Bessie Badilla

photo by Filbert Kung

What is your most memorable holiday season? How do you intend to celebrate Christmas this year?

So many memories! Christmas is my favorite holiday because it’s the happiest time of the year. But there was a sad Christmas for me and my daughters Blanca and Ines. In 2006, I lost my husband Bambi. I knew my daughters’ first holiday season without their father would be difficult. So I took them as far away as I could, to distract them. We flew from New York to Australia and New Zealand. But no matter how far we were from home, we felt the empty void of his absence.

For many years now, my family spends Christmas Day in an orphanage in Manila. We bring food, toys and other necessities for the toddlers. We feed them, sing with them, tell them stories and play with them. We make sure to embrace them because that’s all they ask for: a hug.

This is the happiest time for me and my family. After a day with the kids, we walk away feeling grateful and blessed. It’s a gift to celebrate the birth of Jesus with the littlest angels among us. This makes me happiest; it is the true meaning of the holidays. —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.