to go downtown to Iloilo Viejo, you know, the old Calle Real.
HERE WE GO again. People are starting to act weird. It seems like every day they all want
This mad rush has been creating traffic and as if on cue jeepneys and taxis suddenly disappear just when you needed one.
And there can only be one reason for this madness, chaos and debauchery.
It’s the time of the year when the city is festive with all the Christmas decorations and music blaring in the malls. The natives are intoxicated with Christmas cheer and in the spirit of giving and receiving.
It’s also the time of the year when politicians and those planning to run in the coming elections are doing their best impersonating Santa Claus. I don’t mean here the beard and big belly although most of them are obese with bulging beer bellys, but in gift giving with the hope that they will be remembered during elections.
And suddenly I remember Ferjenel Biron and those schoolbags.
Yes people, it’s Christmas time in the Philippines ostensibly to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Of course we are aware that Jesus was not really born on Dec. 25 but just because there’s a simple mix up with the dates is no reason why we should not eat, drink and be merry.
When I was a schoolboy I was filled with anticipation as the Christmas season draws near. I always looked forward to the festivities, the food and most specially the gifts from my parents and godparents.
As we grow older our expectations of the season change; as a teenager in the dazed and confused days of the 70s it was a long vacation from university. Meaning time to hang out with friends, get high and get laid. This was the time of “free love” when marijuana was not yet illegal and AIDS was non-existent.
As I grew older and had a family of my own, my perspective of Christmas also changed. This time for me Christmas is for the kids and as a parent I made sure my kids always have happy memories of Christmas.
I am now an “Abuelo” and my perspective of Christmas still remains; it is for the kids. This time, however, for my “Nietos”.
For the uninformed “Abuelo” is Spanish for grandfather and “Nietos” is grandchildren in Spanish. Nothing fancy here, it’s just my Iberian roots.
From toys to getting the “girl” to giving your family a happy Christmas, we always have our Christmas list or wishes. And as an old man now or as an “ageing hippie” as my oldest son prefers to describe me, I still have my Christmas list.
So without further ado here’s an “old man’s” Christmas list:
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one.
Yes, these are the lyrics of that John Lennon composition “Imagine” and for this “old man” they say it all. This is my Christmas list for the world, for humanity and for the natives of this archipelago.
I have lived a full life. I have done a lot of things and experienced adventures and escapades that would probably take twice the lifetime of an average person to do or even imagine doing.
I want for nothing more. I am not poor, I just happen to have no money.
I am from the “Woodstock” generation, an “ageing hippie’ who still preaches and practices “make love not war.” I have loved and lost. Now in the December of my life, I am in love for the last time.
At the end of the day allow me to leave you this message … “although it’s been said many times many ways, Merry Christmas.”/PN
