.

Anyway, Filipinos start putting up Christmas decorations as early as September. And as soon as Christmas bazaars and mallwide sales begin, people also indulge into shopping for gifts and everything. Obviously, as they get their 13th month pay or bonuses, they go panic buying for new clothes, shoes, accessories, and many more; not forgetting the grocery for the Christmas dinner.

Talking about Christmas decorations a while ago, in almost every city here in Metro Manila and even in Visayas region, the local government made an effort to put up a grand display of giant Christmas trees and other Christmas ornament which attracted a lot of people.

The security became intense in crowded shopping places like Divisoria, Baclaran, and other major malls. Police says that the crime rate in the city gets higher during Christmas, so everyone is advised to be always alert even in this season of merrymaking.

Well, our family is planning to go nowhere but here for Christmas. We will celebrate our first Christmas together with our new baby in our new apartment. Probably, we will just be out of the city for the New Year. We don't want our little angel to experience too much noise and pollution during the welcoming of 2009. Like last year, we will be in Romblon (my home province) again.