Since I no longer practice the Christian faith, the alleged birthday of Jesus Christ doesn’t hold any religious meaning for me, but the spirit of Christmas—the giving, sharing, and loving parts—still resonates with me. My agenda for the day includes a morning group hike, followed by a birthday party for my neighbor and fellow Westminster High School alumnae, Mike, this afternoon. I’ll bring my usual brownies. After that, we’ll see. Swan’s family will gather at their compound in Subic for the Christening of her niece. I’m the ninong (godfather) and am sending my donation and best wishes via Swan.

In the spirit of the holiday, here are the lyrics to my favorite Christmas song (actually a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow set to music):

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

And here is my Christmas Eve tale:

Later in the afternoon, we headed to Alley Cats bar for my belated Christmas appearance. On the way, Swan dropped some cookies and chocolate for a friend of hers on Gabaya Street.

I was surprised to see there was an early darts tournament in progress when we arrived. The place was packed, but it was great seeing some of my old dart buddies from years gone by again. I gave a tin of Christmas cookies and a batch of brownies and got a ballcap and shirt in the gift exchange. I provided a Shamboli’s pizza, a round of lady drinks, and a Hershey’s chocolate bar, making all the staff happy to see me again. It was a good time, and although I still haven’t rekindled a desire to throw darts again, I should try to drop by Alley Cats more often in the new year.

I have two 500 peso vouchers for Queen Victoria that expire tomorrow, so my plan was for both of us to drink for free after we departed Alley Cats. Alas, Queen Victoria was closed. I won’t be able to use them tomorrow because I’m having Swan’s family over to the house for an after-Christmas dinner. Oh well. I was a little hungry anyway, so we moseyed up the highway to Sit-n-Bull for dinner instead.

After dinner, we went next door to Wet Spot for our nightcap. That didn’t last long. Aine came over and said something to Swan that made her as mad as I’d ever seen her. It totally killed Swan’s buzz, and she wanted to leave immediately. And that’s just what we did. Needless to say, Aine will not be welcome at our table in the future.

Home, pudding, and bed. That’s good enough for me.

Thirteen years ago, my Facebook Christmas card looked like this:

In keeping with the spirit of the season, in today’s YouTube video, we watch the Filipina Pea playing Santa Claus to the less fortunate in her community—a similar undertaking to what Swan has been preparing for in Alibang this Friday. From my first visit to the Philippines, I’ve been impressed with the generosity of Filipinos toward those who have less.

Now for some Christmas cheer:

That’s all for now, time for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Hope all my readers (both of you) have a happy holiday!

And now, for some Christmas music. I said at the top of this post that “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was my favorite holiday song. I saw in today’s Facebook memories that I’ve posted several versions of the song by different artists over the years. Which one do you think is best?

Johnny Cash:

Suzy Bogguss:

Burl Ives:

And with some Civil War graphics (the era in which the poem was written):

I think the Ives’ rendition in my favorite, with Bogguss a close second.