Christmas with Papa & Mama

... is fabulous! Let me think.... it's been 10 years since I've last spent Christmas with my parents!! I remember very well that it was back in 1994 when I went back to Sabah for a week before I scurried off again to KL on the boxing day, and boarded the plane again on 31st December to be in the great big America on the 1st January 1995!! It wasn't much of a Christmas then, Papa and Mama were rather sad that they were preparing to send another child - far, far away. That Christmas night of 1994, will always be remembered... as my parents asked me to play old hymns on the piano; hymns that are usually played during funerals of sending someone far away and to be watched over by God. It was morbid, yet there's reassurance. It was a teary Christmas, yet a sweet tradition of my parents' love for their children. It did make me feel that I will never see them again, but at the same time, I was also filled with hope that I will see them soon as well. It's a funny mix, but there's a sense of tranquility that night - a silent night, holy night.

Time flew, and 10 years have since passed us by. We're all still alive, Amen! Though all the 3 siblings are never together at one time with our parents. This Christmas, we did nothing special, but seeing each other is 'special' enough. We're happy at all times, reading the newspapers, watching TV and having dinner together... just like old times. Days ago, we celebrated Dad's 72nd birthday, and also Mom & Dad's 40th Wedding Anniversary. Both celebrations were a family thing, the only outsider is a to-be-insider - bro's girlfriend, a very much looked-upon future daughter-in-law of my parents'.

On the Christmas Eve, we were just hanging around each other, and also we had a guest... a plumber in the house! Of all days, the plumber decided to arrive on the Eve of Christmas, renovating and fixing our toilets and kitchen piping system. The toilet flush in my bedroom is finally in good working order once again, Yay!

We had a really late dinner that Eve's night, together with our unexpected dinner guest - the plumber! Interesting folks that we are, the plumber even finds it strange that he gets invited for a dinner eventhough we are paying him for his works! Well, that's us Sabahans - our hospitality cannot be found anywhere else in West Malaysia, or perhaps anywhere in the world. Everything went well, and I lapped up dinner faster than the rest, and couped myself up in the room again - a moment of silence, a silent meditation, and whispering my prayers loud enough for my ears. I did an idiosyncratic thing, like I used to when I was a small child... especially when I'm praying for others. That night, I was saying a few words to my darling, in the form of a prayer via the good Lord, hoping in telepathy (if there's any), he'll feel he's being prayed on behalf, or even hear me all the way in Greece! No joke, I really wished that. Oh well, prayers are powerful, they change lives, and they certainly did mine!

Right, hours went by in spending my quiet time, and I was playing old hymns on the stereo (not even Christmas ones!) in the background. I eventually moved on to reading my Daily Bread, and Papa came in and sat at the edge of the bed. He looked around, and was glad that he found me reading what he believed as 'proper reading' instead of my old habits of reading historical romances. I've ditched historical romances more than 10 years ago, finding more excitement in real romances.

So, back to Papa, he sat on my bed, and then I looked at him from the corner of my eyes, and saw him lie down near my feet, with his eyes closed and a serene smile pasted on his face, listening and humming to the traditional hymns being played on the stereo in my room. While Mom zipped in and out of the room busying herself with washing this and that (there's just so much to wash, I couldn't keep track with all her washing!). In the midst of my reading, I could hear Mom singing, her voice blending into hymns whenever she pops through my bedroom door. Such was the scene on Christmas eve last night. We do appear to be a funny lot... like an ex-boyfriend described my family - A traditional Chinese family with a Western religion. How apt, and I guess that's us.

We grew up on having a Christmas Eve 'special' rice congee - concoction of cubed pork shoulder, century eggs, scallops & chinese oysters, and before we have our congee, we'll pray a lengthy prayer for the year and for the future. All the 5 of us would be seated together like the story in Goldilocks and the three bears, just we have another two cubs in our family and no interfering Goldilocks, and a big prayer before we start our meal.

It's all sweet, in a way, eating together and saying a prayer together before the piping hot Christmas meal in front of us. This year, we're all missing my parents' eldest, who is also bro's and my only sister, Agnes. Agnes is the apple of my parents' eyes, while bro is their only son, and I don't know where I fit in - they've always found me a mystery. Anyway, let's not digress... Somehow, my Mom didn't want to cook the congee this Christmas, reason being, 'Agnes is not here, hence, the family is not complete'. We went along with that, in respect, and in understanding - no envy, no disappointment, no squabble.

Still, Christmas of 2004, it's a little different from the past Christmases. No turkeys made by myself this time, but I pre-ordered one from Cafe Melise for Christmas Dinner! My usual Christmas party for friends is strike off, and I suppose it's time for just the family. It's a good change, my soul has come home to a real Christmas at last :).