Ligaya at Christmastime
Tagalog | English
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Jayson
When we moved to Canada and lived at the house in Maple Ridge, we bought our biggest Christmas tree. There was a large window in the formal living room and Mama bought some window stickers as decorations. She asked me to apply most of them.
Then I had a project in art class—we made an angel out of wires and paper maché, and then sprayed it with gold paint. In the picture, you can see it in under the Christmas tree with candy canes hanging on it.
Through the years, I'm the one who took out the Christmas tree. Mama would just see that it had been set up. Earlier on, the ornaments and lights were separate. Every year, it was a lot of work to set up and take down. I did it all until, little by little, I got lazy. When the tree was missing, Mama would say: take out the Christmas tree.
Twice, we upgraded the tree to a fibre optic one that already had the lights and decorations installed. You just have to stand it up and plug it in.
Rosie
Memories, indeed. She told me you're the one who sets up the Christmas tree and you are also the one who packs everything away. That's because you are so diligent, she said.
She said she got lazy.
Good thing there is someone diligent—you. She was very happy with the Christmas tree you put up.
Jovert
By November each year, Mama’s Christmas shopping would be well underway. You’d find her wrapping presents on top of the kitchen counter under the stark fluorescent lights. And she did her wrapping with the efficiency you'd expect from an experienced and generous giver.
Like clockwork, she'd tell me she has plenty of wrapping paper to spare if I need some for my own presents. Initially, I'd decline. Inevitably, though, I would cheap out of buying my own wrapper and ask her for some. She would then rise from the couch and retrieve rolls from the linen closet or from under her bed. She would also offer sticker tags because she'd have plenty of those as well.
If Christmas is about giving, then Mama truly embodied its meaning. She had a gift for everyone: friends, coworkers, nieces, nephews, grandkids. She usually gave me 2 or 3!
Of course, as someone who gave a lot of gifts, she also received in kind. When it came time to open presents on Christmas Eve—or Christmas morning (we could never decide on our family's official gift opening day)—hands down, Mama always ended up with the biggest pile!
And she was usually delighted with whatever she was given. Her heart was so full of gratitude; however, this is not to say she did not practice regifting! 😜
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