How Direk Joey beats the holiday rush

Jose Javier Reyes

What would you give your loved ones this holiday season? What would you like to receive this year? What’s your most memorable Christmas?

Filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes has mastered the fine art of enjoying a stress-free holiday season. “I take about six months buying my Christmas presents because I hate being part of the holiday rush,” Direk Joey relates. “I usually give friends and family something personal, something which I know is of their interest.”

As for his own wish list, it’s really a no-brainer. “As far as I’m concerned, my friends know exactly what I would want to receive any time of the year: a good book, or a good journal for my endless daily writing.”

For the new year, he has drafted a short, but sweet “to-do” list. “I hope to do one or two films that I really yearn to direct, continue my work as a creative consultant and teacher, but most of all, travel with friends and relatives, and spoil myself just a bit more.”

He also plans to master two skills. “I want to finally learn to drive and cook!”

Past Yuletide seasons were invariably idyllic, Direk Joey asserts. “My most memorable Christmases were those of my youth, when my family was still complete. The aroma of Mama’s cooking became a sensory bookmark to the best years of my life. I miss these familiar things that we tend to take for granted, thinking they would last forever.” —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.