Spending Christmas & New Years Away From Home

I can’t believe I’m going to spend Christmas and New Years here in Virginia, instead of spending it with family and friends. Filipinos usually gather together during Christmas and New Years.

During Christmas, back home in New Jersey we always have potlucks and gather in one place or one house. Though sometimes one place/house isn’t enough so we end up going from house to house to celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. Funny thing is gifts never stop coming to you during midnight of Christmas due to the fact that everyone has gifts for everyone. Well, maybe not the parents but usually the kids and sometimes for the parents, though parents usually gets the good stuff, good gift from other parents.

I remembered when I was still 13 years old and it was my first Christmas here in United States. I didn’t know anyone nor had friends for the first 3 months; nor did I know English well but my first Christmas was fun. I met a lot of kids older than me, my age, and below me. For the first time I got to enjoy the company of new people since I’ve been here. I received so many gifts that I never had expected to come and couldn’t thank enough the people I barely known yet known who I was and had gifts for me. I received so many toys, shirts and jackets for the winter, and school supplies that I needed for school. Even now, I would have had received gifts if I were home and will most likely receive lots of shirts from them. Filipinos really just love to give away gifts at Christmas…

Food…food is a big part of Christmas and New Years for Filipino. Like I said before, Filipinos loves to cook so much food for potlucks. It is like having a Filipino buffet house restaurant. There are so many foods such as, Lechon, Adobong Manor, Beef Soup and many more Filipino dishes. Don’t forget about the deserts though, so many sweats can’t even tell you what they’re called but they are just so good.

Just like Christmas, New Years goes the same way in exception of exchanging gifts. Other than that, it’s pretty much almost the same though people tend to go places to celebrate the New Years, which often is going to New York to watch the fireworks and see the ball drop. It always was an amazing view and the joy you feel is always better than the past year.

I’m just hoping that I have a window of opportunity to go home even if it’s just for that Christmas Eve.