I said that I will repost this one here.. Thanks Marce Jade for choosing this… now we have to schedule a dater with Marce Fedhz and Marce Niko since I promised them that I will treat them. Kelan ba kayo pede? Yami, Chris and Mye your welcome to come along. And even if we want to include all the marce club ( Kaye, Seiko, Gene, Liz, Kikamz) in this little treat, they can’t.. ang layo kase.. eto na nga ung entry ko, daldal ko

When asked what is the most memorable or the fondest Christmas I ever had, my only answer is CHRISTMAS 1998. You’re expecting my answer would be the first Christmas of being a mom no. That’s a different story and this year’s Christmas was another story too (it’s a blast I tell you.. will post about it later). If for most people, happy Christmas is all about gifts and food, for us then it was playing wild and free in the sand dunes.

1998. My first year of being independent. I enrolled in a University far from us. The only time that I can go home is during semestral break. Sembreak of that year, I went home as soon as I am done collecting my class cards. I missed my family so much. What I did not know is that there is something life changing that is about to happen. Days before I went back to the University, my father brought home his two illegitimate kids. My aunt accepted (we were living with my grandmother) the kids and let them live with us. It was so painful for my mother that she has to live in another place and leave my 3 siblings in my grandma’s house. They cannot come with her because they are still studying. We were so stressed out with what my father did.

Christmas came and we were all like Zombies, never caring about anything but the welfare of our mom. She on the other hand, thinks about us and how she can make it easier for us. Traditionally, we spend Christmas there at my Lola’s house. That year, my mother packed our things and we readied our selves to a whole day of travel. We’re going to Ilocos Norte, a place we only heard from our history books. We were a bit anxious because this will be our first Christmas without gifts, food and Santa. Will be it as happy as our last Christmas? Or are we just gonna sleep the night away?

I can’t exactly remember how we spend the Christmas eve (but definitely no gifts and no extravagant dishes at the table) all I know is that we enjoyed every moment of that getaway. It still plays vividly in my mind. On the way to Ilocos, our doubts melt as we pass along breathtaking scenes. We entertain ourselves with each other, laughing out loud to the corniest joke or trying to laugh (without anything to laugh about) and laughing in the end. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN.

Then we arrived at our destination, an old house along the beach near the famous sand dunes of Ilocos Norte. Me and my siblings played Jack and Jill in the sand dunes. We pretend like we were in movies, we play like there is no tomorrow. Each grain of sand that hit our body melts the hatred, the stress and the heart aches my father gave us. Every fall and roll makes us stronger and gave us strength to stand up again. And though some grains landed straight to our eyes and hurt us so much, it give us hope that all will end and that there will come a time that our family will be happy. Just like taking off the grain sand in the eye, you have to cry to let it out.

Now, 11 years after, 3 in laws and 6 grandkids added, we are still together and yes the sand dunes made us happy, contented and whole. It was the fondest and most memorable Christmas not just to me but to my whole family.