Celebrating Christmas as a Filipino Family in America

Christmas is an extraordinary time of the year, but for a Filipino family in America, the holiday season comes with its unique blend of traditions, nostalgia, and creative adjustments. Let’s take a walk through our merry, chaotic, and heartwarming Christmas experience, one that’s deeply rooted in Filipino culture but sprinkled with a dash of American flair.

1. Simbang Gabi: The Pre-Christmas Workout

If you grew up Filipino, you know Simbang Gabi is non-negotiable. For the uninitiated, it’s a nine-day series of dawn masses leading up to Christmas. As kids, my siblings and I would drag ourselves out of bed at 4:30 a.m., groaning about how no one else in the neighborhood had to do this. Fast forward to today, living in America, our family still honors the tradition but with a compromise—streamed masses online with coffee brewed in our trusty Keurig. Thank you, modern tech and caffeine!

2. The Hunt for Filipino Ingredients

Making traditional Filipino dishes in the U.S. is like going on a treasure hunt. My mom’s Christmas menu isn’t complete without lechon, pancit, and bibingka. But where do you even find banana leaves in Ohio? Enter Asian supermarkets and online specialty stores like FilStop. One year, I even resorted to Amazon for calamansi concentrate. It’s funny how what once felt mundane back home now feels like discovering a pot of gold.

3. Decorating the “Filipino Way”

Forget minimalist aesthetics; our house is decked out in parols (star lanterns), capiz ornaments, and a nativity scene that’s older than me. We’ve also added some inflatable lawn Santas to appease our American neighbors. My husband insists on hanging Christmas lights by hand, even though our neighbors keep recommending professional services. One year, he almost fell off the ladder, but the lights turned out crookedly festive, just the way we like it.

4. Noche Buena: Midnight Feasting Madness

Noche Buena is essentially a midnight buffet that’s half-food, half-family therapy session. We’ll have ham, queso de bola, lumpia, and a mountain of ube desserts. I’m still in charge of dessert—thank you, Instant Pot, for making leche flan easier to whip up! It’s the one night my keto cousin and vegan uncle conveniently forget their diets.

5. Karaoke Marathons

No Filipino celebration is complete without karaoke. Our trusty Magic Sing microphone has seen better days, but it still belts out Whitney Houston like a champ. Everyone takes turns, from my little nephew singing “Baby Shark” to my mom’s epic renditions of Sharon Cuneta hits. Let’s just say “Silent Night” isn’t so silent in our house.

6. Filipino-American Gift Giving

Filipino families take gift-giving to a whole new level. Balikbayan boxes filled with goodies from relatives back home arrive just in time. Meanwhile, we do our shopping marathon at Target and Walmart, hunting for deals on everything from air fryers to Tupperware. My mom has a spreadsheet of who’s getting what; if you think Santa’s list is impressive, you haven’t met her.

7. Incorporating American Traditions

Living in America means embracing new traditions like decorating gingerbread houses and ugly sweater contests. We’ve added Secret Santa to our gift-giving, but in true Filipino fashion, it always ends with everyone just giving gifts to everyone else anyway. Plus, the kids love leaving cookies for Santa, even if tita sneaks a few before bedtime.

8. Virtual Family Reunions

One thing that hasn’t changed is how big family gatherings are. With relatives spread across the globe, Zoom reunions have become the new norm. We’ll raise our glasses of sparkling cider and do virtual karaoke. Sometimes the internet lags, but it’s all part of the fun. The family jokes still hit, even when they’re delivered with a five-second delay.

9. The Aftermath

By December 26, the house looks like a Christmas tornado hit it. Wrapping paper everywhere, leftovers stacked in Pyrex containers, and parols still blinking. Clean-up is a family affair; we’ll crank up some OPM (Original Pilipino Music) and tackle the mess together. It’s exhausting but somehow satisfying, knowing we pulled off another memorable Christmas.

10. The Spirit of Togetherness

At its core, celebrating Christmas as a Filipino family in America isn’t about perfect decorations or extravagant gifts. It’s about togetherness—sharing meals, laughing over karaoke, and keeping traditions alive while making new ones. It’s the joyful chaos of blending two cultures that makes our holidays truly special. And as my mom always says, “Kahit saan tayo mapunta, basta magkasama, masaya ang Pasko.” (Wherever we are, as long as we’re together, Christmas will be joyful.)