Make Merry, One and All

Merry Christmas everyone! May this holiday season fill your hearts and homes with all the good feelings that make life worth living.

I won't take up much of your time because I know you're quite busy today, but let me just point you to our chosen stories this week: 

In "The Holy Child Was Born, Now Let's Eat," Dr. Penelope V. Flores waxes nostalgic with her memories of Noche Buena in her hometown of Calapan in Mindoro. 

In "Lulu's Fifty-Peso Christmas Gift," Elizabeth Ann Quirino tugs at our hearts with her poignant story of her mother's spontaneous act of kindness one Christmas Eve shortly after WWII, which gave nine little children a memorable Pasko (one of the kids became famous and immortalized the story). 

In "Loving My Religions," Lotis Key gives us pause as she reveals the two clashing belief systems that make her the introspective person that she has become.

And for some levity, Filipino-Canadian Internet star Mikey Bustos returns with "12 Days of Filipino Christmas."

My blog lists the 10 Reasons Why I Miss a Philippine Christmas.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) presented Positively Filipino "Best Interactive Media (Website)" Award during its 2014 Migration Advocacy and Media Awards, last December 18, 2014 at SSS Magsaysay Hall in Quezon City, Philippines.

Contributing writer Aurora Almendral (right) accepts the award on behalf of Positively Filipino during the 2014 Migration Advocacy and Media Awards last December 18, 2014 at SSS Magsaysay Hall in Quezon City, Philippines.

A Stress-Free Christmas

Some friends are opting for a stress-free Christmas this year. They're not going shopping, they just ordered gift cards online; they're not going into a cooking frenzy, they're just ordering food or eating out; and they're staying home to do what the spirit of the season should be about -- enjoying each other's company. What a liberating concept, don't you think?

But if you're like me who gets energized by the crowds and the frenzy, you'll want to partake of the recipes we're sharing from innovative chef Rolando Laudico, from our food writer Elizabeth Ann Quirino and from Goldilocks USA to make your Noche Buena table groan with enough dishes to feed a battalion. 

Shifting to the Holy Land where it all began, a Filipino priest, Fr. Angelo Beda Ison, OFM, officiates joyously among Filipino immigrant workers as well as Christians and Muslims of all nationalities. First-time contributor Noni Mendoza tells us his story in "Happy in the Holy Land."

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Filipino heritage is celebrated and documented with The Field Museum's 10,000 Kwentos Project -- storytelling sessions about various regions in the Philippines in conjunction with the museum's extensive collection of Philippine artifacts. Rey E. de la Cruz elaborates in "Ten Thousand Stories in Chicago's The Field Museum."

For those who are seeking avenues for sharing this holiday season, how about sponsoring the education of an underprivileged child in the Philippines for 40 cents a day or $150 a year? Check out our Partner post this week on the Philippine International Aid. PIA recently held its annual fundraiser with a fashion show featuring the creations of Criselda Lontok. Beyond the glamour and the festivity, however, is the very real (and well-documented) charity work of PIA which TV journalist Lloyd LaCuesta fittingly captures in our Video of the Week, "The Special Children"

A technical glitch last week cut short my blog so we have reposted the complete version of "The Gravity of Vanity."

A Writeful National Artist

We're a few days late but we nevertheless celebrate the 90th birthday of another National Artist for Literature, F. Sionil Jose, who had a big bash at the Cultural Center befitting a Filipino of his stature. World renowned as a novelist, essayist, short story writer and columnist, Mang Frankie, as he is fondly called by friends and admirers, is also a successful entrepreneur, which puts him in a class apart from his literary peers. He owns the famous Solidaridad Bookshop in Manila, which our contributor from Australia, Larry Ng, writes about with affection in "A Bookstore of Filipino Aspirations." Complementing Larry's piece, San Francisco-based journalist Ben Pimentel writes about his dinner with the National Artist during the latter's recent visit to California. 

The current furor over the CIA's torture practices brings us back to our exclusive interview with Major General (Ret.) Antonio Taguba who was tasked by the US Army to look into allegations of torture in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and was consequently sacked for telling the truth. Read again "The General At Ease."

As Christmas gets closer, food -- and those who cook them -- is on our minds as we anticipate the sumptuous dishes that always mark our holidays. Our food writer Elizabeth Ann Quirino profiles Yana Gilbuena, a traveling chef, in "Have Filipino Food, Will Travel." And, to whet your appetites even more, we're re-posting "Our Christmas Table," also by Elizabeth Ann, which reminds us of what we loved to eat back home.

And we take time to laugh with another compilation of Funny Signs.

For my blog this week, I thought of a cautionary tale before we all gorge ourselves with goodies this season: The Gravity of Vanity.

And our Video of the Week: Filipino Side Up, Lara Ortiz-Luis shows her American friends her Filipino side.