25/11/2025
Christmas is nearing! ๐
๐Tiny, deliberate lights begin to flicker. Not all of them succeed in reaching every corner, but perhaps that scarcity is precisely the point. Some hearts are full tonight, others ache quietly in the shadows. And still, we gather in kitchens, on lamp-lit streets, in the unison of songs carried over the air.
๐๐ป๐ช๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐พ๐ญ๐ฎ (pasasalamat) Kindness outpaces all the wrapped gifts ๐ A hand extended, a plate shared, a silent, intentional wish for someone elseโs peace.
๐๐ธ๐น๐ฎ (pag-asa) hangs, a fierce, five-pointed parol, shining stubborn against the night. When the days are heavy, it does not shout, but whispers a vital, three-part promise: We can carry on. We can begin again. We can find joy not in the whole picture, but in the luminous fragments.
๐ข๐ธ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ช๐ต ๐ผ๐พ๐น๐น๐ธ๐ป๐ฝ (pakikisama,) the connection weaves itself through the chaos of celebrations, the routine, and the ritual, steadying us like an anchor, without fanfare.
And perhaps this is what Christmas truly is: a silent, living contract. It is a collection of small, inextinguishable lights in the hearts of people, reminding us that even when the world is heavy, we are seen, we are held, we are absolutely not alone. In noticing these lightsโin giving, in receiving, in the deliberate choice to be presentโwe nurture the core of our being, calm the restless mind, and allow the seasonโs gentle warmth to become the lasting fuel for the days ahead.
