...and so this was Christmas

Christmas 2022 went by as fast as it came and with it are some adult thoughts and realizations:

• Christmas is only a holiday enjoyed by kids. Even with the long preparation and merriment weeks leading to it, come the 25th it’s just an ordinary day to adults.

• Some people will not hesitate to ruin Christmas for you. Whether they intentionally leave you out of their plans or sabotage your plans, they just don’t have the consideration not to do it on the supposed most wonderful day of the year. Sometimes you’ll just wonder if they purposely chose this very day to suck the fun out of you.

I managed to get a discounted, employee-rate booking the last minute for Christmas Day, considering the high occupancy. I made plans for the family to spend Christmas there since we weren’t expecting any visitors or relatives coming over (it had been that way for about three years now, since most of the elders passed away). The last minute my mom threw a tantrum and said she will not be coming and would rather go straight home after visiting Daddy at the columbarium. We knew she had no plans to stay overnight, but not coming at all? That hurts because I was the one who planned it.

Then come at night, my younger brother who was supposed to follow was told by mom to just stay home because she’s all alone and, “wala akong kasama”. That is, even if my younger brother was also looking forward for some R&R with his kids at the hotel. This ticked me off bigtime, because if she came, we’ll all spend Christmas together and no one will be left behind. It’s just a night stay, for crying out loud, not even a full 24-hours.

So yeah, no Christmas family picture for us this year.

• It is a season for giving, I know, but sometimes adults go absolutely broke and the realization of this bitter truth sinks immediately the day after (Boxing Day). Some people (family members included) also think this day is all about spending money and that it’s normal to go for broke and worry about it some other time. For the breadwinners, it’s that one day you’ll resent being one because the spending was non-stop. If you complain about spending the slightest, you are being a Christmas Grinch devoid of generosity.

• Do not buy Christmas gifts online if you don’t want to experience the same aggravation I had. Due to high order volume during their holiday campaigns, many of my Shopee orders didn’t make it on time for Christmas. My packages spent weeks in their delivery hub, then on the day when it was supposed to be delivered, their system showed it as “Out for delivery” but delivery failed due to “Insufficient time”. I seriously think they didn’t make any attempt at all to deliver on the day they said so, they just wanted to show that there was movement in the tracking. I followed-up days after Christmas, and their Customer Service sent me an e-mail saying that one of my orders was declared lost and the other had to be returned to seller. 

• There will be moments you’ll realize that if not for the compulsory exchange gifts/Secret Santa, you’ll get no gift for Christmas. 

• Re-gifting is a common practice more than we ever realize. While one may appreciate the thought, sometimes one just have no space for another knick-knack, bric-a-brac, or a lotion and body wash set you’ll never use (and would sit in your dresser till next year). I’ve received some gifts which I think wasn’t really bought for me but the giver probably just regifted it to me because if the giver knew me, they’ll know I don’t use strong-scented lotions. 

I’m not offended getting a regift—because I’d do the same without any guilt. I’d rather give the gift to someone who I think would appreciate it more than I do. 

• And just because I carry myself well, it doesn’t mean I don’t need a cash gift. Duh. 

You still have until the New Year to send cash my way, though. LOL.

• That there is always that one VIP on every Christmas family reunion that everyone gives special treatment and attention to. Most of the time, it’s the one who’s well-off or the one vacationing from abroad. For the rest of us, who are deemed not as important, they can certainly do away without us being present in family gatherings.

Don't get me wrong though, even with all these realizations, Christmas is still, and will always be, my favorite time of the year and will continue looking forward to it. I should just learn how to manage some of my expectations and not to count too much on the Christmas spirit next time.