So this is Christmas

It's Christmas here in the Philippines and though I've went to Simbang Gabi, had a Christmas Eve dinner with my relatives and even had my usually mad one day of Christmas shopping it's just not the same. Where's the lot of pine trees to choose your Christmas tree from? The streets here aren't even really decorated with Christmas lights or ornaments. There are some homes that have them but not nearly as much as back home. Could be because not that many people can afford them here but even most of the stores in the pricey Alabang Town Center have hardly any decorations. In the States just about every store you got to would have some Christmas motive, a mannequin of Santa, ornaments and holly placed along the isles, and even spray painted snow on the windows. Even all the skyscrapers in San Francisco would be lit up with Christmas lights. Watching TV here they have a lot of religious programs but where are the shows like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas or A Christmas Story? As for the weather it is a little colder but I really can't tell if it's actually winter or summer here. Obviously there'll be no sleigh riding or snow fights this Christmas.

Maybe that's alright though. When you think of what Christmas is supposed to represent maybe things are more authentic out here anyway. I mean they didn't have snow or pine trees in Bethlehem back when Jesus was born. Most scholars even believe that Jesus was born around the time of spring not December 25th, which was already a day of celebration for many pagans. So the weather out here would actually be more like it was the day Jesus was born. Santa, Rudolf, the Christmas tree and all that other stuff were also mostly pagan traditions that were added later. But don't let me get started on that now.

Anyway, I realize that Christmas has come to represent a lof of different things to a lot of different people. And weather I'm there or here, Merry Christmas to everyone! To all the friends and family I've made and met out here. To all my family and friends I've left back home, some of which may have already gone off else where to Iraq, Korea, China, Japan, Canada or where ever. (You guys are the biggest difference why Christmas is not the same here.) I hope you all have a good one.