Talking about Christmas tradition made me reminisce my happiest Christmas (that is before having a family of my own). It was in 1998. As I have said we were used celebrating Christmas in large crowd, my father’s family and my cousins and all. That year, we celebrated it in another place, in Ilocos Norte, without my father’s family,just us.. me, my mother and my siblings (and my mom’s friends). It was the happiest and the most memorable for us.

Why it was the happiest though we celebrate it in another place?

That year, I was already a freshman in UP Los Banos. On our semestral break, I went home of course. During that break, my father, who already has two kids on his mistress, went home. He brought with him his two kids and asked my aunt to take care of the kids.My mother was really hurt by that and I was furious.. I cursed them for accepting my father’s illegitimate kids (although I have nothing against the kids) and not respecting my mom as the wife. Actually I wouldn’t have acted that way if I had not seen my mother crying..(I can never stand the sight of my mother crying) And up to this day, some of them still cannot understand why I cursed them (but I already forgive them.. life is too short for hatred..my family are now happy and contented and it is not my fault that they don’t have the capacity to understand things). M mother knew how much stressed it brought to us and as a treat we went out of town and we spend Christmas in Ilocos Norte.

I remember how we laugh out loud as we roll over down the sand dunes. I can still hear our laughter up to now. We went to Pagudpud (even before you guys discovered that place, it already made memories in our little minds) and collect shells and corals. We were ale to taste the famous Ilocos empanada. We went to different kinds of sea shore, from calm seas to the wildest I can imagine. We enjoyed the long drive from our place to Ilocos Norte. We laugh all the way and enjoyed the scenery. That trip took all our worries away.. Little that we know, that it was just the start of our journey and that we still have to face some battles when we go back home..

And though we spend months of crying and cursing after that, I knew that we made it through because of that trip.. and that’s the reason why it is the happiest Christmas for me. I wish i can show you some photos of that trip but we don’t have any. I guess it really is true that best memories can never be captured in films, paper or in sd.. it is imprinted in the mind and heart of a person.

those were the days…