3 Gifts For This ‘Pandemic’ Christmas

How about we start giving them away now?

Yes, it’s the season to take a stroll down the main boulevard to catch a glimpse of twinkling Christmas lights. The wonder never gets old, doesn’t it?

You know it’s that time of the year when Mariah Carey’s voice is played in a continuous loop inside shopping stores.

But before you go wandering around the center of your town to visit those quaint Christmas markets — please don’t forget to wear a mask and maintain a safe distance between each other.

The time has come where we spend hours wrapping gifts before placing them under the tree.

As Johnny Mathis said…

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Everywhere you go…”

Or perhaps, you prefer Michael Bublé’s version. Your call.

Yes, Christmas is around the corner. Christian or not — you, me, the whole world celebrates it.

The decorations, the carols, the gatherings, and the tradition — we all look forward to this year-end celebration.

Young or old, every person turns childlike when it comes to Christmas.

It’s the season you look forward to celebrating.

You can’t wait to see your loved ones so you can exchange gifts and laugh at each other’s stories.

Besides, we all look forward to filling our bellies with sumptuous meals.

And before we know it, we’re already making a new year’s resolution that usually puts “I’m going to lose weight and be healthy” on top of the list.

With the virus in tow and the final vaccine’s pending arrival, this year has been challenging and unforgettable in a way.

You’ve lived through this year and we both know it was a hell of a ride.

Lockdowns, job losses, and tragic deaths — doesn’t sound like Christmas, does it? Of course not.

It’s a year of drastic change, introspection, and transformation.

If you have the chance to experience Christmas this year, be it any way you want — celebrate that. Consider yourself lucky and be grateful for that.

Although this year, you can’t ignore the pain this pandemic has brought us.

If you’re one of those who suffered a loss, please accept my heartfelt condolences.

But please try to celebrate those who are still around you. You’ll do that, and I’ll do it too.

This year’s Christmas will be different. But if you stop and think about it, the values remain the same.

Perhaps, now’s the time to consider giving gifts we didn’t realize we’ve had all along.

Gift of Time

Thousands of people have lost their jobs.

Maybe you’re one of them. You can include me since I lost my job too, and recently I took a part-time role. But still, I’ll join you. And that makes the two of us along with the rest of the current job-seeking population.

Now, that doesn’t mean you don’t have anything valuable to give your loved ones this Christmas. Does it?

For the moment, you have all the time in the world. If you’re reading this, you still have it.

If you’re like me, miles away from family, then join me in expressing gratitude for technology.

I may not be able to share my time physically with my family in the Philippines. But modern technology allows me to be with them virtually.

It’s not the same, but I’m giving them time I’ll never get back. And you know, time spent with loved ones is never wasted.

People often overlook how valuable time is. And this year’s rollercoaster ride made us realize its importance goes way beyond monetary value.

You don’t know how much time you have left, and neither do you know how many more years your loved ones have.

Don’t think about celebrating next year when the vaccine is rolled out. Celebrate Christmas this year.

It’s different, but you still have time, and it’s the most valuable thing you can give to your loved ones.

The moment you lose it, you can never have it back.

You have time. Use it well.

Gift of Kindness and Generosity

Christmas is almost synonymous with giving and sharing. Gift-giving if we want to be exact, and kids love it.

Do you remember those days when you were still a kid?

Gifts of different sizes wrapped in Christmas wrappers that you couldn’t wait to tear down when your parents told you it was time to do so.

Those were moments we looked forward to as kids. And now that we’re mature, an enormous part of us appreciate human values more than objects.

These values warm our hearts more than things that only warm our hands.

Faith, hope, kindness, and generosity— you’ll never see them, but you can always feel them.

These gifts are inherent. It’s been there inside you all along, and no one will ever stop you from giving them freely to anyone whose path you come across.

This year’s a good time to remind the little ones that Christmas isn’t just about gifts. But it’s about sharing the goodness that exists in their hearts.

Gifts are not measured by how extravagant they are. Share what you can — the value lies in the act of sharing itself.

You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you share what you have with others? Now’s a good time to enjoy more of that feeling.

Don’t expect anything in return.

Money? Yes, indeed there’s value in it. I’m not gonna lie — an updated laptop would make me feel as giddy as a kid. But Nah — it can wait. You see, I’m still able to write with it.

Money can only help achieve happiness to an extent. Perhaps happiness that lasts for years — but we want something that lasts a lifetime.

And this year has proven that money can’t bring back the loved ones we lost, and neither can it turn back the time.

If you have a roof above your head, clothes to keep you warm, enough food to fill your belly, and loved ones to keep you company, then you’ve got everything you need in life, my friend.

Kindness won’t cost you anything, so don’t hesitate to give it away. The world needs more of it now than ever.

Gift of Love

You know this one is timeless, right? Some of us even set a particular month to celebrate it. Lovestruck in February.

It’s the emotion that makes the world go round. Or perhaps, you prefer to call it the chemical reaction of hormones released in our brain. Science rocks!

Nevertheless, it makes life worthwhile.

Christmas is the season when we enjoy solidarity amongst our loved ones.

To celebrate Christmas away from your family sounds unfortunate. But I’ve done it for several years, and I’ve learned to focus on what’s in my heart.

Love is also that fuzzy feeling, you know.

Don’t you like those fuzzy feelings? I live for them.

Yes, I’m a bag of emotions. But that’s okay because it means I’m human. And you, you’re human too, so let’s enjoy the ups and downs of being one.

Not everyone gets to be with their family this Christmas. And if you have them around this season. Consider yourself lucky — cherish it.

Don’t take it for granted. You’ll never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Take care of your family. They don’t have to be blood to be part of the circle.

You get to choose who’s in your family, and most of the time it’s the people you love and the ones who love you back.

Family means love, and love is felt in the heart. They’re with you everywhere you go. And this Christmas, celebrate the gift of love.

Fill your heart with it, and you’ll never feel alone. This sounds as cheesy as a Hallmark movie. But that’s alright.

It feels great to inspire and be inspired every once in a while.

We often catch ourselves saying “because it’s Christmas”.

Do you notice when you do something extraordinary during the season, and someone asks you why — you say “because it’s Christmas”?

I’ve come across a line that goes something like this: “Every day is Valentine’s Day if you’re with the person you love”. You may have heard something similar.

Is there something wrong if we celebrate Christmas every day?

Okay, maybe The Jackson 5 did say…

“Give love on Christmas Day…”

But aren’t we capable of giving love not only on Christmas Day? We are.

Now, I get it if you think Christmas will lose its unique value if we celebrate it every day. But I’m not talking about the tradition that comes with it like the trees, gift wraps, and Christmas carols.

I’m touching on the values that don’t need the month of December for us to start giving away.

The gift of time, kindness and generosity, and love — we have an unlimited supply of those values within us. There’s no need to wait for December 25 to give them as gifts.

Yes, Christmas is just around the corner. If we’ve got nothing to lose, how about we start celebrating it now?

Before you go, let me wish you happy holidays! Whatever you’ve been through this year, you deserve happiness not only this Christmas but for the rest of your life. You got this!