Hi, it’s Charice and this is our Christmas Tradition:

1. We have to wear the “LUCKY COLOR OF THE YEAR” (if it’s red or violet, everyone in our house has to wear the same color).
2. We’re always preparing 12 different fruits (but it has to be a round fruit, circle-shaped).
3. Going to the Church, Starting DEC. 16 – 24. (That’s a Good Luck) that’s pretty much it.

Ciao ~ Charice

Christmas in Germany

During Advent season (four Sundays before Christmas day), the city streets are brightly lit. People are beginning to bake Christmas cookies and special Christmas cake. Weeks in an Advent season, in many homes there are wreaths, bound with green pine branches with four candles on it. Each Sunday in Advent, a new candle is lit. If all four candles are burning, then it’s Christmas. Many people go to church on Christmas Eve. After the service, it is time for Christmas dinner and exchanging gifts that have been previously placed under the Christmas tree.

The times have changed, but the warmth and cohesion that arises through customs, as alive as before. By tradition, we experience a little journey back to that time, which can embed themselves in our modern daily lives to deal with the longing for what it once was, with respect and full of joy.

I hope you like my little “story” and share your own “tradition” here in Charicemania.

Frohe Weihnachten! ~ Schoen

Our Tradition

Our family always celebrates Christmas at our home. Everyone tries to arrive on or before Christmas Eve. We have a Christmas Eve dinner of turkey and dressing and all the trimmings, including my wife’s fabulous pumpkin pie. We then attend Christmas Eve services at our church. The rest of the evening is spent at home enjoying each other’s company. This is the only time of the year that all of my grand children are with us. Thankfully, the kids are tired and ready for bed as they know Santa Claus comes during the night to bring their presents.

Christmas morning begins early. Before breakfast, the children are so excited about opening their presents that we all gather around the tree and each one of us receives a present before any are opened. Here is when the children’s patience is tested. We open our gifts one at a time so all can feel the joy of giving and receiving them. Then we have breakfast and watch the children play with their gifts.

This year will be a very special Christmas for our family. My five year old grandson recently developed a condition that caused the platelets in his blood to fall dangerously low. He was admitted to the hospital where he was given intravenous drugs to re-build the platelets while his blood was tested to determine what was causing the problem. Eventually, the doctors determined the condition was caused by a virus and he has begun making platelets on his own, and should be back to normal soon. So we have a special reason to celebrate the birth and strength of our Lord.

Best wishes to you all ~ Max

A Filipino Tradition

Like many of you, I spend Christmas Eve with my family. Morning of the 24th, I’m usually stuck in the airport, waiting for my flight going back to Iloilo City. While I’m waiting, I usually find myself thinking what food is prepared for our Noche Buena. Lechon, Ham, Lengua, Fried Chicken, Big Tuna, Kaldereta, Fruitshakes, Cheese, Apples, Cake, Icecream. Yes, despite all the delicious, catered food that I ate during all those Christmas parties, nothing beats home-cooked food that you are used to eating. It is not only the taste that you crave for. It brings back the nostalgic feeling of being with my family once again and the past happy Christmas that we have spent time together. As I arrive in the airport, I will find my family waiting for me in the airport and we would go together to my Father’s House. The whole clan would eat dinner together, play games, and do a song and dance number. After which, everyone would be holding on to their seats for the best part… Exchanging gifts. Yipeeee… Nothing big but at least I have something to open when the clock strikes 12am. After which, my Father dressed as Santa Claus would hand over the best gift to me and my cousins… $cash$ (kaching $ kaching!) LOL.

After the handing over of the gifts, my family then goes to our close family friend’s house to eat dessert. Cakes, Crepes and Dirty Ice Cream! Nothing is more Filipino than Dirty Ice Cream (yummy).  We then go to my mom’s side of the family. Don’t worry, no more food this time. We would just exchange gifts, pose for family pictures and go to a Christmas Mass at 10pm. It’s a long Christmas Mass, 2 hours!!! Of course, it has some short plays and a choir mini-concert with it. After which, we arrive home quietly around 12am.  We open our gifts together under our very own Christmas tree and brag who has the most gifts that Christmas. We then do a short prayer and thank God for all the blessing he has given us for the past year. We then slip quietly in our beds and dream of a better Christmas next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ~ Tintol

