TROPICAL YULETIDE: Embracing the Warmth of a Philippine Christmas and the Joy of Simpler Celebrations

As I reminisce about celebrating Christmas amidst the tropical warmth of the Philippines, I can't help but marvel at how the holiday spirit thrives even without the nippy air and snow-dusted rooftops. This episode is an intimate reflection on the vibrant and heartfelt festivities that light up the streets here, standing in stark contrast to the cold Christmases of my U.S. past. You'll join me in exploring the local traditions that weave a different kind of yuletide magic—where carolers serenade with untiring cheer and the season stretches beyond its calendar confines, spurred by the absence of Thanksgiving.

Transitioning to life in a country where simple joys illuminate the holiday season, I've watched my children learn to cherish what matters most. It's a poignant conversation about how less can indeed be more, as the sparkle in their eyes shines brighter with fewer gifts under the tree. And while the craving for a comforting Arby's sandwich or the convenience of a Target run occasionally tugs at our hearts, it's the familial warmth and genuine joy that truly define our Christmas now. Warm wishes are extended to all as I share these personal stories and anticipate the tales yet to unfold in our tropical holiday adventure.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:18

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, I hope everyone has or is having a wonderful Christmas. Christmas has kind of changed here a little bit for us. But before we get into that, I wanted to I Expand. It's been a while since I recorded anything, and so, and the last time I did, I tried the Adobe Odyssey, which I think it sounded pretty. I didn't really do anything and it sounded pretty good. So I think there's a lot of potential there. But, man, it's just like I don't know where to go.

Speaker 1: 1:02

Garage band, which is what I've been using, is so much it's for dumb people like myself and it's so much, so much easier To just use that. So that's what I'm recording, this one. I started using that and it's been how long has it been since my last Post? I guess I was shown here, this thing. So this is saying Ten days ago, you fresh that, okay, yes, I'm still loading. So it's been roughly about two weeks and in that time I I forgot everything that I learned on the Adobe Odyssey. I've asked what is it audition, and and, um, so I Just, you know, I the last, the last week or whatever it was the two weeks ago. Okay, that Since I recorded it, you know, I watched YouTube and I played around with it a little bit beforehand and I got okay, I got this, okay, I can get it done. I just just to do what I got to do, just recording myself, no problem. But then now it's been two weeks since I did all that and I forgot. So my great anyway. So, and that's the thing I guess garage band it is, this is planning for what I do, but I think if I start to actually interview and do things of that nature, I Would have to use audition, right, that was cool. Yes, okay, adobe edition, because why am I wearing my headphones or I have that thing on. I was listening to something. Really, I suppose I had my headphones on. I wasn't listening to my audio because it throws me off. Maybe I got changed at Delay, so there's no Delay, but I could kind of hear myself and I would sit there. It didn't work for me, so it's better if I don't hear it. I think I want to record, so anyway. So I'm doing GarageBand for this episode because I was tinkering around with the other one and I just could not get it figured out. So I'm back to the old school, but maybe someday I'll learn it.

Speaker 1: 3:34

I'm like very bipolar, I guess it's like I get really interested in something or maybe that's not bipolar but and I'll like go crazy with it for like a day or two and then I get burnt out and I don't I'm not like really interested. So I think there's that saying where it's like you know a little bit about a lot of things, but you don't know a lot about little things. Does that make sense? I don't know. Anyway, I think that's the same. I mean.

Speaker 1: 4:06

But so well, yeah, just being kind of hanging out in the garage working on stuff, trying to build things, or just do little stuff that I've been meaning to do, that I keep putting off, putting off, putting off, and so I've kind of just hung out there and try and do a little yard work or whatever, do this, and that I don't really been doing much and I just haven't really had the urge to talk. Like I've been thinking about it. I'm like man, I haven't recorded a podcast in a while and so I kind of like think about something and just nothing. Really, it's like I don't feel like doing it, and that's kind of the thing is like I'll do it when I want to do it. I'm not gonna. Oh my gosh, I got a deadline or nothing like that. So that's kind of where I've been. But I was just kind of thinking about it and I was gonna talk about some of the differences, I guess, between the Philippines and Christmas, as opposed to in the States, which I can't remember if I already talked about this or not, but anyway. So for me it doesn't really feel like Christmas, like I'm wearing this right here and I'm like hot. Granted, it is colder.

