The Joy of Christmas
It was the night before Christmas
The house was dark.
Silent.
Cold.
A little child
Huddled under blankets
Shivering
Alone
In tears.
Remembering
“Uuwi ako, anak.”
Waiting
Anticipation
Son and mother
Putting up lights
Christmas tree
Guiding star
Last minute preparations
Noche Buena
Honey-glazed ham
Quezo de Bola
All done
When the clock struck twelve
Instead of “Maligayang Pasko”
“Nasaan siya, Mommy?”
A hint of bitterness
Accusation
Broken promises.
A child
At the foot of the stairs
Clutching a home-made card
Stained with tears.
Now he’s in bed
Sobs tearing through him.
Until he cried himself to sleep.
A gentle hand
Touching his shoulders
Mommy
“May naghahanap sa iyo, iho.”
Slowly descending
Not daring to hope.
A man standing in the soft light
“Maligayang Pasko, anak.”
His eyes lit up
As he ran to his dad
With open arms.
Holding the shiny red truck
He could ask for nothing more
Daddy’s home.
This is dedicated to all the families with a loved one working abroad, and to my own, for being around to share the Christmas holidays. Merry Christmas!
Bingo Tongco - written on December 25, 2001
It was the night before Christmas
The house was dark.
Silent.
Cold.
A little child
Huddled under blankets
Shivering
Alone
In tears.
Remembering
“Uuwi ako, anak.”
Waiting
Anticipation
Son and mother
Putting up lights
Christmas tree
Guiding star
Last minute preparations
Noche Buena
Honey-glazed ham
Quezo de Bola
All done
When the clock struck twelve
Instead of “Maligayang Pasko”
“Nasaan siya, Mommy?”
A hint of bitterness
Accusation
Broken promises.
A child
At the foot of the stairs
Clutching a home-made card
Stained with tears.
Now he’s in bed
Sobs tearing through him.
Until he cried himself to sleep.
A gentle hand
Touching his shoulders
Mommy
“May naghahanap sa iyo, iho.”
Slowly descending
Not daring to hope.
A man standing in the soft light
“Maligayang Pasko, anak.”
His eyes lit up
As he ran to his dad
With open arms.
Holding the shiny red truck
He could ask for nothing more
Daddy’s home.
This is dedicated to all the families with a loved one working abroad, and to my own, for being around to share the Christmas holidays. Merry Christmas!
Bingo Tongco - written on December 25, 2001
