I think we are the topmost people in the world who really go gaga over Christmas. It is a time for family gatherings, for exchanging gifts or even just gift-giving, and going to mass in the early mornings. The tradition is very deep and goes back hundreds of years I suppose to the Spanish era.
We should be proud of that because it means we value being a part of the community. We belong to each other; we nurture our past; and we are of one race; one historical consciousness, and one deep kinship with each other.
However, what we should guard against is measuring gifts in terms of monetary value. We must learn to value every gift that we receive no matter how inexpensive, especially if they have been done by the giver. It shows that we have been in the mind of the giver and that he or she values our presence in this world.
Children particularly must recognize that Christmas is a time for being open, for being generous to other people. When they go caroling, they must give their best and not just sing even when out of tune just so they could make a quick cash. Parents must teach their children the value of singing the Christmas carols; what they mean and what message they give to other people.
I have been making beaded balls and giving them away to children in the streets. The Mindanao group (Badjao I presume) shows great pleasure in receiving them. They know what artistic products are. But the children in the slums, ask me: "Para saan po ito?" They have forgotten or maybe they were not taught to appreciate artistic products and instead only watch gifts for their practical value. "Pwedeng dekorasyon, lagyan mo ng tangkay, o kaya pantali sa buhok. Bahala ka kung ano'ng gusto mong gawin."Then they smiled and asked for another one as there were the two of them. I said, "isa lang. Mag-share na lang kayo." The other one who lost in the "pik" a game that makes the winner get the beaded ball, grabbed it. But I told them not to quarrel over it as they should share it between themselves.
New toys, imaginative toys, toys that can be manipulated, toys that make the children think -- these are what are needed as gifts by our children. Toys that will educate them to tell the time, a children's magazine like Regalo, to read; Toys for Peace, not the guns and swords which teach them to harm, injure others and even kill. Computer war games are the worst lot on this score.
Way back in the 90's Aida Lava (God bless her soul,) was one of the leaders of the Forward Looking Women or FLOW toegether with Inday Pineda and Rosario Dos Santos who were at the forefront disseminating the value of toys for peace. That was a very long time ago and as the proliferation of violent toys exists it seems we have not not really made a dent in the consciousness of manufacturers especially those coming from the People's Republic of China.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development must lead in inculcating among the children and people in general the real value of Christmas. Jesus Christ was born in a manger, a very lowly place, not the air-conditioned rooms of posh hospitals. We should never forget that. Or at least we should respect the Christian people's beliefs in the modest roots of Christmas.
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