In the States, and I am sure in Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere too, when we get into September, October or November, the weather starts getting cold, and we say “brrr…..” because we are chilly, or cold. Here in the Philippines, they say that it’s already the “ber” months. Do you know what that means?
Well, today (September 7, 2007) I saw my first Christmas tree on display this year! Yes, indeed. Once we are into the “ber” months, it’s already time to get into the Christmas Spirit! What is this “ber” that I keep talking about? Well, it’s basically any month that ends with “ber” in the name. So, September, October, November and December are the ber months. When it’s ber months that means that people start thinking about the Christmas Holidays!
In addition to Holiday Spirit, I also hear some Filipinos telling me that during the ber months the weather turns a little chilly, and I’ve been told that there is a “nip in the air.” For me, I think that’s more of an imaginary thing, though, because I never felt that it was any cooler during these months than any other time of the year. Now, let me say, though, that I live in Southern Mindanao, and the weather here is fairly consistent throughout the year, so perhaps in other parts of the country the seasons are more pronounced.
Anyway, I want to be the first to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Let’s all get into the “ber spirit!“
I dunno Bob, in the evenings I see jackets being worn… soon the leaves on the coconut trees will turn gold, and red and brown… oh wait…it's the tropics 😆 I saw Christmas trees in Golden Bell on Rizal Ext. last month when they were having a Christmas in August sale… complete with christmas music blaring from the loudspeakers. I will get to say brr one last time as I start my trip to the US today. 2 weeks trip and I'm back on the 26th. I'll try to keep up with the board while I am gone.
Hi Louis – I hope you have a great trip home, and get everything accomplished that you are setting out to do.
Yep, yesterday, I saw a Christmas tree in a hotel/resort. It was my first sighting of the season! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! 😆
haha, I'm looking forward to Christmas this year. Last year my mom had just died and it was a really bad season. Now I'm married and have a new family, I also hear Christmas over here is spectacular.
A "ber-ry" Merry Christmas already! All right!!!
Hope you all guys enjoy Christmas there especially to Louis, this coming December.
There's no other place in Asia (and maybe even the world) where Christmas is celebrated the longest (starting from September). Well in spirit and feeling among us Filipinos. Unlike here, even with so much better decorations, nothing beats the spirit of Christmas being celebrated in the Philippines (get together, family reunion, the inaanaks trying to nag us ninongs/ninangs to give them candy or money, Christmas parties at office, with friends, and barkadas). Ah the ber months… nostalgia moments again.
Alas we don't have snow, but only the chilly weather to remind us of the Christmas season coming around the corner. I think Bob for us Pinoys it is not imaginary that we feel that "nip in the air". It is true actually, well, especially those living in the upper part of Philippines (Luzon) like me who lived his life in Metro Manila. Once in my childhood days I experienced a very chilly weather during October to November where we would be exhaling smoky breathe of air to our amusement. It was slightly foggy and really chilly for me and my brother. When we especially go up to Baguio, now everything would be colder. But you are right, Bob, since most of you guys live down south, where the weather would be quite similar all throughout the year. Maybe for us Filipinos who are more used to the tropics are more sensitive to abrupt changes in temperature that we could feel that "nip in the air" while Americans are used to having four seasons especially Winter time (and I know the chilly weather is nothing really compared to Winter time in US). I wish it would snow in the Philippines. Ah , I could only dream. 😀
Am going back for a vacation there in the Philippines this December, so I too am counting the months gradually. Yay, can't wait to see again my family and friends. 🙂
Jio – If it's snowing in the Philippines we have alot to worry about because it's certainly the next Ice Age 😆
when its springtime in alaska its 40 below , see you all in december
Merry Christmas to all, LOL! The Philippine struly has the longest Holiday season, LOL! Staring in September and some people do not take down Christmas Decorations until February – Chinese New Year, LOL!
I don't feel any cooler in davao on "ber" months. What Jio- says is true though , it gets slightly cooler in Luzon, during "ber" months.
