“You’re all I want for Christmas!”
You’re all I want for Christmas
All I want my whole life through
Each day is just like Christmas
Anytime that I am with you
You’re all I want for Christmas
And if all my dreams come true
Then I’ll awake on Christmas morning
And find my stocking filled with you
November of 1968
Days after the release of the CPA board exams, we had an intimate celebration at home. We were happy with my dream coming true. Music was always part in every celebration that we had. There was no karaoke in the 1960s. But the piano or the guitar made everything classically beautiful.
Roger, my husband, who was my boyfriend, then, sang the song printed “You’re all I want for Christmas” and he sang it very well. It was not just me who fell in love with him; my mother, did, too. On March 9, 1969 we got married.
There was a strong typhoon that hit Bohol in November of 1968. From our honeymoon in Baguio we proceeded to Siain, Quezon province. The same thing happened, and the office was eventually closed.
For a while my husband became a trouble shooter for the company he worked while I taught for a while, too, at the University of San Carlos. Another assignment was opened for him in Medina, Misamis Oriental, so we had to transfer.
Medina is a town in Misamis Oriental near Gingoog City. We were comfortable there. Daghang Bol-anon. This is the domain of the Pelaezes and the Uyguangcos. One of the Pelaezes was Señora Ipang (Felipa Neri Pelaez) whose roots are from Dauis, Bohol.
Though a small town, Medina is alive with its cultural activities foremost of which is its lantern festival held every December. During the festival, all barangays participate bringing their beautiful lanterns. The fact was, the presence of a desiccated coconut factory elevated the economy of the town.
We visited Medina three years ago, and the desiccated coconut company has now several products – the fiesta brand.
Aside from its cultural and economic activities, the church plays a very important role in the formation of its parishioners. When we were there, the parish priest was an Irish, father William Adams. He was such a charismatic priest. Kung unsay iyang isulti, motoo dayon ang mga tao. Such was the charisma of Father Adams.
My family and I were very at home in Medina. During Christmas, I was involved in the church choir for the evening mass. We sang in the midnight masses.
When Father Adams was in his retirement years, he was given a place in the northern Mindanao regional hospital in Cagayan De Oro City. His apostolic work was to give a decent death to those ailing people staying under the bridge in the city. When he died, he chose to be buried in Medina.
November 1974
By then we had already 3 children, the eldest was already 4 years old and our youngest, Irene was born there. She was not yet a year old when a bigger assignment was given to Roger. This time, he had to go to Tacloban. That was the early year of martial law. Roger’s transfer was ASAP – as in ASAP (as soon as possible); and it was Christmas time. It was the vice president of the company who talked to me and persuaded me to give my permission to let Roger go asap. I could not leave Medina at that time due to our Christmas choir. But Roger had to go on one condition: that he would come back and spend Christmas in Medina and be in Tacloban by the New Year. We were always together celebrating the Yuletide Season. We were always together every Christmas Day for 50 years.
December 2020
Covid – 19 will be breaking our tradition and stopping our Christmas ties. The children could not come home. This is the first time in 50 years that we will not be together. This pains my heart especially when I look at Roger, 80 years old, who becomes silent as he sits on his favorite chair. I can see him craning his neck towards the highway – every now and then – hoping to see a van stopping by the side of our street – with all our children and their children, coming home for Christmas. And I could hear him softly singing his favorite song, “ YOU’RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS.”
One time, I heard him hum the song, without the lyrics. His humming was interrupted by some pauses as he clears his throat and as he speedily blinks his eyes. Why? He bravely wanted to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. He wanted to finish the humming of his favorite song. Yes, we want our children for Christmas – especially now that we are seeing the twilight years of our life.
But with this sacrifice we are offering to the Child Jesus, Roger and I still continue to sing the song, and hope to see our children very soon.
We are definite to celebrate Christmas with our children – even if only in our dreams. We miss our only son, our Estela and our Irene. We miss our grandchildren. I realize, I still cry at my age, a little younger than Roger!
Merry Christmas – whatever it means to spend it without our loved ones.
CAPTIONS:
Foto 1 – The author and her husband Roger (seated, facing camera) as they join their children and guests sing their favorite Christmas song, “Your’re All I want for Christmas”.
Foto 2 – The wow sisters (the author’s grandchildren) entertaining dear Lolo and Lola during every Christmas day.