Originally Published September 9, 2015 on
Doods' WIX Site - Wisdom, Virtues & Inspiration
What comes to your mind when it's the "-ber" month?
While the season of Advent starts four weeks before Christmas in the Church's liturgical calendar, the festive season starts much earlier in the Philippines, the country known for celebrating the longest Christmas season.
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For Filipinos, Christmas preparations begin on the first BER month, September. It's when we feel the air get cooler and hear radios ringing resounding Christmas carols, "people making lists, buying special gifts, taking time to be kind to one and all", literally.
We get excited in decorating our homes, with the traditional Christmas Tree, Star Lantern we call "Parol", the Nativity set we call "Belen", a manger where the baby Jesus was born, with Joseph and Mary, the three wise men, the shepherd, the angel and the animals in the stable, and many others.
Niel, Ezekiel and Gabriel used to help me make Christmas crafts for decorations when they were younger.
Every year we would create a variety of ornaments for our Christmas Tree.
One Christmas, we recycled old Christmas balls by painting them red and gold.
The following year, we made "paper mache" with Christmas designed paper napkins to cover the balls and lacquer paint to add a shiny finish.
In 2013, we made Quilted Christmas Balls consisting of a symphony of fabrics, ribbons, styrofoam balls and pins.


These quilted balls also make exquisite personalized Christmas present for dear friends.

Last 2014, we crafted Patchwork Star Ornaments. Gab even made the star template.
With Christmas being the biggest family celebration of the year, it adds a sparkle in our eyes each morning when we wake up to these beautiful trimmings made by our own hands.
Adorning garlands of greenery all over our home creates a wonderful excitement, as we anticipate the arrival of a special guest, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Come December 16, exactly nine nights before Christmas, we will start the observance of our cherished religious practice of "Simbang Gabi", (nightly masses). This "Misa de Gallo", which we inherited from the Spaniards helps in our spiritual preparation as we remember the coming of the Messiah, which is the true essence of Christmas.
Sometimes we may wonder why God sent His son Jesus to this cruel and hard world. He sent Jesus to us so that one day, He would grow up to become a very important part of our Salvation History. A Story of truth, faith, hope and love which brought salvation to all of us. For without Jesus, we would all die in our sins.
A Joyful and Spirit-filled Christmas from our family to yours! Happy decorating!