Cheryll Ann,
How do you celebrate Chinese NY there? Is it as colorful and as grand as SF celebration? You probably know how they celebrate that here, right?
About New Year's, my most memorable during the last few years was 1999, awaiting the coming of Y2K. Anyone remember what you were doing around that time?
Hi Bob- Just this morning in the mail we got promo post from Makro advertising rolls of Christmas paper as well as Christmas cards and Christmas decorations so even here the retailers are getting ready.It is a shame though that an important christian event is just being reduced to another retail opportunity like Easter is.Don't get me wrong I enjoy Christmas like any parent does but for an old synic like me I sometimes shake my head in disbelief at what the retailers and opportunists are doing with our festivals.On the other hand yes it does get colder in Bukidnon especially in December as we have to put an extra cover on the bed when we are there but I don't complain in fact it's pleasant for me.
Angie….. At the Y2K we were as a family all in Scotland in my home town of Stirling celebrating the start of the New Year and it was very cold that night, outside that was inside I has a little dram to keep me warm.
Angie,
Chinese New Year in davao is pretty quiet. There is a firecracker ban, LOL LOL LOL! So all we have is the dragon dance. It's a pretty quiet Chinese New Year. What I hate most about it is, we have guests to ring in New Year so they stay till the wee hours of the morning and we have to leave our guests for an hour or so while we go to the Temple and burn incense.
Then we go to bed at like 3am or 4am and drag ourselves out of bed at 8am or 9am as the dragon dance people come to our house and we have to wear red and stand in front of our door till it's over. LOL LOL! 😀
Hi Louis – Yep, you are starting a whole new life! Congratulations to you!
Hi Angie – Merry Christmas to you too! 🙂
Hi Jio – I'm glad that you can feel a change in the air up north! I think it is imaginary down here in Mindanao, though!
Hi Ken – I'll stay here in the Philippines! 😆
Hi Angie – Yes, they do have a lot of celebration for Chinese New Year too! It's always an exciting time.
Hi Jim – Oh my! Maybe those were supposed to be ads for the Philippines Makro Stores! Ha ha…. Imagine, one more Christmas in the UK, and then you'll be here for Christmas after that!
Hi Bob – It is definitely cooler in Bukidnon buring the "ber" months. It is common to see people in sweaters early in the morning and in the evening. We sometimes have hailstones in Talakag and the plaza looks like being covered with popcorn.
Hi Jim,
Re #10. I'm a cultural rebel of sorts, if a gentle one at that 🙄 I agree with you on the commercialization of Christmas. Hence, for about a decade now, I've implemented a new way of gift-giving within my circle. I've refused to participate in the traditional material gift giving. Seriously… Likewise, I've told them no material gifts for me either, to align with my new lifestyle of trimming the excesses of my old consumerism.
One time shortly before the holidays, I communicated this on a note card to my friends & family. So now Christmas, for me, is less the stress of the deadline of shop-till-you-drop before Dec. 25, as my "gifts" are mostly gifts of time & bonding, equitably spread throughout the next year. What this fosters is the idea of bonding, giving time and spending special moments with one another. And I can say, it has been one big adventure for all of us!! As they say, Kodak moments… I have now been truly blessed with many such memories.
My gifts are self-made coupons, redeemable by the recipient at any time during the coming year, subject of course to synchronizing our schedules. So "redemption" is subject to both parties approval! 😉
Here's an example of what they can be redeemed for:
– a special event of their choice, at my expense of course. It could be for an evening of Broadway musical, ballet, the symphony, movies, dinner/dancing, casual stroll, daytime hikes, picnic at the park. Or for family, it could extend to a weekend getaway, a quick trip (which could be arranged on a 3-day weekend), a quick cruise, etc.
– a coupon for an evening or weekend of babysitting services. Affords me the luxury of bonding with special kids within the circle and gives their parents a chance to enjoy a day or evening out.
