Grown-up Christmas List

“I’m participating in the Keeping Christ in Christmas Blog Carnival, hosted by Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints, Truly Rich Mom and Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families. We’ll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Jesus as the Reason for the Christmas season. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.”

December, for me and my husband, is synonymous to busy. We have never experienced a Christas season without at least one harang, or work outside of work as we call it. Be it singing for weddings or Christmas engagements, judging a choral competition, teaching, writing jobs, we are called to do one.

Lucky for us cos it means extra income (and shopping money!). Unlucky for us, too, because we have to leave our toddler behind.

I am a Christmas person. It’s the most wonderful time of the year indeed because of all the busyness, the traffic, the churchwork especially the Simbang Gabi. We even used to have a harana to churchgoers before Mass starts.

I am having a different feel of Christmas this year. A few days before our last day at work, I told my officemates that this is probably the first time that I still don’t feel it’s Christmas despite our tree being brightly lit at home, despite all the traffic, the lights, the people doing the shopping rush (really, why is there a need for it?!). I was actually surprised to see the church pews not filled unlike the past years. Slowly dipping in numbers as each year passes.

But as church volunteers, we must stand by our commitment to serve. So I am just so thankful to the families of my choir for braving the traffic to attend the services. Thank you, thank you!

This blog carnival is so timely because I am all set to making a Christmas list! Forget about New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s my Grown-up Christmas List:

1. Peace on Earth, goodwill to men. While some may say this is so cliché, I pray for this year in and year out. Now especially that danger is eminent everywhere. Just last week, few of my choir members lost their cellphones in a dressing room. What we do not like is that the event organizers even blame some of the kids who may have stolen the items! So instead of stressing ourselves out, we prayed for whoever stole those gadgets that she or he may put the stealing into good use.

2. Slow down, silly. I have a tendency to rush things and finish them early but not good quality, or do them last minute and I don’t care what the result will be. So for the coming year, I will try my best to slow down and focus on what has to be don, and do it well.

3. Learn to say no. I also have this tendency to accommodate everything on my schedule. But working mom that I am must make time for my family. So I will have to say no to several engagements which may rob the time I’m supposed to be with my loved ones.

4. Beautification project. Of myself first, then of the home. As a wife and mom, and as someone whose work involves meeting people, I must be presentable. So I will take advantage of my very long break and schedule my ultimate makeover, one sector of my body and our house every day! I know this will make me be a better person this new year.

5. Give until it hurts. Our Rector said this during the second collection for the recent typhoon Pablo victims. We hope our family could give more to those in need next year.

6. Pray more. I am blessed to have nurtured a praying family. It started when my husband and I were just starting to date, about eight years ago. During one of our phone talks, I asked if we could pray before we sleep. So we prayed over the phone, and it had become a habit. Not just a formula prayer, but a special prayer for our specific intentions for the day not only for ourselves but for others as well. With our daughter, so far she’s learned to do the Sign of the Cross, and recite Angel of God and a special morning prayer we’ve made for her. We meditate God’s presence as we wake up. We also hope to inject the Rosary each day. We are also fortunate to have priest-friends, especially our Rector, and friends who prays for and with us.

As our Rector always say, let us bring back Christ to Christmas and bring back Christmas to Christ. He is the real reason for the season.

Some more inspirations this happy season:

9 Comments on Grown-up Christmas List

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Nancy says:

December 21, 2012 at 4:41 am

“Bring back Christ to Christmas and bring back Christmas to Christ.” I love that – thanks so much for sharing it. And I am going to be keeping “slow down, silly” as one of my own memos to myself!!

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trulyrichmom (@tinasrodriguez) says:

December 31, 2012 at 12:32 am

Hi Em! 🙂 So sorry for the late comment. Thank you SO much for joining the carnival! 🙂 I LOVED reading your post — coming up with a “grown-up Christmas list” is a wonderful idea. I am praying, too, that our kids learn how to give until it hurts, and that we will give them a good example on how to do so. Thank you for the reminder of how to keep Christ in Christmas! 🙂 God bless always!

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Grown-up Christmas List

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