For nearly two years now Covid-19 has been the Grinch who stole Christmas for much of the world, Christian or not.
Now, with new Covid-19 cases consistently averaging less than 1,000 daily, and with the country moving on from the (confusing) community quarantine system to the (just as confusing, yet less restrictive) alert level system, the country is poised for a better Christmas.
Shops are reopening to their patrons and recover their former vibrancy. Malls are mostly open, blasting the same old Christmas classics—the Jose Mari Chans, the Mariah Careys and the Michael Bublés. Divisoria and Baclaran are, once again, filled with people looking for the best bargains. Christmas parties are allowed again, kids are caroling again! We can now celebrate Christmas with friends, not just family. We can attend Simbang Gabi and smell the bibingka being baked on street cafes. As things are normalizing, the “Filipino Christmas” is as Filipino and as Christmas-y as ever. Finally.
We remain wary and cautious, but with a huge number of us now vaccinated, there’s hope. The traditions are mostly back. This Christmas season, let’s be thankful for the little things. The past two years have shown us what we had taken for granted, and after such a tumultuous year, no mas! The celebrations may be exhausting, the preparations may be costly, and we may not be in the mood to socialize, but ever since Covid-19 taught us what Christmas can *not* be, let us appreciate the things that make Christmas special.
Sure, Covid-19 is far from ended. Even if the numbers are dropping, this does not mean we can be complacent and live as if it were pre-pandemic times.
It’s unclear whether Covid-19 cases will surge again, but for the time being, Christmas is providing some semblance of normalcy, some semblance of relief, which have been Grinched away from Filipinos the majority of the past two years.