Speaker 1: 5:32

The last few days it's been really windy and gray and cloudy, which is kind of what their winter and that's how it's supposed to be Like. It's supposed to usually be like this, but at the beginning of December, but it just kicked off like maybe a week, I guess. Maybe we've had about a week of it. So doors open, windows open, windows open, wind's blowing. It's not cold. I mean, it's cold for the Filipinos that live here. I guess they're like freezing.

Speaker 1: 6:00

Everybody's wearing a jacket and stuff, but I'm wearing the same thing I wear all the time. I'm more comfortable. I still got a fan going on here, but I don't have my sweat, my bandana that I wear all the time and I'm not sure if I'm wearing it, you know, and it's not bad. I still have the AC on my room. I had it off for a few days, but I Don't actually want it to be cold last night. So that's what I did, anyway. So, yes, it's cooler than the rest of the year but it's not cold.

Speaker 1: 6:38

And I know like in the States there are different places that you know obviously get colder than others. You know, I liked, I like to have in the four seasons Shoveling, snow kind of got old after a while, but still it's just part of it. You know, that's one thing in the States is like You're getting tired of summer. You're like when is full gonna get here? And winter, and then fall is plenty, that's all you need to like kind of like recharge and go back into summer, but then you have winter. So by the time you know you're halfway through winter, you're just sick of it. You're like where's summer? We're spring and go through it all again. So they just had spring and fall would be good to go.

Speaker 1: 7:20

Anyway, here it's like spring and summer or summer and and hot summer, I don't know. But so yeah, it's kind of hard for me to Get in, I Guess, the holiday spirit, just because it just really doesn't feel like Christmas to me. You know, when I think of Christmas I think of you know, cold, cold is a huge thing and, like I said, you know I grew up in places where it may be didn't get as cold, but it still is cold. You know, you wore jackets, you got bundled up. Yeah, maybe it's not, you're gonna go out and check your mail and possibly die cold, but it's still cold.

Speaker 1: 8:03

I gave in Louisiana, which is very similar to this In the community, but it gets in the 40s or can. I don't know if maybe that's if that was normal or not, but in the 40s there and sometimes. So you breathe and and you know the moisture comes out, the warmth and the cold air and you're wearing a jacket so it still, you know, feels like winter or Christmas here. It just does not at all and and you know, and people would you expect you go to tropical. It's like, yes, I know, I know that, but it was like I've already talked about things, I've weighed and measured and pros and cons and all that kind of stuff and coffee's good. So you know, I knew that and I know that, but still it's just hard for me to kind of really get into the spirit. It just seems weird.

Speaker 1: 8:59

There's lots of cool things about it, though. Like they, like I remember I grew up in like a smaller city in Utah. As a kid I remember, and I remember like the main part of the city which was a small you know. You know they would decorate it lights, and it was cool, and I just remember that as a kid. And as I got older you don't really see that. I don't know, maybe it's just because my brain at the time or they actually did kind of go all out, which I think they did but so here they do that they put lights on all the lamp holds. So it's like if you go to any town in America you wouldn't know it's Christmas, but you drive through here and you're like dude, it's Christmas, you know. I mean.

Speaker 1: 9:44

So they have that, they have stuff like that. I mean they start playing freaking Christmas music in like October, which is ridiculous because they don't have a Thanksgiving here, so there's no holiday and they don't really have Halloween either. They have the, you know, the day of the dead, the remembrance, and then after that it's it's Christmas, basically, you know. So it's just, it's brutal. But then they also have like carolers that go around. So I mean, you know, I remember growing up you would see carolers every once in a great while. They're all it's like a church choir and they're all dressed up. And you know, I mean sometimes they're not doing it for money, but it's like it's just to be festive, you know.

Speaker 1: 10:31

And so then you know you think about, okay, back in the day, you know, in America and the 19th century or whatever, and, and people were poor and so they would go around and they sing Christmas carols to people to make money. And they do that here too. They do like it's kind of okay. So they just they'll show up and they'll start singing Christmas songs and they're hoping to get money. And when they see me as a foreigner they're like, oh, money bags, not really, but that's people for the most part. See, they don't see me, they see a dollar sign. That that's just kind of the culture, you know what I mean. But which is not the case because my wife anyway, help me, okay. But so you know I'll be out in the garage and I'm like doing something also.

