Christmas Alone: Stories of Filipino Resilience and Faith During the Holidays
Christmas has always been a season of balik-probinsya for countless Filipino families. December brings the familiar rhythm of packed buses, overflowing tables, and voices that overlap in joyful reunion. Yet for many of our kababayans, this Christmas tells a different story.
At 25, Miyahra Alliah Oabel finds herself spending Christmas alone for the first time. Working overseas, she carries the weight of distance from family traditions that once defined her December celebrations.
"The dreams I have for me and my family have led me to this moment," Oabel reflects, acknowledging the sacrifice inherent in her pursuit of better opportunities abroad.
Her experience echoes that of countless overseas Filipino workers who trade familiar comforts for long-term family security. The homesickness, she admits, has grown stronger as Christmas approaches, making absence more pronounced than during her initial months away.
Faith and Simple Traditions
Back home, Christmas was unmistakable. "A normal Christmas to me means hearing Jose Mari Chan in every Filipino household," Oabel said, describing the cultural markers now absent from her current environment where Christmas celebrations are less prominent.
Despite the challenges, Oabel plans to honor the season through faith and familiar practices. She intends to attend Mass, prepare noche buena with familiar dishes, sing karaoke, and give herself a small gift on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day will be spent at work, though she hopes a quiet dinner will help mark the sacred day.
Learning to Navigate Solitude
For Micah Inion, also 25 and based in Quezon City, spending Christmas alone has become a familiar reality since beginning independent living.
"Malungkot, of course," she said of her first solo Christmas. Over time, the sadness persisted but became expected. "Nasasanay na," she explained, "but do I have a choice? Wala din, but to gather myself."
Her coping strategies have evolved through trial and experience. Some years brought sleep as escape, others involved solo outings hoping to transform the day's meaning. The underlying sadness remained constant.
"The hardest part is still the loneliness," Inion shared honestly. "Ang hirap talaga labanan." When emotions become overwhelming, she allows herself to feel them fully. "Iyak talaga," she said, then moves forward.
Understanding Beyond Appearances
Inion emphasizes that spending Christmas alone carries emotional weight that others might not recognize. "They might think it's easy," she said, "pero emotionally, mahirap talaga labanan."
This year, she plans to host Christmas in her condominium, celebrating with chosen companions rather than facing the day in solitude.
Her Christmas wishes remain grounded: financial stability, emotional and mental strength, and deeper friendships.
Two Perspectives, Shared Resilience
Oabel and Inion represent different stages of the same journey. One faces Christmas alone for the first time while pursuing overseas opportunities. The other has learned to navigate solo celebrations while building independent life in Metro Manila.
Neither experience is dramatic, yet both reflect genuine struggles many Filipinos face during a season traditionally centered on family gathering.
Finding Christmas in Small Moments
For those spending Christmas alone this year, the season may lack its usual noise, photographs, and familiar traditions. Yet Christmas has never required crowded rooms to manifest its true meaning.
Sometimes Christmas appears in modest choices: preparing a beloved dish, attending Mass faithfully, lighting a candle in prayer, calling family back home, or simply moving through the day with intentional care and grace.
If this Christmas finds you alone, let it suffice to say you showed up. The days will continue forward, distances will shift, and this season's circumstances need not define all future celebrations.
In the spirit of Filipino pakikipagkapwa and our enduring faith, we remember that even in solitude, we remain connected to something greater than ourselves.