Christmas through different lenses

Most Filipinos view the holiday season as an opportunity to reconnect and bond with family. No surprise here, it is a reflection of our deeply ingrained family-oriented values. The typical Noche Buena sight that would come to mind would be a dinner table full of delicious foods (with ham and queso de bola, of course) and relatives from distant provinces coming together to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. You have your dad and titos at the videoke calling dibs on “My Way,” and who wouldn’t miss hearing tita saying you got fat and asking when you’ll get married?

However, we don’t always hear tales from those whose reality is not of warm meals and reunions. Some have to spend Christmas and New Years at work like Lawrence, a store staff who works for a home accessories brand. 

Many employees, particularly in the retail industry, are expected to report to work because of the Christmas rush and higher demand. Some who choose to work during the holidays do it because of the double pay, which could arguably be attributed to the state of livelihood in the Philippines.

Lawrence sees how Filipinos’ maximalist tendencies manifest during the Christmas season in ways like giving material things as gifts, offering service to other people by cooking, and delivering efforts to one another. For him, Christmas isn’t the only time for giving or doing these things as we can do it all year round. He added that the good thing about it is it could be a symbol of resilience of Filipinos, even if resilience in itself isn’t a completely positive concept.

For Grezyl, a second year literary and cultural studies student, reflecting on the past year will be her way of spending Christmas. She shared how she wanted to list her goals for next year and prepare herself for the possibilities and challenges 2025 may bring and expressed her need for “me time.” 

There are also those who were not able to go back to the province to spend time with family this season due to external factors. Such is the case for Lyra, a first year education student. She decided not to go back to Masbate, her home province, because of the long commute and pending school work. She plans to spend Christmas with her family through video call instead. 

“It was sad to celebrate Christmas alone especially for me because I used to spend those moments with my family, but that’s life and there are things talaga na we need to sacrifice,” Lyra said.

Chynna, a second year electronics engineering technology student, will also use Christmas as an opportunity to spend quality time at home enjoying her own company. She says she wants to watch movies and catch up on sleep as she was not able to go back home to Visayas. This is her second time spending Christmas away from home.

“Spending the holidays away from my family, as someone who has been used to being alone is often bittersweet. But I also find solace in where I am now, I guess. That’s just how it is,” Chynna expressed.

On the topic of what Christmas truly means beyond family ties, it is also a season of coming together and uniting in one goal in Lawrence’s perspective. “Kahit na magkakaiba [‘yong] pananaw sa buhay, nagsasama-sama,” he says. 

Lyra shared a similar sentiment. “For me po, the essence of Christmas and holiday season is about fostering connection—whether through love, kindness, or shared experiences—and appreciating the deeper meanings of hope, peace, and growth. It’s a season that encourages both outward acts of kindness and inward reflection. Helping to re-center us on what truly matters in life,” she explained.

“For me, the essence of the holidays is finding comfort in small joys, holding on to hope, and embracing it even from afar,” says Chynna.

Grezyl’s response is short but meaningful.

“The essence of every holiday season for me is love.”

She mentioned how there are many ways to express and spread love, but for her it is about being present. 

This perspective may be why Filipinos have grown to see the holidays as a time to spend with loved ones as we do not get to do it often. Grezyl shared how we spend more time on our screens these days than engaging in comfortable conversations, and so for her, presence is the best testament of love during Christmas. 

It is a great feat in itself to recognize that we have the freedom to decide what the holiday season truly means to us.

We view life from different standpoints, and through different lenses, we see Christmas in ways not one is exactly the same as the other. Maybe that is the beauty of it all, finding solidarity, connection, and love that transcends differences.

Felicity Anne Castor is the Lifestyle Editor of 4079 Magazine. She is currently a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts in Journalism student in PUP - Manila and a writer-intern for Philippine Daily Inquirer's SUPER K.