Speaker 1: 11:30

And I see people just from across the street. They come walking over and they just we wish you a better. They start singing, you know, and they're like for me to give them money. And they're thinking, hey, he's an American, he's got money. And I mean, I guess, generally speaking for the, for the, you know, if you get a census of the town, that maybe you know I'm more on the wealthy side, but definitely not the wealthy is certain. You know, I wouldn't even. We don't have to worry about stuff, but we're not like rich or nothing, and so they were coming over. Oh, so they see me, they see, oh, where I was talking about people seeing the dollar sign. It's just, it's just a culture, you know, it's just American to think they have money, so, um, so anyway, so they see me and they just who? That's what they do, right, and they've done it a couple times and I've.

Speaker 1: 12:23

There was one night I was out in the garage and also I hear like a trumpet and I'm like what the? You know what I mean. Now, look, and they're standing there and I'm like, oh, okay, cool. You know, I didn't realize this was the first one. I think actually that were. I didn't realize it was a carol, I thought was just somebody. Like I'm like, oh man, all right. And then it was like. Then it became apparent that they were wanting money. I was like, oh crap, I don't got money, sorry. So that happened a couple times and then finally I got some change together in the garage, so but since I've done that, there hasn't been any carolers. They must have been like, you know, white foreigners, freaking, poor or selfish or whatever kind of. But so they got that, you know.

Speaker 1: 13:09

So there's, you know, kind of the lighting and then, unfortunately, the music, and then you know they got the carolers and stuff. But the carolers, it's funny because they're just wearing the normal clothes that they do. You know, they're not going out to to go caroling, they're just walking and seeing opportunity and start singing Christmas music in a bad tone. You know, I mean, that's what it is. So I'm like I was telling my wife I was like, gosh, you know, be cool if they would do it as an organized group and dress up and this and that, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 1: 13:38

But then I was like thinking about it, though, I'm like I was thinking about the history of caroling and that's. You know, that's what it was was just kind of people with some group of friends and kids getting together, let's go sing and see if we can get some money for some dinner or something. You know what I'm saying, so so it's like you know, it like a lot of things. At first it annoys me and then I kind of I sit there and think about it like, well, I guess that's, you know, that's basically what it, what it is it was for. So I can't, you know, can't get on too much to to be expecting money, I guess. But anyway, so there's that. So, let's see, you got the lights, you got the music, and then the carolers and then everything else like in the mall is set up for, you know, shopping for Christmas, shopping and everything.

Speaker 1: 14:35

But it's just it's not cold, it's it's crazy, it's just For me it just does not feel like Christmas. Even with all the stuff I talked about, it just does not feel like Christmas. It really doesn't. It kind of sucks because I want to be. I mean, for me, christmas is all about the kids, so it's not really about me. But I remember when my wife sent me a picture on Messenger from like 2017, I think.

Speaker 1: 15:04

We were living in Washington and it gets kind of cold there and it can snow. We had the living room all decked out and we just I don't know, because the kids were younger I used to type up. We'd get like fancy paper and I would type up notes to the kids from Santa and it would always be kind of fancy, but they could read it and I would type it and it was always like hey, I saw that you did this and this. That's great, that's why you made the list or whatever. Hey, just make sure you help with your brother, don't be mean Just the typical whatever. It would be like fancy paper and it would be printed on there and then I would sign it like a signature of Santa and they'd each get one with their presents from Santa.

Speaker 1: 15:56

So I mean, we used to get kind of into it. I used to get into it, I guess, and I always thought that they enjoyed that. But now it's like they're older, they know. So what do we do? And then it's just not on my mind because of here we didn't have Thanksgiving. And then in the States you have Thanksgiving, it's getting colder, old Christmas is coming and you start seeing it everywhere and then everybody's getting cold and dressing up. You just know it's coming here. It's like I forget. For me tomorrow is Christmas and I'm like what, how, all right, and you know what I mean. It's just not on my radar at all here, so I don't know. That's just kind of how it is. So hopefully I'm kind of hoping maybe that'll change over time.