– a donation (of time or money) to their favorite charity. Sometimes I might be writing a check (which is very simple, of course). Or I could be helping sell Girl Scout cookies for someone's kid. Or I could be out helping with fundraising for the homeless, etc.
This new way of gift giving has truly revolutionalized my life. It's given me quality time with the people dearest to me. In the end what truly matters are the memories I've come away with. Who can store something in our hearts unless we've truly opened up to one another?
Hope to hear other ideas of gift-giving. Some of you might have a unique way of gifting that I could "borrow."
May each of us have a joyful path, fellow life explorers.
The far north Luzon gets quite windy during the latter "ber" months, bringing temperatures into the brisk 70s. Jacket weather, for sure. 😛
Baguio at Christmas-time is almost cold enough for snow! 😆
Post #13. I agree with you, Marilou. I used to go to Camp Phillips and the fogs were making the roads scary to travel especially at night. But I love the "ber" months in the Phils. The festive mood is around the corner with christmas lights start to blink and carols are on the air. The only thing I didn't like was when kids threw firecrackers (watuzzi, lubintador) at your foot or doorstep.:evil: Going to work was a struggle, too—cold and 7 am was a little dark !:roll:
Hi Marilou – Wow, I've never seen a hail storm in the Philippines! Thanks for letting me know about that!
Hi angie – very interesting! Do your friends actually "redeem" their coupons? I can feel that it might be embarrassing to approach the giver later in the year and "take you up" on the offer. I'm curious what the redemption rate is.
Hi Paul – Yeah, up in Bukidnon, where I love to go and spend time, the temperature is in the 70's most of the year. I absolutely love it! When we are driving through the area, I usually turn off the aircon in the car, roll down the windows and relish the cool temperature!
Hi jul – I have had times when passing through Bukidnon that the fog was so thick that I could not even drive through!
Hello Bob – my daughter chose this icon to post it here (cant say no) she wants to see this
Hi Marygrace –
I'll give a couple of Mr. Greens for your daughter too! 
Hi Bob,
But of course, folks "redeem" — we just don't call it that. Actually I "redeem," too, with them. So the practice has been catching on. As a matter of fact, the reason I got reminded to share the story is because someone made an appointment with me (two weeks ago) to reserve today for our day together. In this case, it's my cousin, she says it's time to collect on her rain check.
So we spent most of today together. My special thing with her is to be her "driver for the day" – she likes to be pampered/chauffered once in a while, with a spa treatment, capped with a dinner — resto of her choice. And as a spontaneous request, we dropped by at a Borders to browse for her favorite books, since there is one on the way to her place.
I just got back, after all the chauffering! It's past midnight here, Pacific time.
About being embarrassed, no… ego/pride is something that is no longer fashionable with us. We threw that out a long time ago…:lol: Besides there is nothing embarrassing about gifts of time that are sincerely offered. And I do this only with my core circle, made up of very close people that I really care about and who are really open to new experiences in living.
Believe me, it's been a joy and most of us are just too happy to collect on one another at any time.
Me, I always tell them, donate time (or money) to some of my supported charities. Example, the cousin I took out tonight, she's donating a week of her vacation this year to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, in Louisiana, this October. It's part of the continuing effort to rehabilitate the Katrina victims. She's excited about it, too. (And this is the type who used to be so sheltered, one who only knew all-girls' schools thru her educational years. But she's been open to many new experiences.) She said she gets to help build a house and be a "carpenter" for a week. That was part of our dinner conversation tonight, which was why she chose to "collect" on me at this time.
We really had a marvelous time today.
So to answer your question, it's been an ongoing thing, and we've gotten used to the idea. It's freely offered and freely accepted.
Hi Angie-What a though provoking response to giving gifts in general, I like it.
