Holiday -- Ctrl + Pause Break!

A sweet smell of morning dew, a cold breeze of air, with a searing aroma of a hot, creamy coffee and a brunch over the table and joyful display of season’s emblems, feet over the table and hands behind the head, no worries about the whole day’s activities. It is a fun-filled morning and I own the day!—perhaps this is the way we visualize this season’s break, who would not like that scenario anyway?

But how exactly does this holiday break differ from other weeks-long vacation?

Two weeks! That would be the rest days that we have before 2007 ends and before we go back to the real world. Being a bystander of what is around me, I can state that everyone has its own elucidation about the meaning of this holiday break.

For a teacher: these are days of sleep. This is being allowed to absent from preparing their lesson plans and test questions. A declaration of worry-free day and an excuse of getting inside the guidance office and handle a naughty student.

For a student: for some these are days of rest and vacating academic schedule to gimmicks. But for most, these are days of completing their required OJT hours, researching for their thesis, doing projects, assignments and preparing for the midterm.

For a businessman: these are days of work and money. Another opportunity to grab the seasonal profit of blooming sales of Christmas decorations, foods and firecrackers. The Law of Supply and Demand definitely weigh ups in favor of them.

For a priest: these are days of long-list mass’ schedules, waking earlier in the morning and dealing with wedding appointments.

For the hospital staffs: these are busy days taking care of queue of accidents’ victims.

For an OFW: these are days of bonding. A time to pack back headed to their homes, wrapping packages for family and friends. But definitely these are gloomy moments for those who cannot flight back this year.

For a child: these are days of gifts and Santa Claus. It is a traditional fact that this season is a certified gift-giving time and a scene of a child going to their relatives and godparents is not hard to imagine.

For a godparent: these are days of bankruptcy. A short period of personal economic failure and formulating a unique sweet escape.

Christmas is one of the most colorful festivities celebrated in our country and even in the whole world. Thus, this holiday gives us all the reasons to be joyful and thankful for every blessing we have received even if it is material or immaterial. Whatever it is that occupy our humanistic body this season, the thoughts that we are with the special persons in our life, our family and friends even only for a day would surely means a lot and worth to be treasured. The main theme of this holiday lies beyond gifts, beyond time, beyond distance and beyond races, it embodies the souls outreaching God’s presence and paying attention to all our brethren dissolving the thick cloak of indifferences---and that makes this season different!