Monday, February 20, 2006
Open letter to SAnta
Dear Santa,
I know that your first reaction to this letter would be that of surprise, if not outright annoyance. I mean, really, why would a 20-year old unschooledlass like me write a letter addressed to Mr. Ho-Ho-Ho himself? To ask for toys and candies? You are probably thinking that something is wrong with me. I can almost hear you say “Ho-ho-ho, I only work for kids, young lady.” I must admit though that I am also clueless as to why I am writing this letter to you. This might be a symptom of a repressed childhood, unconsciously fashioned during my formative years when I was probably the only kid in our neighborhood who did not believe in you. Yes Mr. Santa, meeting you and receiving something from you were never my fancy as a child. I was not one of those who would hang stockings on Christmas eve, desperately hoping to find toys and other goodies inside it the morning after. To be honest, I even thought that you were scary, especially with all that hair in your face. But hey, that is not the issue right now. I am writing you this letter, and that is what matters, right? Santa, it is an open secret that you are considered all over the world as an icon of generosity. Everyone knows that (except the Scrooges out there). However, I can’t help but think that your generosity depends on a people’s race and color. I mean, your kindness is felt only in countries that have a “white Christmas.” It seems that you never bothered to visit our humble country. But even if it is true that you have never had an opportunity to fly over our polluted skies, I would still understand you. There are simply many obstacles that would hinder you from carrying out your noble deeds here in the Philippines. I mean, you could not squeeze and slither down chimneys simply because we don’t have those here in our Third World tropical country. And you could not and could never enter through our doors, for they are double-locked and padlocked, not to mention a discreet alarm system waiting to go berserk the moment an unauthorized entry is made. Please understand that here in the Philippines, security is something that we put a premium on. If you have robbers and akyat bahays who are smarter and faster than our local police who only have their bulging bellies as their common denominator, then definitely, you could not blame us. Moreover, generosity is a trait that is not really appreciated here in the Philippines. Try handing out all those stuff in public and you will surely find your picture in one of our “reliable” tabloids on the following day, and suddenly, everybody suspects that you are planning to run for mayor or congressman or whatnot. See? Also, even if you are able to carry out your deeds here in our country, nobody would care, believe me. Your kindness would simply be a passing moment that would soon be forgotten. We Filipinos easily forget. Well, I know that that is none of your concern, but Santa, please understand that here in the Philippines, those who are rich in words, even if they are poorer in action, merit the confidence and approval of the people. You don’t have to look far, just look at our politicians and you’ll know what I am talking about. And that is where you are impressive Santa. If my memory serves me right, aside from your three-syllable laugh, the only words that emanate from your mouth are “Merry Christmas.” You are really not fond of words, I can sense that, and yet, you are able to accomplish your task year in and year out with great efficiency. I mean, was there ever a Christmas when you failed to make a delivery? I could not think of one. Forgive me Santa but sometimes, I could not help but think that you are the person this country is looking for because you are a guru in the art of walking the talk. You have mastered the practice of yakking less but producing more. Yes, we badly need someone like you here. Now why am I really writing this letter? As I’ve said, I do not know. Some would say that it is improper for me to write you this letter because I am too old for gifts. However Santa, I beg to disagree. That will have to be qualified. I am old for “fun” gifts such as toys and the like, but I am never too old for practical gifts like…uhm…a Ford Expedition?
we told
the story ...
20.2.06
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