Once September 1 hits the calendar, you know the routine. Jose Mari Chan crawls out of the musical archives and fills the airwaves. Whether through radio, private media files, or music streaming services, you can definitely hear him everywhere.

And see him everywhere too. Not content with just hearing him, our funny Filipino kababayans have created memes about Jose Mari Chan getting prepared for the Christmas season. He can also be seen in many funny memes.
Secondary to this, you can also hear this perennial Christmas song “Ang Aming Christmas Bonus” by the Pinoy rock group Aegis. This is danced and played almost everywhere, most especially when management is present. Kind of reminding the management “beke nemen” over and over again.

Here in LGU Gensan, the Christmas bonus has become a hot topic, given the generosity of our city officials and legislators. Of course, this source of happiness also became a source of frustration as the TRAIN law took something away. “The law giveth, the law taketh away”, or so they say.

Given the circumstances of the aforementioned bonus, the question is: “Are you happy? Does the bonus define your ultimate happiness this Christmas? Is it your only source of happiness in this holiday season?”

Tough questions indeed.

As you went through the nine-day Missa de Gallo (dawn masses), where you praying for something after completing the novena mass? Or where you just content with thanking God for all the blessings that you received for the year 2022?

Yes, we have different responses to the questions above.

But I remember my experience when I went to the nativity scene in our church. That child in the manger. Son of God at that. True God and true man. Thirty-three years later, God will allow this child to be crucified on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. The cute baby in the manger was doomed from the start. At the cost of what? For you, for me, for our salvation.

God the Father in His wisdom willed all this to happen. A part of his grand plan to express how much he loves each one of us. Each one. Rich or poor. Young and old. Beautiful or ugly. Our dignity will be redeemed by the sinless, spotless baby sleeping in the manger.

Jesus Christ is more than our Christmas bonus. He is the eternal gift that defines our being. Because of Him, we have been redeemed from our helplessness and given the dignity of being considered children of God.

This thought kind of made my eyes misty, but grateful.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all.