My boyhood Christmas

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Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title: My boyhood Christmas
Year: 1940
Rights
Fulltext: 454 THE YOUNG CITIZEN December, 1940 MY BOYHOOD CHRISTMAS By RAMON D. BUCU • Our teacher said, ''My heart shall be full of /of!e for' you." ABOUT fifteen years ago, I was a pupil in the fifth grade. The little barrio school where I finished my primary schooling was tidied up and decorated with palm leaves, red and green paper festoons, and lanterns of various shapes and with many kinds of decorations. All around there was the delightful noise of the Christmas season. It was the last day of school before the Christmas vacation. The children, arrayed in their new spick-and-span clothes, were in holiday mood. That afternoon we were going to have a program. Our parents and neighbors were invited to see the most interesting event of the barrio-the annual Christmas program at the barrio school. There were to be Christmas carols, poems, a •Teacher, T. Earnshaw Elementary School, Manila. drama of the Nativity, and inspiring messages by our teachers. When the time came for the program, everyone in the whole barrio was there. One by one the numbers of the program were rendered with the noisy approval of the people who knew little of· what we were talking about. I recited a poem. I was very nervous, but I saw my father pointing at me with pride to his openmouthed friends. Finally came the Christmas message of our teacher. I understood clearly everything he said. The· gentleness, the . goodwill, the warmth of his words found ·a place in my heart. "Children," he began, "you have good cause to rejoice on Christmas Day. Christ, our Lord, is born, and with His birth each one in this world receives a Gift whether he expects one or not." Our teacher said, as he closed his message, these words which I cannot forget: "Boys and girls, I have not much to give you at this Christmas season. I am poor like many of you. But I freely give you the dearest of my treasures---my heart which shall always be full of love for you." 1 '· . We all clapped our hands. The old folks shook hands with .our teacher, for he was their idol. ,\fterwards we sang a Christmas hymn. 'then followed the exchange of gifts. I was not interested in this, for I did not expect to receive any present and had none to give. I slipped away unnoticed while my classmates received their gifts. · I soon reached our nipa house. Everybody was gone. I sat down to think. I thought of several things. I thought of December, 1940 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 455 the great Gift, Jesus the Son of God, the Gift our teacher said everyone would receive. I thought, too, of my dear sick mother, who, three months before, had been taken by my sisters to a place where she could receive medical treatment. I missed her a great deal. The house had been lonely since she had left. I got some cooking utensils and cooked our simple meal. Father had caught some. mud fish. I cleaned them and cooked them over the red hot embers. When they were cooked, I put them on a plate and set them aside. The sun was going dol"n and I could see the shadows of the bamboos lengthening. At dusk father came home on our one and only carabao . myself ready to go to my godparents and relatives. I had just gone down the bamboo stairs when I heard the voice of my sister calling on the other side of the nearby river. She shouted, "Father, father, bri.ng us a ban ca so that we can cross." I ran as fast as I could to father. Father borrowed a banca and paddled across the river. After a few minutes I saw my .dear mother. She was no longer sick. She could walk very well now. I ran to her and kissed her hand. Hi;iw glad she was' to see me! . I fixe1l our kerosene lamp. Then I arranged the table, and soon we were eating our supper. That night I l1ad received a fJery precious gift-my mother. We reached ·the house. Several of our neighbors were there to welcome mother. Everyone was glad to see her come back home. How happy I was! I was happier than anybody else, for I had received a very precious Christmas gift-the I said my usual prayer before I went to bed. Before long I was in the sweet sleep of childhood. There were seven days left before Christinas Day. I watched them. come and go. At last it was Christmas Eve. I recalled how mother . had cooked suman the year before. I wanted mother. I wanted her very much. The next morning-Christmas morning-our neighbors went to the church to hear the mass. After breakfast I got return of my dear mother. SOME QUESTIONS I. Why were the children in the barrio school excited perhaps? 2. Have you ever attended a barrio school? 3. Have you taken part in school programs like this one? · 4. What did this teacher say to his pupils? (Please turn to pagt 474.) 474 THE YOUNG CITIZEN December, 1940 CHRISTMAS GOLD PUPPET THEATER BOYHOOD CHRISTMAS (Continued from page 453) . (Continued froin page 471) (Continued from page 455) Into every room she In some scenes the entire 5. Why was the nar.rator went, blessing the house depth of the .stage is used; of this story lonely? with the Christmas blessing in others only half, or even 6. What was his "preas she went on her way. one-fourth. A forest scene. cious Christmas gift"·? At last she came to the consists, for example, of six 7. Did yo.:. like this great room where the little pieces of scenery: a back- story? Why? spider slept in the corner ground,· four wing pieces 8. Could the events of and where the big Christ- (two for each side); and this story occur in ·many mas tree stood covered with an open foreground. (Fig- different parts of the Philcommon cobwebs, a sorry ure 2) Two extra wings ippines? (The author states sight to see. add to the possibilities. that this is a true story.) She bfes.sed the picture. For the Christmas story 9. Does this story have of Jesus and His mother the background may show "human interest"? Mary, and the little shrine the_ interior of the s~able, 10 .. What. have you where prayers were said, while a manger and animals learned from this story? may be among the figures. and all the spotless room. The outdoor sGene may rep- place, we use wooden slats Last of all she blessed the resent a starry night with in which there are round Christmas tree, standing as shepherds and their sheep pegs at one end. These pegs a disgrace to all the house- in the background. The are set in holes bored in the hold in its gray cobwebs. scene of the wise men may wooden floor of the sr~ge. In the morning it was represent a starry back- The advantag~ of this arChristmas. The sunbeams ground with one large guid- rangement is that wings can sparkled and the Christmas ing star. The. ·wise men be turned diagonally, giving bells rang out clear and mounted on camels are better perspective, preventsweet. among the puppet figures. ing the audience from_peekIn the great room in the On the back upright ing in behind the scenes, good woman's house stood frame, on each side, a piece and also making it possible the Christmas tree, covered of zinc near the top is fast- to open stage doors and the from top to bottom in shin- ened and bent downward to like. ing gold. you s~e, the little hold the scene in place. At the bottom and top of spider had spun a web all (Figure I) Most of our each slat are pieces of zinc, over the Christmas tree, and backgrounds are on stiff similar to those on the back the Christmas fairy had cardboard, but some are of upright frame, one bent uppaper, with only strips of ward, the other downward. turned the web into spark- cardboard pasted back of These serve as clamps to ling gold. . . the two ends. By setting a hold the wings in place. It wa~ Christmas ~ag1c, lamp directly behind it, we (Figure3) The wings make the ~ag1c o~ the Christmas can create moonlight or sun- many things possible, like blessing which turns every- sets or early dawn. setting a house in the midthing into shining gold.- The wings of the puppet die of the woods, or creat.ddapted from "The In- theater are extremely im- ing optical illusions. structor." portant. To hold them in (Please turn to page 477.)