They went to Divisoria to buy fruits in the hope that they would find cheaper ones than those sold in the supermarket and even in the local markets. As they walk in the midst of clusters of people also looking for fruits for the new year, they chanced upon the fresh cherries in one of the stalls.

How much is a kilo?” they asked.

“P1,200 pesos, ma’am,” came the reply.

They hastily left the stall and saw a stall with those beautiful and big Fuji apples.

“How much is a piece?”they asked.

“P350 pesos, ma’am!” came the reply.

“Let’s go,” said one of them. “New Year will pass without those fruits!”

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It was Christmas day. Visitors come and go. After lunch, her daughter told her that she is going out to see her boyfriend. She was a little adamant about the idea of her going out on Christmas day. “It is suppose to be family day,” she replied without a word but decided to let her go. This is with the condition that she must be back sooner.

At two o’clock there were no visitors so she took a nap on the sofa. She must have dozed off because she was not awakened by her daughter returning from the mall. When she sat, still not oblivious of the people in the house, her daughter came out of the dining room and gave her a brown bag. “Ma, our Christmas gift to you.” It was a big surprise. She felt very happy and guilty at the same time.

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One Christmas, when the little girl went with her father to visit relatives, they were asked to eat and have a fill before they leave. Serving dishes were laid before them, placed on the center table of the living room. Among the food is the sumptuous spaghetti. There is also lumpiang sariwa egg-wrapped with lettuce.

The little girl stared at the food in amazement. How does she eat these food? Her father is busy talking to the relative and she is very shy to ask. After a decision was made, she first got herself a piece of lumpiang sariwa, unwrapped it and spooned the contents. She set aside on top of the table the egg wrap. Later, she decided to have a taste of the spaghetti. This, too, looks strange to her, not the usual spaghetti her mother cooks in catsup.

As soon as the spoonful spaghetti landed on her tongue, she spat. Everybody was startled. Her father, very ashamed, asked her what the matter was. She whispered, “The spaghetti is not good, it does not taste like the delicious spaghetti Ma cooks for us.”

Merry Christmas,

everyone!!!

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Looking from the big, dilapidated window of their family’s rented room, Isang saw her neighbor’s daughter munch the apple. This is a sign for her that Christmas is here. If only she could also have an apple to munch. His father’s earnings are not enough to include the apple for the noche buena.

Sadly, Isang moved from the window and looked at the dining table which was sustained by two pieces of 2″ x 2″ inch wood. This table is all purpose, that is, it also serves as table when they have visitors, as table when she does her assignments, or as table when she plays with her sister.

In the middle of the dining table she saw something that roused her interest - three pieces of red tomatoes. “This could do,” she said to herself. Then she went back to the window, met the annoying gaze of her kid neighbor, and munch the tomato which is red as an apple. “Hmmmm…” she said it with gusto and loud enough so that her neighbor will hear it. “Hey, this apple taste good!” Her neigbor challenged her look, and said, “My apple taste better than yours!” “Oh, no, it’s not,” Isang smiled watching her kid neighbor’s beaten facade.

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There was a little girl who had not seen a Christmas tree. She was one of those young children begging along the streets. She belonged to a destitute family of four. If the right word was lucky then lucky it was that she got a sponsor for her schooling the following year. It was from an evangelical missionary group who visits slum areas and sponsors little children like her.

When she saw a brightly lit and colorful Christmas tree, she exclaimed, “That must be the fiery bush Moses saw! ” What then did you see when you saw this picture?

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