Holiday Cheer: Martin Nievera, Singer

My Christmas tree is very simple and traditional—not too many colors, just different textures of red on green, covered in a frosting of tiny warm lights. My family and I decorated it. A couple of strangers who dropped by added their two cents’ worth.

I have always dreamed of a very tall, real tree, but my ceiling is not high enough, with a clearance of around 8 feet. I got an artificial 7-footer, but I still dream of waking up December mornings smelling fresh pine scent mixed with sweet Christmassy anticipation.

As in Christmases past, I am a bad imitation of Santa Claus. My sleigh is a window seat and the reindeer, Philippine Airlines. I travel halfway around the world to celebrate the holidays with my son in the United States and then fly back to finish off the season with my sons in Manila.

I love to shop with my family and friends, walking around malls and crying inside as I sing along with the carols playing in the background. I would even stop and chat with all the Santas I meet along the way and compare notes.

Wow, I haven’t had noche buena for quite some time. I remember waking up at 4 a.m. for Misa de Gallo some Christmases ago and enjoying puto bumbong and hot chocolate. Nowadays, my favorite noche buena dish is my mom’s famous turkey, stuffing and marshmallow yams. Oh, and the gravy! Yum! Bayani San Diego Jr.