7 Things Your Family Can Do This Coming Christmas

As a predominantly Catholic country, there is no denying that the Philippines has the longest and most lavish Christmas celebration.

You’ll start hearing Christmas songs as early as September. Some would even start building up their wish list. Families will start planning what to do by October, and then they’ll decorate their house by November ‒ just after All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day.

If you’re still on the lookout on what you and your family should do this coming Christmas, here are some ideas:

Host a Family Christmas Party

Christmas is the time when the entire family gets together. Moreso if some of them are Overseas Filipino Workers who luckily had the chance to come home for the holidays.

That said, Christmas is not just a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a time to celebrate togetherness.

Thus, you’ll see large families organizing a family Christmas party coupled with Noche Buena (the Yuletide feast), parlor games for kids, catching up and merriment, and some karaoke (because Filipinos love to sing).

In some cases, families would hold the Christmas party a few days or a week before Christmas day. That’s because schools are definitely on a Holiday break by this time. The employees in the family will have to go back to work as early as December 27.

Exchange Gifts With Each Other

On the other hand, you can still celebrate Christmas even without the big family gathering. You can have monito-monita (the Filipino version of Secret Santa or Kris Kringle) with your parents, siblings, dorm mates, office friends, or barkada.

Similar to Secret Santa, gifts are exchanged anonymously in monito-monita. However, you need to give a small gift every day or every week. It depends on what the group has agreed upon.

The gift will also depend on an agreed amount and the theme of the day (or week). For example, your theme for Day 1 is “something red,” and for Day 2 is “something funny.” This will go on until the day of the party, wherein you’ll exchange major gifts with one another.

The idea here is to make the spirit of gift-giving exciting.

Attend Misa de Gallo Together

From the Spanish word that means “Rooster’s Mass,” Misa de Gallo is a Catholic Mass celebrated around midnight, every night, starting December 16 until Christmas Eve.

However, you can also attend an early mass if you prefer. The tradition started in the country around the 1500s, when farmers would still attend the evening mass despite the fatigue of toiling the land the entire day.

Thus, as a compromise, the Spanish clergy decided to hold a mass in the early dawn (hence, the Spanish name) before the farmers would head out to their work.

Also called Simbang Gabi, this is a traditional practice that shows how Filipinos value their faith. But for some, it is also their chance to wish for something. According to old beliefs, you can ask for a wish if you can complete all nine evening masses.

But in case you are unable to do so, you can still attend the Christmas Eve mass with your friends and family.

Experience Fun Family Activities

If you’re an adventurous family and would like to spend the Christmas season differently, then you can opt for a family day outdoors.

For one, it allows you and your family to spend the Holidays in a different environment. Moreso if you opt to be near natural landscapes.

Second, traversing through different rope courses together can strengthen your bond as a family. Not to mention that you get to have fun differently this time.

Third, this is also a great time to get to know your family more, as well as learn some new skills together. Your mom might even be surprised that she can zipline across two municipalities.

Visit a Nearby Festivity

On the other hand, if you have budget constraints, you can still hang out with your families by visiting amusement parks instead.

There are free Christmas attractions that you can visit in the city like the Gallery of Lights at the Ayala Triangle in Makati, Christmas Street Musical Light Tunnel in Ortigas, or you can visit the nearest Christmas Bazaars in your area.

Outside of Metro Manila, there is the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga, Nuvali Magical Field of Lights in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and the Maytinis Festival in Kawit, Cavite.

Watch a Movie Together

Christmas time is also when the country would hold its annual film festival, the Metro Manila Film Festival.

During MMFF, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters, except IMAX and 4D theaters. So if you want to watch a local movie and don’t mind the mall crowd, you can spend Christmas day watching a movie with your friends and family.

PRO TIP: Make sure to visit the official MMFF Facebook Page for the list of official entries. And then check with your nearby local cinema if you can make reservations early on.

Give Back to the Community

Aside from family gatherings and merriment, Christmas is also the season of giving. Thus, it is also a great time to give back to the community.

Some families would opt to give gifts and food to the less fortunate in their local area, while some would spend the day volunteering in an orphanage or a church.

You can also connect with an NGO such as Project PEARLS and be part of their Adopt a Family project, wherein you can donate a Christmas Dinner Pack worth PHP 1,000. The dinner pack is suitable for a family of 8 and includes gifts for the children.

 

How would you and your family celebrate Christmas this year?