My ideas for a perfect Christmas

This is the first time in a long time that I have failed to hear a Jose Mari Chan Christmas song played in public (or at least, in public and in rapid succession). Two things are possible here: my hanging out days have dropped to almost zero or Jose Mari Chan’s music is fading away in the midst of Justin Bieber’s critically acclaimed album, Purpose.

I deny both counts, although, I must say, Bieber actually put up good stuff out there. But truth be told, Jose Mari Chan Christmas music is like Star Wars—it will never go out of style. One may be sick of fanatics, but you just can’t beat and deny good talent.

And so, I decided to play some Chan tracks to myself in private, with an officemate beside me, hoping that she isn’t secretly annoyed even though she appears to be gamely singing and humming along. One of my favorite tracks of Chan is A Perfect

Christmas. He goes narrating things that he’d wish that would come true making his holiday a perfect

one. “Simple pleasures are made special too, when they’re shared with you.”

I have several things too, that I wish for fate to grant me, making this Christmas an awesome one. Five things to be exact:

That cab drivers learn to be more considerate. I have been denied several rides to destinations that are just about one-two kilometers away, just because these drivers don’t feel like it. It’s flat-out frustrating.

That stray cats have a place to go to—besides my work desk. I am a dog lover. And for the past week, I have been inclined to believe that all the more. A stray cat, who I will randomly call “Poopiss,” has been a troll. I will stop here. I hope the cat goes away.

That we can already start talking about Star

Wars. I’m not a super fan, but I pretty much love following the films of the franchise. I have some thoughts about the latest film The Force Awakens, and these might be thoughts that might lead others to crucify me. But that said, I can’t wait for the time when we can all have a good chat about the

Abrams-directed blockbuster.

That consumerism does not catch up to Cebu, entirely. Personally, I love Cebu and our attitude toward spending that can be sometimes misunderstood as Cebuanos being scrooges. But, I pray, that this Christmas, we are all reminded about the essentials and we don’t end up chasing gadgets and trends.

That families hold on to each other. This season, I have had heard of several stories of wonderful families breaking up due to plenty of reasons. During my younger years in school, I did not really listen well during class discussions. But the basic and important things stuck to my head like glue, one of which was in Social Studies, that “the family is the basic unit of society.” No wonder the Church showcases the image of the Holy Family. There is more to the Nativity Scene than just figurines and shredded newspaper pages. I hope and pray for everyone this Christmas, to make things right with family. Merry Christmas to one and all, except Poopiss.