Fondest Christmas/Holidays Memories

Being a child and has no care about the world. Wow, did I sum it up in one sentence? We all know that is more than that...lol.

All of us goes to church to attend the very early morning mass. Dressed in our finest clothing, (so I thought lol) but hey it was my favorite dress and wearing our spit shine black shoes with white lacy socks on (the girls). We only wear it when we go to church, and we are never allowed to wear it anywhere else but the church and when receiving an award in school.

The food that my mom cooked that will last a week. It does not really last a week, we have cousins that stop by during the day and my parents always sent them home with plenty of packed food. I learned how to make glutenous rice with coconut milk wrap in coconut leaves. The best part of it was the aroma of young coconut leaves in the rice. Then when cooked, dip in homemade sauce, made of sugar cane patties (before they removed the molasses and crystallized) melted in coconut milk and cook until creamy.

Christmas is the only time we get to taste different meat recipes. On regular days my parents always (well not always, but once a month) cook chicken adobo in turmeric powder & coconut milk or pork adobo in soy sauce and vinegar. This is also the only time we can go to our relative's houses without getting told to come home right away, or not to stay too long because our dogs, cat, pigs and chickens needs to be fed.

New Years Eve is such an event. My parents will wake us up to eat, put some coins in our pockets to make some noise at midnight. They said that making the coins jingle will bring more...lol. A home made bamboo cannon with some kind of rocks inside that when you add a drop of water and light it up, it made such a "bang". Arguing on New Year's Eve or New Year's day and spending money is not allowed. Something about that we will be arguing all year, and we will be spending money all year.

I also enjoy the stories that my Aunts, Uncles, older cousins, and grandparents (my mom's side, I never met my grandparents in my father side) about the war and anything to embarrass my mother about. My parent stories on how they met, and how one remember and the other refuses to acknowledge if the events did really happen.

Anyway, my parents are poor (they said so...lol), but they can afford to buy me and my siblings new clothes every Christmas. We always have food on the table and still have plenty to sell in the market. They sent us to school to learn and we all finish high schools. There are no taxes to be paid to get free education where I came from, which I think is great. Our parents have to pay for our schooling, and if we wanted to continue and get a degree, half of the tuition will come from our own sweats.

I have learned so much from them, and I always wished that I could have gathered more information about herbal plants. The thought never crossed my mind back then. I thought I can never leave the country and there will be so much time to teach me everything. Now I can't even remember what those herbal plants are called, and they can't tell me their scientific names for me to find.

Yup, those are the days.