With gatherings now allowed in households with the presence of people beside family members, the celebration of Christmas is expected to be much more joyous and meaningful than the previous one.
Already, ingredients for the fruit or macaroni salad, a common fare in Noche Buena, have been flying off the shelves of local grocery stores and malls.
Food deliveries are at an all-time high since the pandemic began, with online sellers even refusing late orders from eager customers.
Surely, judging by the crowds outside churches still observing minimum health protocols, COVID-19 has gone away, heard or read only in news accounts along the steady rise in the number of vaccinated people.
It seems that, at this time of remembrance of the birth of our savior, the people are willing to ignore the danger of contracting the virus as long as they have been vaccinated.
As we count the days to Christmas and New Year, let us not forget to give thanks to the Almighty and pray for his guidance in the coming year that would be crucial not only for the nation but also for each one of us.
Let us therefore, in every gathering we attend, pray to our Lord:
“From deep within our hearts, we thank You for the gifts that you have showered upon us and our family, from the food on our table to the things that each of us needs to live in this world; for the talents and skills that you have bestowed on us unasked from birth that would enable us to do anything in accordance to Your will; for the grace that allows us to be safe from harm, disease and calamities; for the faith that we need so that we would not stray from the path that You have laid out for us; for our children who are truly priceless blessings from You, Almighty One, through whom we would somehow live on when we depart from this world; for forgiving us our sins as only a merciful God can do; and, for the love that makes us your children now and forever, amen…”