My Christmas Past, Present and Fututre…

I grew up in the Philippines and people there typically do a countdown to Christmas Day 100 days prior. By December 16, “Simbang Gabi” (Evening Mass or Mass at Dawn) begins. It is when Catholic churches across the nation celebrate mass as early as 4am every morning until the “Misa de Gallo” on Christmas Eve to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, my family tried to complete the nine-day simbang gabi and, right after each mass, we always ate traditional delicacies (puto bumbong, bibinka, etc.) vendors sold outside the church. Our Christmas Eve was quite typical, but nonetheless memorable. We patiently waited until midnight then shared food that my mother usually prepared, such as ham, pansit, paella, puto, callos, etc. We, however, did not wait for morning to open presents- perhaps, we were just too excited or maybe simply impatient. The next few days were then spent preparing for New Year’s Eve. This was a big event for my family, which was full of traditions that typically had significance of “luck” and abundance for the coming year. We hung grapes over all doors, had at least twelve types of round fruits on the table, and when midnight struck, we counted money for prosperity, or jumped if we wanted to grow taller. But the biggest tradition of all is having fireworks, which we special ordered, at times, and had earned us quite a reputation in the neighborhood.

I loved the holiday season when I was young. But it is quite different now. I currently live in the United States and some of our old family traditions could not anymore be practiced. For one- we definitely can’t have our own fireworks display! But since I have children now, I am excited to create new traditions that hopefully my two kids, 2 and 5-year-old, will reminisce about for years to come. Who knows? Maybe they will write about it and post them here in Charicemania someday.

Happy Holidays Everyone! With love and warmest regards ~ drtp

A ‘Capangpangan’ Christmas

We always go to midnight mass at the nice Cathedral in town which has a beautiful, traditional mass.  Then we open gifts early in the morning when we get home from mass, and in the evening we’ll have a Christmas dinner and gathering with the entire extended family. Capangpangan is my family name and I am 1 of 8 siblings, 29 grandkids, and 8 greatgrandkids plus spouses, and we call it a “Capangpangan” Christmas because every time a new boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse joins the family, they always have to get initiated into our very large and very loud Christmas gatherings that we have each year. They either love it or it’s just too much for them, lol. But it is a rather crazy time on Christmas day, lots of food, teasing, ‘remember when’ stories, and just catching up with one another. Then after dinner, we all gather round to play “Kris Kringle” where the adults will pick a number and take turns opening gifts in the circle and perhaps ’stealing’ them from one another at each turn.  That way, you just buy one very nice gift, it’s just not affordable to get a gift for every single relative and your in-laws too. All the little kids of course get lots of gifts from everyone. They can hardly wait till after dinner cuz then it becomes a free-for-all as they all jump into the dozens of gifts under the tree, calling out names, tossing gifts to each other, and tearing open the packages. We always have a very Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to All With Love ~ Eve

Christmas in Cordilliera

I believe every ethnicity in Philippines celebrates Christmas in varied ways.

People in my village go out from their houses to the mountains and river banks with their camping and picnic supplies. They would even bring the one live pig with them to butcher. Christmas could be the only time of the year where the whole family can dine, chat, play songs and dance together. (I was born on the 26th, 1:00 am, so I celebrate my birthday on Christmas. When I was a child, I thought it was so unfair, that I only received one gift for birthday and Christmas, huh,,,)

Living in Hong Kong, I missed all my family activities, the mountains, the pine trees, and the cold breeze in the province. Hongkong with only 1/4 of the population being Christians, celebrates Christmas with exchanging gifts, lunch, dinner and glittery decorations.

Happy Christmas… Charice and her Family, Chasters and Charicemania ~ Noellen

My Big Fat Noche Buena

“Noche Buena” (Christmas Eve celebration) is one of the traditions our family celebrates. It is a night without sleep and a continuous celebration moving right into Christmas Day. The party is a get-together of extended family and friends feasting on delicious meals and dancing and singing in merriment.

The extended family is big enough, more than 40. Our Christmas Eve partying reminds me of the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” – centered on food, filled with life-loving loud extroverts, and the Caucasian in-laws and guests, unused to such Filipino cultural fervor, are overwhelmed.

Maligayang Pasko ~ Admin & AJ

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