Speaker 1: 16:49

So this is our what? Fourth Christmas here and I kind of want to go to Korea. So her sister, I don't know, I think about two or three generations, so she has a family member that lives in Korea right now, south Korea. How is it? I don't know how long they'll be there, but I was thinking like man, that'd be kind of cool, maybe to go to Korea, south Korea. It gets cold. We can just stay in a hotel or her family or something, and then just set up a little and have Christmas there, make it kind of. You know what I mean, because we used to do that kind of stuff and in Washington we went to this place called Leavenworth which is in the mountains. There was a German village town. It was a cool town, but it was especially cool during the winter because it's just snow and Christmas lights and everything everywhere. So that was always kind of fun.

Speaker 1: 17:49

Like I said, we used to get into it. It's just kind of hard. We're trying to figure out ways to get back into that. But then another thing that really kind of screwed that up which I guess death screws up everything always but my wife's mother, she passed away almost a year ago, so it's right around Christmas, and that was always a big thing for my mother-in-law and I think a little bit of that kind of killed some of the spirit for my wife too. You know what I mean which sucks, because I know she's like it's like it's killed the spirit for her, like we're dealing with the same thing but just different, and we know that we can't just not do Christmas because we know the kids.

Speaker 1: 18:38

But the thing that I've also that's kind of helped me, I think, a little is which I haven't read the Bible. It's been like two no, I think it was like two weeks the last time I did a podcast. So it's been a month, no, it's been a month, it's been a while since I've read the Bible. I don't know, it's like for some reason I'm just not in the mood to read and absorb and think I'm just like I don't know so but I try to use. You know that Christmas is about Jesus anyway, with, I guess, actually his birth and he was. Possibly his birthday is actually in March, technically or something, but you know he's too late to change it. But you know, that's what the kind of started off, or I guess it's kind of a blend between remembering Jesus and then like what do you call it? The old Satanic kind of Christmas thing. You know, it was like a pagan holiday that became a Christian holiday. Now it's a pagan holiday again, ugh.

Speaker 1: 19:39

But so I'm trying to teach you know, I'm trying to teach that to my kids a little bit too more about Jesus and stuff. But it's like, man, I'm just, I'm such a crappy advocate right now. You know what I mean. Like I'm not. I still, you know, I'm constantly battling my own little things and it's like it's hard for me to preach about it when I'm still trying to get it figured out and everything from my point of view, from my side. So I don't know, I'm still doing it, I'm still working it. But, man, I haven't gotten to the Gospels yet. Still, I got like two or three books and it's like tomorrow's. I was wanting to start the Gospels. Maybe I could read it. I wonder if I could finish it tonight. Would that be kind of crazy? No, because it's Christmas Eve, I gotta go to the party, heh heh Anyway. So that's kind of what I'm trying to do. So I don't know if, like we're gonna, I don't know, I don't know what you know, so we gotta start.

Speaker 1: 20:43

I talked about having like our own new traditions. You know we've gotta kind of let go of the US traditions because they don't do it here. So it just makes it kind of hard. I talked about it. They have so many parties and get-togethers anyway that it just makes it hard to do it. I mean, like right now, even because it's the anniversary coming up it's my mother-in-law passing they do like nine days of prayer night every night and people come over and eat food and all that kind of stuff. So you got that going with Christmas. You know it's just like ugh.

Speaker 1: 21:18

It's a little brutal right now for us, to be honest, but in the end it's just the kids. That's what kind of you kind of you know you want them to still enjoy it and look forward to it. I mean, I know they look forward to the time off in school, but they're kind of I don't know they've really. One thing about coming here is they've really changed, like we used to spend too much money by too many presents for the kids and here they get like two or whatever and they're good with it. You know what I mean. They're not, I don't know. I guess because living around a bunch of kids that don't have much helps a little bit. Maybe, I don't know they still do their flexing Look what I got all that kind of crap, like we did as a kid. But it is different here. So I don't know.

Speaker 1: 22:13

Sometimes you try and talk to the kids, it seems like the only thing they seem to miss is the accessibility for other things, like Arby's, different restaurants and then Target. My son, my youngest he loved Target because of the toys and everything. So you know he misses things like that. That's the kind of stuff they miss, whether or not everything's here really that you need. So I don't know. I don't know if this is gonna be. This is gonna be. I mean I guess I did talk a little bit about the States in here, but anyway, I think that's about it for me. My time is up. I hope everybody has a wonderful Christmas and hope to see you on my next podcast. I don't know how that would work, but anyway, all right, thanks a lot.