Time flies too quickly, and Christmas is now just around the corner. The past few years have been a rollercoaster for mostly everybody due to the pandemic. But what will Christmas be this year now that the issue with COVID-19 is somewhat waning and everyone is moving on as usual?
In 2020-2021, despite the rising COVID statistics, Christmas was celebrated to pay tribute to what is best in human nature. We valued our family and friends more as we saw people, even those we knew, dying from COVID. We hoped for better times ahead. COVID was given a different meaning: life nudges us, and we choose to be resilient, strong, and solid.
While there is a lot weighing on us right now, we are encouraged by the thought that the human ties binding us together are much stronger than the virus and any force (work, politics, family issues) attempting to divide us.
So this coming Christmas 2022, like any event worth keeping, Christmas is one that is often prepared in advance, beginning with the households. This means seeing many houses in the neighborhood becoming embellished with decors and glittering with lights. And, of course, nowhere else is the occasion more so felt than among people who embody the cheerful vibe that has become customary with the event, such as when people begin sending greeting cards to family, friends and co-workers or when they start singing their carols. These are but just the undying practices that we Filipinos all over the world know of.
But more than just being in anticipation of a joyous event, the weeks prior to Christmas appear to be a time for truly moving on from the difficulties posed by the pandemic. While we are not yet truly free from the grasp of COVID-19, we are nevertheless seeing some positive signs suggesting that the community is striving to go back to what is the conventional normal, such as in the case of industries opening new jobs, paving the way for great opportunities to make a livelihood among locals and migrants alike. This, among other things, imply that businesses are thriving again, and if this trend keeps up, more and more people will enjoy the benefits of a reinvigorated economy. On the individual and community level, we have reclaimed what COVID took from us by rekindling relationships and strengthening community ties.
Overall, we are seeing relative optimism as Christmas draws near. The storm that came with the pandemic is not truly over, but its impact is surely decreasing in intensity as people actively take prudent measures to counter it. It is a lot of effort—and can be an uphill battle for most in some cases. However, it only shows people’s resiliency to go back and live life as it should—with a degree of optimism and a promise of a better future.
