maligayang pasko

when we were young, we were given that line about Santa and gifts by our parents. and i believed it. i asked Santa for a lot of gifts growing up. but i only got a few chosen ones. and when i started not getting all those i wished for, i started to doubt Santa. my parents would hide the toys somewhere. and would make sure that christmas morning, we would wake up to all our toys neatly stacked below the little tree.

that was such a treat. my best xmas gift was the action figure six million dollar man. though i really wanted a ken doll (which tatay didnt want to buy because 'pang babae yun'), i was happy to receive any male doll, for that matter. that was also the christmas i realized that Santa was tatay, too, when i saw him bringing all our gifts out from the car.

my dad got my sister the bionic woman (which didn't exactly thrill her) as steve austin's partner. i ended up playing most of the time with both of them, making up scripts and stories, dressing them up (though they only had one change of clothes. LOL).

as my social circles grew wider, i started receiving more and more gifts, tokens of friendship and love. i used to open up gifts the moment i receive them. but eventually, i waited for christmas eve to open up all my presents. i like the way the gifts accumulate under the tree.

and as i rose up the ranks, gifts would come not just from friends but from business associates and contacts.

i am touched when people, particularly those in the organization many levels removed from me, give me gifts and tokens. at the same time, i sometimes wish they wouldn't anymore. working with them is a wonderful gift. but i suppose it is not just about what that gift would mean to me but what it would mean to them. i really see their generosity and goodness and thoughtfulness. when i open their presents, as i read their greetings, i say a short prayer for them and ask that they continue to be blessed.

sometimes, it is another mug, or candle, or decor. but still, the value is beyond what it is but what it stands for.

i did a 10K in the up oval earlier. it was so pleasant running there. some images...