“I really can’t stay.”
“Baby, it’s COVID outside.”
Props to all of us who have been surviving the anxiety, uncertainty, loneliness, even the boredom in our homes. My enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) experience has been rather uneventful— except for my mind. Staying at home made me ponder around the possiblity of the pandemic’s extention until one of the chunkiest events of the year: the Holidays. How can season filled with gatherings, overcrowded malls, and fully-booked flights respond to the protocol to “STAY AT HOME”? Here’s a brain dump of what could possibly go wrong (or right) when we celebrate the Holidays a la Home Alone.
** These are just silly predictions, satirical to all that’s going on now. You can tell that my ECQ experience is very banal. You can either laugh at me with all this… or I get the last laugh. We’ll see. **
1. Christmas preparations won’t be as early as September anymore.
We Filipinos BRAG about how we’re giddy about the Holidays as soon as the —BER months commence. Not this year. We’ve been taking things day by day, affected by the uncertainty of this pandemic. Maybe the it’ll be gone by December, maybe it’ll get worse. Maybe we’ll get infected, maybe a loved one does. From planning Christmas party menus, we plan how to maximize the food we store at home. Daily or weekly survival will always be a priority. Instead of listing friends whom you’ll be getting gifts, why not check on them, remind them that they aren’t as lonely as they may feel?
2. Ecstatic ninongs and ninangs can finally get away from their inaanaks
They’re the most excited ones this season because they can finally hide away from you. No random inaanak suddenly storming their house (who’s Christening they probably didn’t even attend) for aguinaldo. They can just delivered-zone you and it won’t be physically awkward.
On a lighter note, the money can go to people who need it the most than we do. So many people are surviving each day, uncertain if they will even survive tomorrow. The spaces on your bank accounts can wait, but the spaces of a hungry stomach can’t.
3. But somebody’s sure to be there this Christmas…
He’s been to every office party, family reunion, barkada get-together, mall show, store, grovery, and Christmas special.
Jose Mari Chan’s soothing voice and loving smile is a ray of sunshine that people will need in a season like this. For so many years, “Christmas in Our Hearts” has given a hopeful tune that connects. Truly, music will remind us that no physical distance can keep us away from each other. You are not alone in all of this.
I’m sure everybody’s gonna wait for a Zoom video of him singing with a background of girls and boys selling lanterns on the street.
4. And if that isn’t enough, the Christmas carolers will come knocking
Our Christmas hitmakers, or Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas ensemble— led by Mariah Carey, will initiate a Christmas jam a la Global Citizen’s Together at Home with the Christmas hitmakers: Michael Bublé, Ariana Grande, Pentatonix, Justin Bieber, Train, Paul McCartney and the like. Of course, and most importantly, it’ll be a fund raising.
Props to our artists for showing the real meaning and essence of what art is: connecting and empowering amidst all adviersities.
While we anticipate this epic Christmas Zoom Party, here are the heartwarming performances of Together at Home:
5. Patti LaBelle finally does an updated rendition of “It’s Christmas”
WHERE ARE HER BACKGROUND SINGERS?! It’s a surprise that people don’t talk much about her performance during the 1996 National Christmas Tree Lighting in the United States. Those who remember her, though, love to have a laugh every year, coming across the video. More than the importance of preparation, Patti’s memorable performance tells us that it won’t hurt to just laugh it all out. If you’ve forgotten to laugh out loud from this pandemic, you have found the sign to do it now. We laugh not to forget, but to ease ourselves every once in a while. Then, we go back to facing the reality before us. But really, it would be fun to see her frustration of literally not having back up singers in an updated (online) performance.
6. No annoying kid carolers this year
No kids asking for coins for singing out of tune. I don’t have to go out every 30 seconds just to exclaim, “Patawad!” This is because for these kids, staying outside could cost their lives. This lockdown has placed so many lives at risk— some maybe of their stubbornness to stay outside, many because they had to go work for the day. It’s easy to call out people who go out in the streets during the ECQ— many of these people live, work, and play in the streets. A lot of them still haven’t received their justices from the violence slapped on their faces.
7. Leave it to nature to do the singing
If there is one thing amusing with this ECQ, it’s how nature is showing its wonder more recently. Different species of birds I’ve never seen before showed up at my backyard, simultaneously chirping in the morning day. Truly, Nature’s showing her glow when she’s not hurt, it’s about time that we connect to her in a more understand and loving way.
8. Those who can afford, will afford to have the most bountiful noche buenas
Christmas has always been a capitalist opportunity. If you have the money for food delivery and the capacity to purchase a queso de bola, roast beef, or whatever your Christmas staple is, then that’s fine. I hope that we remember that these delivery services: Grab, Lalamove, etc., as well as those in the groceries and restaurants over deserve the same applause we give our medical frontliners. Every order we make on our devices and telephones put the lives of these people on the frontline. We must take time to appreciate them (and not cancel on our orders!)
9. A Christmas message from the president which we don’t even know what time it shows
Is he gonna talk about COVID or is he just gonna rant about Christmas love? Will it be at 8 pm? Or is it moved to 11 pm? Oh, Roque just said it’ll be moved to tomorrow?
10. We’ll have the best Christmas gift ever: a vaccine
Whatever happens, there will always be light at the end of the tunnel. We have been taking things day by day, week by week, now, month by month. Our efforts are a beacon of our ability to recover. We, again, just have to take it day by day.
This website posts updates about COVID-19, particularly the ongoing medical research to create a viable vaccine: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/heres-exactly-where-were-at-with-vaccines-and-treatments-for-covid-19
A COVID Christmas sounds amusing and scary, as we may have to alter familiar traditions upon living under it. We are going through his pandemic slowly but surely, and everyone’s daily health and well-being is a priority. Besides, we know that Christmas is a season of love and connection. Based on the situations mentioned earlier, Christmas is an opportunity for us to further reflect on how people are differently facing the pandemic… most especially the underprivileged. What is common among us, however, is our desire to brave through the uncertainties. This will give Christmas a whole new (and hopefully, sincerer) meaning.
But I really think that we have to make up for Patti’s anguish in ’96, because Patti is us under the ECQ. Troubled, but fighting through.
No really, we can do it.
Sonder. 