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EYES WIDE OPEN

- IRIS GONZALES

Christmas, more than any other occasion throughout the year, always brings Filipinos home - wherever or whatever home may be.

To some, it's the most joyous time because we get to spend it with our loved ones.

It's deeply rooted in our culture - a time to bridge distances or simply catch up with family members.

Even overseas Filipinos save their hard-earned money to make the trip back home and be with their families here in the Philippines.

To many OFWs, especially those who toil in distant lands, the allure of spending Christmas back home is the one thing that kept them going throughout the year as they fill their balikbayan boxes with gifts, each item a testament to their love and longing.

In the Philippines, the concept of family and home is perhaps stronger than in most places across the globe.

Such closeness is magnified a thousand times during Christmas because Filipinos love celebrations and togetherness.

Filipino families won't hesitate to spend so much - in good times and bad -just to have a Noche Buena feast.

It's the reason our tables are always filled to the brim on Christmas Eve dinners or the traditional Noche Buena.

Homeless

But it's not the same for everyone or every family.

On Christmas Eve, on my way home for Christmas dinner, I saw several homeless families on the road, gathered on the cold pavement as their young ones moved about and around them.

They shared among themselves some food and snacks, unmindful - just this one time - of the cars that stop when the traffic lights are red.