Merry Christmas!
Don’t think this greeting is inappropriate because you might think there is nothing to be merry about since it seems everything sucks, and we are hearing bad news after bad news. If you are one of the OFWs who are not used to spending Christmas away from family and love ones (dang Covid, making it hard for us to go back home for the holiday season) chances are, you are dreading the 24th and the 25th. This is understandable and if you feel guilty by feeling this, you are not alone. It might seem impossible to get into the holiday spirit or to stop pretending like these days are normal “working days” but even if our situation is not ideal, a happier Christmas this year could still be within our reach.
Of course, we would not want to invalidate what you are feeling but hopefully, this article could remedy that, even a little bit. There are a few ways we could employ to still feel the Christmas warmth and joy.
Attend Christmas parties
As an OFW, we tend to have several groups of friends with varying closeness. Come Christmas season and most of these groups would organize a party. Attend all these parties, exchange gifts, and eat good food. Christmas parties need not to be expensive. If everyone is participative and willing to reciprocate holiday cheers, you would have a guaranteed good time. Take advantage of this festive season and say yes to everyone who has invited you. Remember, misery loves company and since most OFWs would not be able to go back home to celebrate Christmas with their family and love ones, it is best to spend it with people who understands your predicament as well.
Enjoy it with those who also seek the same warmth and comfort that you crave. You might have a harder time fighting off the holiday blues if you are alone. So, get on with the program and spend your time NOT wallowing in misery and feeling sorry for yourself just because you are alone on Christmas. You have a lot to be thankful for and you’d be surprised to find out that you have people in your life who would want to spend this happy and joyous occasion with you.
Indulge yourself
We OFWs have the tendency to skimp on our needs and wants to save money and add to our monthly remittances. This is well and good. After all, this is one of the main reasons why we chose to work abroad; help make our family’s life more comfortable. We would not try and talk you out of making the sacrifices all the time but if you must indulge yourself at least once a year, pick this time and do so without any guilt. Is there an expensive bag you have been waiting a lifetime to go on sale? Buy it now. You want to eat at a restaurant your colleagues have been raving about, but you deem to be pricey? Dress up and dine. Are your joints groaning and minor tasks and errands often leave you breathless? Go to a spa or get a massage. Spoil yourself not only to chase the holiday blues away but as a reward for all the hard work you have done for the past year. Treat yourself for surviving the pandemic. Tick some (if not all) from your experience goals list. It might take your mind off of the fact that you are spending this Christmas away from your family because you are doing something that you have been wanting to do for a long time (or enjoying a purchase that you have been eager to buy off the shelf).
Release some endorphins
Endorphins are called happy hormones for a reason. A foolproof way of making sure you are not blue this Christmas (unless you forgot your coat and you feel cold), is by releasing some endorphins.
You might think it’s been a while that you forgot how to enjoy. But it would not really take that much for us to tap into our dormant endorphins. Sometimes, a change of scenery even a small one could already do wonders for your mood. If you are feeling cramped, step outside and get that needed Vitamin D and whiff a breath of fresh air. Explore the city which you could do even if you are broke or all the money that you have left is only good for a train or bus ride. You don’t need to spend a chunk of your salary just to have a good time. Get to know the area you live in and discover some “hidden gem” or “hole in the wall”. Taking your mind off things that make you sad would help in releasing some endorphins.
And if you are stressed because of work, take the time to care for your mental health. When you are mentally healthy, you would not be affected easily by any of the common life stressors that triggers you. Sure, dealing with the holiday blues might be harder but if you are mentally fit, it would be easier for you to deal with the loneliness of spending the holidays away from your love ones.
Create new traditions
Now that you are not with your family and you could not celebrate Christmas the way you are used to, why not create new traditions? You could spend the holidays pursuing things that you were not able to in the past because you are caught up with all the festivities and merrymaking such as baking which could also lead to a thriving side hustle. This year, it could be a quieter Christmas, but it does not mean it would be less meaningful or productive. You could have a new tradition of learning new skills to improve your employability or to help you land that promotion at work. You could start with your end of year cleaning and purging and donate your things to the needy. When we are sad, we tend to focus on ourselves and what makes us sad. This Christmas, we could create a new tradition of serving others or helping someone else for a change. Once we see how our small act of kindness could bring a smile to another person, it would also significantly and positively affect ours as well. Being kind is the gift that keeps on giving since we would be reminded as recipient of someone else’s kindness and which would (hopefully) prompt us to pay it forward.
Another tradition you could start is by writing and sending Christmas cards. In this digital age, the art of sending handwritten notes have been lost since it is easier and more convenient to just send a PM or a DM to someone. Why not be different and revive the lost art of sending a more personal holiday wish to the people you care about? This tradition is not just something you could start this year, it would also bring a smile to those people who would receive it since it shows how much you care for them by taking the time to prepare something special.
Remember the reason for the season
We must also not forget the reason for the season. With all that is happening all over the world, all the more we need to be reminded that we are not alone and that there is someone, a higher being who is looking after us. We only need to have faith.
Now that we are celebrating Christmas, let us be reminded that this season is not only a time for parties and gifts. It is the time to reflect and be grateful that thousand years ago, we were given the best gift we could ever ask for, to be redeemed and saved from our sins. Pray, go to church (physical or virtual) and open your bible. This is also the time to be grateful and thankful for all the wonderful things that have happened to you the past year. You might not be able to think of a lot, but just the fact that you are still alive, you are employed, you have a roof over your head and food on the table, you are still blessed compared to a lot of people who have lost their lives, their jobs, and their homes because of the pandemic. Change the way you think about Christmas and instead of focusing on consumerism and materialism, remember the reason for the season.
Of course, nothing will beat being with your family and love ones during important occasions such as Christmas but facing this year’s not so ideal circumstances with a different and more positive mindset could make it easier for us to accept the cards that we have been dealt with. We need to hold on to whatever hope we can because things will get better soon. Difficult times will pass, and cliché as it may sound, there’s always a rainbow after every rain. So, chin up and enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas!
An Overseas Filipino Worker since 2008, Yvette is back in the Middle East after a brief stint in a first world country in South East Asia. She is a binge watcher and is part of numerous fandoms. She writes to keep her sanity (read her rantings on Wattpad @yvette_dc) and is happiest when she's in a bookstore. If given the resources, she would see the world.