Expat Christmas, What Has Changed?

[Old55]

Has living in Philippines changed your feeling about Christmas? Have your traditions or celebrations changed due to living there? 

[Jack Peterson]

Has living in Philippines changed your feeling about Christmas? Have your traditions or celebrations changed due to living there? 

 

 

To a degree, I lived in Spain for many years and there they celebrate in a very Similar way so i was already accustomed to a Catholic Christmas. I am in no way church bashing but from my Experience both there and here it is what it is.

 

In the main I miss the fact that Christmas Day is looked so much Differently than I think many of us Western people have come to know.

to me it all really ends on Xmas Eve at midnight and the gift giving on the day of the 3 kings took some getting used to but then, we have to realize that the pattern of this, is What happened all those years ago. it took those 3 wise men that amount of time from the rise of the Star until Jan 5/6? to get there. So who had it Right? 

Not to waffle too much, I have to say, That I don't miss all the tradition and pomp all that much but..... to a new comer it will seem very Very Strange.

 

Having said that, although the Nationals here tend to stick to their own Traditions, they do seem to make a meal of the holiday time even though they don't Actually do anything. (Shops are Open on what we would call Holiday days.

No one seems to visit other family Homes as we always did. seems that it is all a Big hype until midnight mass on Christmas Eve then and Ante climax (Save for all the beggars and the poor knocking on the gate for the handouts) 

 

but Old, to answer you Question my feelings about Christmas has changed since my Time here (And certainly from my Time in Spain) to me The tradition of Christmas is just not  [To me anyway] Understood here and i don't really like it the way it is. I don't think it is an Age thing, I just don't Feel the same as I did when I was in Europe (UK for me) The One thing i do miss is that trip to the PUB (Bar) a few beers with Friends and family { mainly us Guys} then Home to that Fantastic Christmas Lunch that Mum and Sisters Aunts and most of the gals had put so much effort into, It Just Don't happen here. That to me was Christmas day. Followed of Course Boxing day, where all the day befores  food came out again in a different guises, here this is a non Existent day. :) of course here, it is all down to the Mall! 

 

To sum it up for me, I miss a good old fashioned Christmas  :thumbsup:

 

JP :santa laugh:

[MikeB]

It's gotten immeasurably better since I started saying NO!

[MacBubba]

It is all relative.  If you ask Filipinos who live abroad, they will tell you that Christmas in their host country just does not measure up.