We just came in from watching Angeles City bring in Christmas with a bang, or more like a series of them, plus a bunch of mighty booms and a lot of pipsqueak pops.
From way up on the tower platform in my backyard, Janine, my 12 year old step daughter, asked me if we did it like this back in the States. Of course I told her no.
“Where I come from, Christmas is all about “Silent Night, Holy Night”, not “Boom Bang Pow Night.”
I suppose though that I can sort of see the rationale behind all the fireworks here on Christmas Eve—celebrating the birth of Jesus is as good a reason as any to pull out the stops and shoot off scads of heavyweight bottlerockets and Roman candles. Regardless, it’s pretty cool being above the trees and roof tops and getting a 360 degree bird’s eye view of all the celebratory action.
In fact, we didn’t know which way to look for the best displays. From that height there’s a lot of area to try to cover visually; so, Divine, Janine, Jenalyn and I scanned our own sectors and called out whenever a particularly good series of rocket propelled pyrotechnics were being set off. It’s a good system and will serve us well next week when the REAL show happens on New Year’s Eve.
Last year, I sat and stewed in my room trying to watch TV, and mostly just cursed the intrusive explosions going off all around the house for most of an hour leading up to midnight and for a good half hour and more afterwards. I admit that it’s much better being outside and feeling a part of it all. Some might say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” but I’m not exactly joining in, just observing it from 50 feet up.
It was nice, almost comes close to being a thrill, especially when some of the big boomer bottlerockets explode just a few feet away from our perch. Deliciously scary, and FUN!
4 comments:
I've certainly never experienced anything like a Filipino Christmas and New Year. The next time I do spend the holidays over there, I think I will bring a flak jacket and military helmet with me. Especially the runup to the New Year was about as close to a war zone as I've been in and one of our party suffered a gash to the hand from a falling mortar shell.
I imagine your view was quite good. I can't wait to see your post on the finished product and accompaning view!
Merry Christmas to you and your family Phil.
Phil:
Glad to see you are back to blogging. Had wondered in previous visits where you were since I did not see any updates or new entries.
Now I know.
Keep blogging and if you are a bit like me, you will find it soothing and a good balm against the many ugly but necessary concerns we always have in this life.
It is a lifeline I find worthy to dive into when sometimes the cares appear to overwhelm me.
Hey Phil!
Merry Christmas! I hope you had a great holiday.
all my best. Hope
happy that you're back to blogging.
Funny enough one of the (only) things i remember about the philippines come from christmas - the parol and the fireworks. Too bad it's not how it goes around here.
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