Volunteers

My children wrote letters to Santa Claus and asked for a robot-car, a dollhouse, and a toy train. They were written on pad paper with red and pink lines on them. Antoinette, the master planner and leader of the three, “convinced” my husband to mail the letters to Santa to the North Pole.

But there was one major problem that Nicholas pointed out: there is no snow in the Philippines so there is no way Santa’s sleigh can maneuver the hot, humid Philippine weather.

The discussion happened in the living room as Nicholas described to Antoinette the impossibility of the situation. The sleigh cannot fly and park on our roof because there is no snow; the reindeer will not like it because there is no snow; there is no chimney which Santa normally uses as an entry point to the house.

In the middle of this discussion is Jeff Junior, who is three years old. He sat on the floor, staring at his Manoy and Manang while eating an apple.

Antoinette ended the discussion with an admission that there is no snow in the Philippines. But, she said, Santa Claus can rent a jeepney, park in front of our house at midnight, and then enter through the main door. The Christmas tree is located near the main door, where the cookies and glass of milk will be left for Santa to devour.

The Christmas meeting of the mutants ended before I was even done cooking the pork afritada for dinner.

My husband was quick to remind them that while we receive presents from Santa and from our loved ones, we have to remember the real reason why we celebrate Christmas —and that is because Jesus Christ is born in this season.

In our home, we emphasize the values of giving and sharing. Those are quite difficult to teach to children five years old and below. Telling them outright to give and share does not work because children are creatures of examples. So we show them by example. What usually nails this lesson on giving and sharing is when I cut my last strip of bacon into three pieces and distribute to them. My children know that I love them so much because l gave up the last piece of heaven on my plate for them.

Since it is the season of giving, I have been making a list of books that I will buy for the children. I was scanning titles of classics when I chanced upon the manuscripts of high school students from the Philippine Christian Gospel School (PCGS). I served as a critic in the Literary Criticism Workshop last October in the class of my friend and teacher/librarian, Bea Martinez.

I was floored by the way they analyzed literary works from the lenses of romanticism, post-modernism and post-colonialism. The six essays that were presented that afternoon were well-thought of and well researched that they read better than the book reviews found online.

They are living testaments that reading develops informed and critical minds. With the guidance of adults with their best interests in mind, young people are able to succeed in the fields that they choose to be in.

I look forward to another school year as I await Bea’s message to let me sit in another panel.

It is also worthy to note that December is National Volunteer Month as designated by the Philippine Government to “recognize the important contributions of volunteerism in nation-building.”

We are highlighting our volunteer-storytellers in Basadours, Inc. on our Facebook page. We have been blessed with passionate and committed volunteers this year. I could not ask for more gifts because I got them as early as May this year.

Volunteers do what they do out of love and service. Let us be reminded not to exploit their time and resources. If you want to work with them, give them ample time to prepare. Many volunteers have jobs or classes; the least you can do is to respect their time by telling them in advance what you need from them and when do you need them.

I write this with much love and respect for all the volunteers out there who dedicate time and resources for advocacies they believe in. You make this world a better place. Thank you for your service.

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