I was asked whether it is still proper for anyone to still have a “Merry” Christmas with everything that has happened in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. Whole villages have lost their homes and families. In an instant thousands were orphaned or widowed. Dreams died in the flash. So why celebrate? What sense is there is in us partaking of our Noche Buena? Of our gifts and Midnight Masses?
I simply replied that perhaps, if we feel a pang of guilt or unfairness in our celebration, then we are coming together for the wrong things. The decors, food, and gifts — they will all wash away too. And tragically, the same is true of those people we hold dear. The stories from Mindanao are too painful.
But if you happen to be with those you love and cherish, then acknowledge that you are with them now. You’re still together. You can still be happy. The trappings of the season are important when you celebrate it with them, but those are not all that’s important. I think the story of Jesus says it all — he was born inside a barn while on the run from the Roman Empire. Not exactly your image of a white Christmas and chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but they made it work. And oh come all ye faithful, they made it work!
So as you celebrate with your friends and loved ones, look beyond the food and the gifts. As American poet Maya Angelou simply once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And when you celebrate for the right reasons, your happiness will be richer. The love you share will have the capacity to multiply and expand.
So you don’t have to just keep that Merriness to yourself after all. You can give it too. After all we cannot give what we do not have, so there’s really no sense in holding on to misery.
Merry Christmas! 