Hi Angie – Wow, I am really happy that your "coupons" have proven successful. I have actually done this in the past, but just not to the extent that you have taken it to. I can remember in the past offering to do computer jobs for people and such, but you have really taken this to a much higher level than I ever considered. I congratulate you on that, seriously. I'm glad that you and your cousin had a good time today! By the way, I used to live in Louisiana in the 70's and 80's, a little north of New Orleans.
Angie,
I've never heard of such gift giving ideas in christmas. i'm glad it works for you and I'm all for any idea that avoids the christmas christmas shopping crowd. Your idea may not work for me though. The thought of my relatives asking for drawings of themselves just scares me. I still owe a few from a thanksgiving party a few years back. 🙄
Hi macky – Oh boy! Now it comes out! I really did step into troubled waters when I asked you to do a drawing of me!! Now I owe you big time, because you did come up with two great drawings! I really do love those drawings, Macky, and especially my Mom too, she always talks about them. You have a new best friend in my Mom, even though the two of you have never met!
Re. #23. Macky, you make me laugh. If I were your relative I'd be too happy to pay for the honor of being drawn by you. How's that? I probably would not even consider a freebie because I know that your time is very valuable and since that is your source of living, I would not want to take away from that precious resource, unless you so generously offered it, yourself.
Do you paint or draw or both?
Hi Angie – Go to another of my blogs at: http://business.auctiontopia.com and take a look at the drawing of me in the upper right corner. Macky drew that picture.
Macky,
Phenomenal drawing of Bob! I like it, thank you, Bob, for the link. Hey Macky, do you have a website? I'd like to point it out to my friends, if you do.
Hi Angie – On all of macky's comments, if you click on his name, it will take you to his website.
Speaking of coupons, guys, I just redeemed mine last week! Our stepson who's an avid old bottle collector gave us a coupon during our kringle thingy in Christmas '06. We've got to shop in his house full of bottles and antiques and a brief lecture on the history of the items (limit to two only) I picked! 😆
Uh-oh. It's a series of posts about me. I didn't mean to grab any attention.
Hi Bob,
No worries on the sketches, Bob. You actually did me a favor and allowed me to go back and have some fun and I think it shows on the sketches. For a few years now, It was becoming too much like a job and no longer a hobby. Family favors tend to be typical boring stuff (portraits, make me cute, a popular cartoon character, sketch my baby 🙄 ). That gets old after a while and I purposely avoid bringing a pen when I go to family gatherings 😀
Hi Angie,
Thanks for your compliment. I really appreciate it. If you want to see more work, just shoot me an email.
Hi macky – Whatever attention you got is just what you deserve!
Angie,
That is a great idea, my sister did somethng similar a few years back.
Coupons for "dematting", "Bath and Brush", "Brush Only", Bath only – cut down, etc, LOL LOL!
Note at bottom said – coupons cannot be redeemed all at the same time. 1 coupon per week only. LOL LOL LOL!:lol:
Hi Cheryll,
I'm glad that others are doing it, although some think it's a great idea but don't want to hustle with managing the "program of gift giving."
Yes, because it's more involved than just buying gifts and giving them away… But exactly why I'm doing it is to spend meaningful time with people I choose to spend time with. Besides it also came about when I embarked on the idea of decluttering my life of excessive materialism, which was an offshoot of wanting to alter my lifestyle due to environmental concerns, etc.
I cannot change the world as that's like wanting to boil the ocean, but I can do something on a scale that's personal and manageable and which would hopefully influence the younger people of my circle/clan.
Of course, the philosophy caught on to thinking what to do about the shopping mania during the holidays. A wonderful by-product of this idea was it freed me of the stress of shopping deadlines before Dec 25. Before this, I used to a buy bunch of gift cards as it was the simpler thing that saved me time….sliding plastic cards into envelopes vs. hauling a bunch of things for gift-wrapping, etc.
Yes, the year-round gifting program has been fun. It's become an extraordinary adventure of sharing talents/time.
Kudos to you and your sister, also, I'm glad to hear more are being creative.
Take care and hi to your "special 9" of your bunch. 😆