Bracing for virtual holidays

Like many Filipino transplants this time of year, I’m wondering how I could potentially travel to my hometown in time for the holidays. Before COVID-19, our usual concerns were crowded ports, increased transportation costs, and awkward conversations at family reunions. But this year, Pinoy travelers also have to think about PCR tests (costing upwards of P3,500 each), quarantines, and travel schedules affected by physical distancing requirements. Oh, and yes, we also have to remember that we could bring home the virus to our families.

It’s wiser to stay put during the holidays this year, though it’s an incredibly tough thing to do for Filipinos. We have to brace for a drastically different December this time. How are we supposed to do Noche Buena and Media Noche without our raucous relatives at the table with us? When will we get to rejoin the lively sights and scents of the church grounds after Simbang Gabi? How can we enjoy Jose Mari Chan’s carols if our perfect Christmas has to be postponed?

As a millennial, I naturally support the idea of video calls and online Masses in place of physical attendance this year. But even the tech-savviest people in my age group know this is challenging.

Remember how, in previous years, we’d text our greetings in advance because we anticipated network overloads on Christmas and New Year’s Eve? What technical glitches do we have to prepare for this year? With the notoriously slow and unpredictable internet service in the Philippines, we’d probably spend our Noche Buena frowning at frozen video screens and yelling “Can you hear me?” over the phone. Getting video calls right can take a lot of practice and luck.

And even if the video calls go smoothly, even if we get hours of virtual face time with our loved ones, how would the rest of the season feel like? We might get nonworking days, but we’re better off spending them at home instead of at the park or the mall like we used to. There’ll be fewer purok parties (if at all), tamer videoke gatherings, and hardly any chance of barkada reunions. Countdown concerts will be virtual. Kris Kringles are already moving online as well.

With all these changes to this year’s holidays, there will be levels of loneliness, impatience, and boredom. We’ll have to brace ourselves for those, too. Alongside our physical preparations, we’ll have to get ready mentally and emotionally.

It will be exceedingly difficult because this is the one time of the year when we hope to be surrounded by cheery loved ones. Some of us have prayed that the pandemic would end by December, but we all know that’s not happening. Some even hoped that it would all turn out to be a scam or an overblown health issue.

But let’s not kid ourselves. The coronavirus pandemic is real and still deadly. Even with vaccines racing toward mass distribution, immunity will take time. It remains vital for us to observe safety protocols and make wise decisions on travel and mass gatherings. If we let our guard down this season in the name of merrymaking, we could be putting ourselves and our loved ones at risk.

This highly atypical year, we have no choice but to reconfigure our year-end celebrations, and to that end, adjusting our mindset might help. What does togetherness mean for us this year? It means protecting each other, being mindful of how our actions can impact people around us, especially those close to us.

This is the year when being together means staying apart. We take comfort in the fact that while we won’t be with our people in person, we’re helping to keep them safe, so that next year, we’ll hopefully be complete at the Noche Buena table.

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