Too Early For Christmas

Bahay-Kubo of Philippines

It is probably too early to talk about Christmas now but I remembered some vivid memories from childhood while watching the Finding Neverland last night.

The scene where they spent an afternoon at a cottage reminded me of how one Christmas, my mother decided that we spend it with our family friend that lived in a Bahay-Kubo in one of our lands in the Philippines. This piece of land in Bagontaas, Bukidnon used to be theres. But at one time the farming was bad and they needed money to buy more pesticides or probably to last them till another harvest so they sold the land where there Bahay-Kubo (house) is erected to us.

My mother shopped for groceries, a basket of canned goods and pasta, milk coffe and goods a family would need daily and a bag of rice. She also shopped for simple toys for the kids. Then we went there and spent our Christmas Day with them.

It was one of the most memorable one I ever had in my childhood days. I remembered their floor it was made of bamboos, very shiny but it had space in between the bamboos and you could see the ground beneath it. There were litters in the ground and chickens moving around. They had six children I think but I saw only two bedrooms. Everyone slept on the floor on a banig (woven leaf and dried for mat). In the kitchen there were piles of chopped wood and dried corn leaves stocked and they were cooking special delicacy for the day and chatting very happily. You could smell the fire from the wood that was used to cook. The kettle used to cook was actually black because of the fire. And on the ceiling you see a basket turned black with smoke and time which stored dried fish or left over food. It was hang there to make sure that the cat or the dog won't reach it. A sack of rice would be standing in one corner and outside the door a banana still in its original stem hanging waiting to get ripe.

My mother taught me that day...Christmas didn't have to be grand, as long as it was shared with someone, especially someone who can appreciate it, it would be a happy one.

Painting Source: pinoyarte.com