MANILA, Philippines—Unlike the long holiday season in the Philippines, Christmas in Singapore is a one-day affair, said Katrina Mateo, who has been working in the city-state since 2007.
The holiday decor on Orchard Road, the city-state’s most popular retail and entertainment hub, is elaborate “but since the majority of Singapore inhabitants are Muslims and Buddhists, Christmas here is a subdued holiday, said the 29-year-old from San Pablo, Laguna, who lives abroad with her husband Reden.
“So subdued that the first year we lived in Singapore we decided to spend Christmas back home because we felt we could not take the loneliness,” Kat says, laughing.
Kat, who worked as a copywriter in a Makati-based media company for three years, decided to leave her job in early 2007 to follow Reden, a former officemate who had been offered a technical writing job in Singapore.
Simple affair in Singapore
Come Christmas of 2008, Kat and husband Reden were able to adjust well to Singaporean life that they decided to spend the holidays in the city-state.
“Of course we still missed the festive Filipino Christmas and our loved ones, but we did not have to deal with the usual holiday stress back home,” Kat says with a laugh.
One benefit: They did not have to spend a lot on holiday-related expenses and did not have to worry about staggering credit card bills come January.
Kat recalls only having to prepare Christmas dinner on the 24th and eating it with Reden and their Filipino housemates. On the 26th, it was back to work for them.
“Christmas is a one-day affair in Singapore, and we had to get used to that. We are far from our families and loved ones anyway, so it was not something to make a big deal out of,” Kat says.
The next year, Kat’s parents decided to spend Christmas with them. Kat’s father Joe and mother Mayen Zuño booked tickets to Singapore as early as mid-2009.
Kat did not know then that her beloved mother was already suffering from cancer. In October 2009, Kat resigned from work and went home after learning that her usually vibrant mom was very sick and had to undergo chemotherapy sessions. Her mom died a month later.
Kat went back to Singapore in December 2009. Her dad and three siblings—sister Lia, brothers Miko and Paolo—arrived later to spend Christmas with her and Reden.
“It was sad because Mommy was not there with us, but we did okay,” Kat says, adding that her dad and siblings had to “squeeze themselves” in the apartment they shared with five other Filipinos.
While 2009 ended on a sad note for Kat and her family, the following year brought good tidings in the form of a most-awaited development.
“After two years of patiently waiting, I am finally pregnant with a son,” Kat, who is due to give birth in March, happily reveals.
Christmas was a simple lunch this year. “But now, of course, we have the best Christmas gift ever,” she says with a smile.
Kat notes that the three Christmases she spent in Singapore have taught her a very important lesson: “Here, you have to concoct your own festivities and make your own Christmas celebrations as happy as possible, because unlike in the Philippines, your foreign home won’t be able to do that for you.”
100 relatives in the US
On the other side of the world, the Retardo sisters tell a different Yuletide story.
Instead of having to go all the way home to the Philippines to spend the holidays with their loved ones or enduring the loneliness of spending it alone in a foreign land like most migrant Filipinos, the Retardos of Huntington Beach, California get to celebrate Christmas “Pinoy-style.”
“We are one huge happy family here,” Karen Retardo, a 37-year-old nurse, says.
Her younger sister Kaye, a professor at the California State University Long Beach (CSULB), explains that they have over 100 first degree and immediate relatives in the United States, and “another 200 second-, third-, and fourth-degree relatives.”
“We have fun Christmas celebrations here with our family, eight to 12 families come together on Christmas Eve for Noche Buena at an aunt or uncle’s house. Each family brings one to two dishes,” Kaye, 33, who also consults for hospitals, says.
Kim, another Retardo sister, describes Christmas as “a big event for the big family we have.”
The Retardos’ mom Edy Antonio-Retardo has all seven of her siblings in the US, who attend the clan Christmas party with their own families. Kim adds that their other aunts and uncles—cousins of their mom—also attend the special event, making the guest list even longer.
“I consider myself blessed that the majority of our family and relatives are here,” Karen says.
Aside from Christmas, the Retardos get together with their relatives on New Year, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, birthdays, weddings, and the newly created “annual Antonio Clan sports fest.”
