Today Is September 1 (And It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas)

       Today is September 1, officially the start of Christmas season in the Philippines. Yup, that’s how excited we are with Christmas and that’s how long we celebrate it. Go to a mall today and your ears will be greeted by carols (most likely a song by Jose Mari Chan), turn on the radio and and your favorite station will be playing your favorite Christmas song, look at your neighbor’s house and she’ll probably be hanging a parol at her window right this very moment.

      Actually, I already have been reminded that Christmas is just around the corner last week. I was with my sister and while drinking a latte (we were inside a coffee shop ) she suddenly blurted out, “Hey, Christmas is near, don’t forget your gifts for these two.” She was referring to her two-year old son and seven-year old daughter, the two-year old son was currently grinning at me, eyes twinkling, like he understood what her mother had just said.

       I had to remind my sister that one of my favorite activities was to buy her kids gifts, albeit cheap ones.

       The two year old son then started walking and running inside the place, giggling, screaming, laughing, reciting the alphabet, counting aloud, reading every words he saw printed on the shop’s walls (he still can’t read, though; he’s actually reading it letter by letter),  disturbing the peace of other coffee drinkers. I decided to have a stroll with him outside so as to quiet him. And as we were walking at the sidewalk, he continued to read (or dissect) every sign he encountered. The little guy, incidentally, is quite talented, he can recite the alphabet in reverse.

       Then, while we were still walking, he stopped and stared at something, nay, someone, and he wouldn’t budge no matter how I tugged at him. What caught his attention? A fat man standing at the sidewalk, with white hair and and white beard that resembled, yes, Santa Claus. I didn’t know if he’s already aware of Santa Claus, but he was grinning as he looked at the old man.

       Indeed, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, maybe that  old man is really Santa and he’s already doing  reconnaissance on whether who’s been good or bad.

       "Always be good," I told the little guy, and he grinned at me and we continued walking hand in hand, and we started singing the Alphabet Song, starting with the letter Z.