Nathaniel R. Melican

SOME 2,000 years after Jesus Christ’s birth, do you still know why Filipinos celebrate Advent, decorate their homes, sing Christmas carols, go to midnight Mass, eat noche buena, and, when the clock strikes 12 on Christmas eve, greet each other “Merry Christmas”?

Or amid the hype and fanfare, have you forgotten the real meaning of Christmas?

In the Philippines, celebrating Christmas starts way ahead of other countries. Enter the so-called “Ber” months and Christmas lights, lanterns, and other Christmas decor start to sprout everywhere.

Then Christmas-themed advertisements start to fill the media and commercial establishments. One toothpaste commercial in the past even had the traditional Midnight Mass as a setting for girl-watching.

Could things get any worse for Christmas?