Christmas Classics

It is a given fact that the holidays bring back fond memories of the people who are no longer there to celebrate it with. At my family's Christmas dinner we all particularly miss our mom. We also miss our antics every time mom goes through her sacred ritual of cooking the Christmas meals (for they are many) and then later on having guests over during Christmas. I don't know if anyone else does it like my mom but she is Martha Stewart crossed with General Patton in the kitchen at Christmas and all the other family gatherings we've had.

For instance she and only she gets to pick the food for the feast. Oh sure we can all make our little requests of what we wish to see on the table, but ultimately, she does the menus (for they are many). Our neighbors and relatives always anticipate what we're serving. Mommy has a lot of protocols when it comes to her cooking, and she has trained us well on keeping to the program. To sum up what she demands from us, it is to get out of her way and let her do her thing, but always be available for when she needs assistance.

After our Christmas dinner the other day, me, my sisters and their children were gathered around in the living room just chatting and connecting to each other. Our conversation turned to how mom was during the holidays. We all agreed that she was the best cook we all knew. She only buys the best ingredients, did not scrimp on the mayonnaise in salads, her menudo did not have even a smidgen of pork fat, she hates extenders and any other cost-cutting schemes when it comes to the food that she cooks. Absolutely no one is allowed to hover on the table while she's cooking unless you want to hear an earful on right conduct. After she's done with the stuff that needs to be refrigerated, no one is allowed to open the fridge, even for drinking water.

Since we're a huge family of seven siblings, our mom has taught us the art of making ourselves scarce once the guests arrive. We either eat in the bedroom to lessen the traffic downstairs or we wait for the guests to finish eating before we can eat. In a huge household you learn to make room. I didn't mind, in fact I was quite content listening to the conversations through the stairs. At some point she'll call on us to introduce us to the guests, and to answer their questions politely. Who needs charm school when you've got a mother who teaches us how to conduct ourselves in front of other people (I guess the correct word is decorum, and I think its sorely missing in the youth of today).

How I miss my mom, the good food, the wisdom, the love only a mother could give.

Author: Monie Maunay
email: buddygallagher@gmail.com

when you've made your bed you can still complain for sure

it could be discontent, chasing rainbow's ends...ho-hum its a slow sunday evening-monday morning. If you're still up at this hour chances are you're glued to a good re-run on HBO or you're thinking of your life or what's become of it. Well I'm watching the very first (and I think the best) Batman movie. Michael Keaton is the best Batman far as I'm concerned. Jack Nicholson, the better Joker by far.

Up next is Twilight Zone the Movie! Me oh my and on Christmas time at that! I remember this film quite well, John Lithgow's plane hallucinations really stuck to my memory. I also distinctly remember the line "...wanna see something scary..." Of course it didn't hurt that the film had this remarkable song also called Twilight Zone, by the Manhattan Transfer. But this film became known in history for the accidental deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two very young Vietnamese extras while shooting scene.

A while ago I was at the nearest mall from my place, its called Cash and Carry and its about as busy as any mall would be during xmas time. I wanted to get gifts for my nephews and nieces and did manage to purchase about five items. So my gift list has been trimmed down to about 24, and this is just my family, but on the other hand its already the 19th and I have work till the 24th so that's that.

What really caught my attention was the small conversation I overheard from three or four teens outside our house while I was waiting for transport. Now these are your regular public high school kids. In this part of the planet, we are notorious for looking down on our noses at the quality of public school education, even more so if the subject is English. But this scene I witness gave me hope that maybe finally, our youth is getting better in speaking English. So one of the teens is buying something in the store and her friends, who were a couple were walking towards her holding hands. Soon as she spots them she shouts "Ang cheesy nyong dalawa!" (You two are so cheesy). Well I didn't know that teens use this expression these days, that's really something I think.

This Christmas Rush IS TRUE!!!

This must be what its like to go to war. You wear comfy shoes, tie your hair up, wear baggy clothes, bring a huge bag, or no bag just the plastic in the back-pocket or some bills. This is the earnest, last minute christmas shopping. Whoever created the idea of gift-giving must be laughing his/her ass off watching the last-minute shoppers. If you want to go to the oyster that is Divisoria, make sure you start around 7am and be out of there by 11am, otherwise you'll get sucked in the vortex of bargain shoppers, scrounging and scrimping the ever powerful peso to purchase gifts for everyone they know. The family, the friends, the classmates or workmates, the garbage collector, the building security guard, the dogs and cats. In here you get sidetracked at every turn, you buy a good gift for your boss, but then you walk a few paces and something better and cheaper (and more perfect for your teacher) greets you, so you mentally adjust who to give the one you just bought to (mentally you go: "ok so the first gift could go to my hairdresser instead and ill get this one for my boss...). This just goes on and on an on until you realize you've purchased a bundle of inconsequential items like little sewing kits, flashlights, army knives that you do not know who to give to.

Malls are a different story, its good to have a companion when you go gift hunting in the malls, so you can have them stand at the cashier queue while you quickly grab the items you want. When I go mall-shopping I take my nieces with me, to line up at the counter, carry my parcels, run to the other end of the floor to get an item I've been looking at but forgot to get. Only downside there is I have to feed them, sometimes they want Starbucks and there goes a quarter of my shopping funds!

The commute can go from easy to horrible. Not one for taking jeepneys or buses I get all the horror stories of taking the cab. The bargaining with the driver whose windows are rolled down, the additional charge for God knows what. There's the irate driver, who begrudgingly takes you to your destination but makes it a point to let you know he doesn't want to (why they even went to cab driving in the first place...). There's the endless yak about how bad the traffic is here or there.

Sometimes this tiny little things take some of the fun out of what should be the funnest period of the year. It is during this time when I switch the words of the famous Christmas song from: This christmas rush is through - to this christmas rush is TRUE! hahaha Have fun shoppers, and same time next year!