On Keeping Family Traditions

My family has this weird tradition every Christmas and New Year—one-color-outfit motif during the evening mass. This year, if it isn’t so obvious already, it’s red for Christmas, green for New Year. This has always been a family tradition. Quite cheesy, you might think. Well, we are a cheesy family with cheesy traditions.

My dad had started another tradition years ago. He would pack rice and noodles and canned goods into plastic bags and hand them out to people on Christmas day. He did it again this year. Because for him, Christmas is a season of love and a season of giving.

There are traditions that we like to keep, no matter how grand or humble or quirky they may seem. They are something we look forward to every year. And they add up to the memories we make and the moments we share and the stories we look back to. They keep us together as a family.

New Year’s Eve has been special for us this year because, for the first time, we celebrated it with our Lola Juanita, who would usually celebrate it at her house in Laguna.

The message of the Sunday Mass last December 29 was about the Holy Family. About Mary, Joseph and Jesus and about despite being a righteous family, they were not exempt from life's trials.

Our family may not be perfect, we may not always agree with each other, and we may not always be happy. But as long as we have God and each other, we remain strong through storms of trials and waves of problems, guided by His love and grace. This year, more than ever, I have learned about the importance of a loving family. And how it is a child’s foundation to build a strong and loving character.

And perhaps someday, I may be able to continue doing these traditions with my own family—to care for, to nurture and to grow with in faith, hope, love and joy.