Merry Christmas ?

Dear mouse, Nothing beats Christmas in the Philippines. So if you see that the plane ticket going home has jumped to almost double of the regular fare during " low season", it is because Filipinos would not want to miss merry Christmas in the truest sense of the word. Filipinos in the Philippines dream of white Christmas--- white snow, snowman, real pine trees adorned with the multi-colored lights, Christmas balls,bows and angels, boxes of gifts,stockings,wreaths and mistletoes. Filipinos in the US dream of puto bumbong, simbang gabi, malling up to wee hours of the morning, visiting relatives and enjoying the noche buena. Yes, noche buena, whether it is just a hot chocolate or coffee with hot pan de sal with matamis na bao or suman sa ibos with mango or arroz valenciana, the joy of eating it with loved ones is indescribable. The Christmas eve is the most awaited moment where families get to together after the misa de aguinaldo. The Christmas day is the day when children in their best dresses visit their ninongs. Just like children here during Halloween trick and treating, at the end of the day, they compare their loot, their stories about their godparents, who are cool and who are not. Christmas eve in the US is lonely, quiet and uneventful for many. For some, holiday is only up to December 25 and the following day is a working day. For many hardworking Filipinos, Christmas is even a working holiday. Sayang daw ang 50 per cent. Kaya, they have no time for the noche buena. Now, the whole nation is on yellow level alert. Now Christimas has added colors. Green, red and yellow. The CA t