Next year will be more special for the Retardo sisters as their younger and only brother, Kristoffer, will be joining them in the US after graduation.
“After my dad passed away, it has been my family’s ultimate dream to be together. And now it is going to be a dream come true,” Kim says.
Kat, who worked as a copywriter in a Makati-based media company for three years, decided to leave her job in early 2007 to follow Reden, a former officemate who had been offered a technical writing job in Singapore.
Simple affair in Singapore
Come Christmas of 2008, Kat and husband Reden were able to adjust well to Singaporean life that they decided to spend the holidays in the city-state.
“Of course we still missed the festive Filipino Christmas and our loved ones, but we did not have to deal with the usual holiday stress back home,” Kat says with a laugh.
One benefit: They did not have to spend a lot on holiday-related expenses and did not have to worry about staggering credit card bills come January.
Kat recalls only having to prepare Christmas dinner on the 24th and eating it with Reden and their Filipino housemates. On the 26th, it was back to work for them.
“Christmas is a one-day affair in Singapore, and we had to get used to that. We are far from our families and loved ones anyway, so it was not something to make a big deal out of,” Kat says.
The next year, Kat’s parents decided to spend Christmas with them. Kat’s father Joe and mother Mayen Zuño booked tickets to Singapore as early as mid-2009.
Kat did not know then that her beloved mother was already suffering from cancer. In October 2009, Kat resigned from work and went home after learning that her usually vibrant mom was very sick and had to undergo chemotherapy sessions. Her mom died a month later.
Kat went back to Singapore in December 2009. Her dad and three siblings—sister Lia, brothers Miko and Paolo—arrived later to spend Christmas with her and Reden.
“It was sad because Mommy was not there with us, but we did okay,” Kat says, adding that her dad and siblings had to “squeeze themselves” in the apartment they shared with five other Filipinos.
While 2009 ended on a sad note for Kat and her family, the following year brought good tidings in the form of a most-awaited development.
“After two years of patiently waiting, I am finally pregnant with a son,” Kat, who is due to give birth in March, happily reveals.
Christmas was a simple lunch this year. “But now, of course, we have the best Christmas gift ever,” she says with a smile.
Kat notes that the three Christmases she spent in Singapore have taught her a very important lesson: “Here, you have to concoct your own festivities and make your own Christmas celebrations as happy as possible, because unlike in the Philippines, your foreign home won’t be able to do that for you.”
100 relatives in the US
On the other side of the world, the Retardo sisters tell a different Yuletide story.
Instead of having to go all the way home to the Philippines to spend the holidays with their loved ones or enduring the loneliness of spending it alone in a foreign land like most migrant Filipinos, the Retardos of Huntington Beach, California get to celebrate Christmas “Pinoy-style.”
“We are one huge happy family here,” Karen Retardo, a 37-year-old nurse, says.
Her younger sister Kaye, a professor at the California State University Long Beach (CSULB), explains that they have over 100 first degree and immediate relatives in the United States, and “another 200 second-, third-, and fourth-degree relatives.”
“We have fun Christmas celebrations here with our family, eight to 12 families come together on Christmas Eve for Noche Buena at an aunt or uncle’s house. Each family brings one to two dishes,” Kaye, 33, who also consults for hospitals, says.
Kim, another Retardo sister, describes Christmas as “a big event for the big family we have.”
The Retardos’ mom Edy Antonio-Retardo has all seven of her siblings in the US, who attend the clan Christmas party with their own families. Kim adds that their other aunts and uncles—cousins of their mom—also attend the special event, making the guest list even longer.
“I consider myself blessed that the majority of our family and relatives are here,” Karen says.
Aside from Christmas, the Retardos get together with their relatives on New Year, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, birthdays, weddings, and the newly created “annual Antonio Clan sports fest.”
Next year will be more special for the Retardo sisters as their younger and only brother, Kristoffer, will be joining them in the US after graduation.
“After my dad passed away, it has been my family’s ultimate dream to be together. And now it is going to be a dream come true,” Kim says.
