Aguinaldohan: meaningful gift exchange
Manila
December 30, 2019
At the Asian Institute for Management in Makati, a children’s choir sings the hymns and leads the whole congregation in singing. They are all homeless children gathered under the care of Bahay Maria, a home for girls in the donated residence of a former ambassador.
Last Christmas, our congregation prepared a special gift exchange. The choir members wrote on a decorated piece of paper their ambitions for school and three things they wished the most. Their requests were simple and quite meaningful: a T shirt, shorts, jeans, sandals, rubber shoes, cherry mobile phone. Each list was different.
The one I picked asked for cherry mobile phone, rubber shoes and white sandals. When I spoke with her, she said ‘Wag na po cp at rubber shoes. Ang mas gusto ko at kailangan ay white sandals.’ I could see that she was already wearing a pair of very old white rubber shoes and would soon need that too!
‘Sige, among size?’
‘Size 35 po.’
Sa mall I couldn’t find any size 35 but dozens of styles of adult size white sandals. ‘Nandoon po sa 3rd floor, children’s shoes ang size 35.’
But I saw that all the children’s shoes were cheapie, shiny plastic and ugly styles. But then in a throwaway corner I came across a beautiful pair, at 3000. Almost adult looking sandals.
‘Size 35 po ito? Magkano po?’
‘ Last na stock po yan, discount na sa 1500.’
I said to myself, it’s size 35, it’s real leather and good styling, Rusty Lopez pa at that price? It’s worth it unless it is the wrong size and there is no further stock for exchange! I tried to imagine what size foot a ten year old girl would have. The sandal seemed to me too big.
‘Yes, there is a half size smaller.’
But somehow the smaller sandals looked too small!
‘Okay, I’ll take the size 35.’ And it fit exactly!
I was truly surprised that Sunday, for our congregation was very generous, for in addition to these exchange gifts, many (who were not able to get an exchange letter) brought Christmas baskets full of holiday foods, little notebook and ball pen kits and prepared a full brunch (pancit, fried lumpia, ensaymadas, coffee) for the whole congregation and the choir.
In gratitude, the choir members hummed silent night as they recreated the procession of Christmas night in Bethlehem, under the baton of their gifted music professor and conductor.
Next Sunday, my choir girl was so proud to wear her new white sandals, a perfect fit. It was a warm and cheery Christmas for these twenty or so residents of Bahay Maria.