Christmases past

Last Saturday night, I heard Christmas carols ringing out outside my home: "We Wish You A Merry Christmas."

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

"Sa Maybahay Ang Aming Bati." Thinking there was a Christmas party at one of the neighbors, I ignored it for a few minutes. But then the singing continued, and seemed quite close to my driveway. Was I hearing caroling? The singers didn't sound like children. Many communities have banned caroling by children amid fears that they might be molested, especially because the kids are usually too young to be left alone in the streets.

Curious, I opened the gate, and was greeted with a vigorous rendition of "Feliz Navidad," complete with dancing by a group of teenage students from a school in the neighborhood.

The teens were clad in red and white, with Santa caps, waving hand-held lights and singing along to a portable karaoke machine. Their dancing was synchronized. They could train to be P-pop performers. It was so entertaining that I and other members of the household clapped and sang along with them.

After saying thank you, engaging in a brief chat and receiving their gift from me, they left.

I'm partial to traditional Christmas songs such as "Carol of the Bells" and "What Child Is This," sang by children's choirs with angelic voices, apart from everyone's favorite, Jose Mari Chan's "Christmas In Our Hearts," which can be challenging for amateur carolers to sing. But I was so happy to experience caroling again, by singers who weren't out of tune.

After the carolers had left, memories of Christmases past came flooding back. In the city of Manila, children's caroling was a nightly event in the Tondo and Sta. Cruz neighborhoods where I grew up.