My Christmas project na inabutan ng New Year

It started with a noble intention. I was thinking na ang dami kong gifts mare-receive this Christmas but what about our Lord Jesus who is the sole reason for Christmas in the first place? Ano ang matatanggap nya? I figured that this will be my birthday gift for our Savior and also my way of saying thank you to God for an amazing year. Ngayong year nya tinupad ang mga wishes ko the past years na naka-backlog. :D

My Christmas project was also inspired by the feeding program initiated by one of my favorite bloggers, Marketman. But I cannot afford to feed an entire class for several weeks, so I decided to scale it down.

The idea was simple. I was going to buy some groceries, divide them into a dozen goodie bags and give them away to homeless people on the streets. The execution turned out to more complicated than I bargained for. First of all, the number 12. I thought that I would be able to handle 12 bags of goodies for distribution. After I divided everything into 12 plastic goodie bags, hindi kasya sa isang malaking paper bag. Hindi rin kasya sa dalawa. It took three paper bags to fit all my goodie bags. I was going to look like a Christmas tree with all my sabits. And not to mention, mabigat pala sya sila. Hindi kaya ng powers ko. At least ng pangmatagalan.

somethings to make someone's Christmas merry

Each goodie bag contained a pair of brand new slippers, a juice pack, cookies, crackers, cupcakes, a tshirt and shorts (old stuff of mine). Something that a person can use right away. And thanks to my savvy (ahem) bargain hunting skills, everything I bought just cost me a mere Php477.40. Just Php477.40 and I would be able to make a dozen people's day just a little bit brighter. That was the plan. And you know what they say about the best-laid plans......

I thought that I would need to make two trips to distribute the goodies. And then I began to think of where I was going to give them. I was beginning to realize that I never really thought out my plan. :D For my first distribution, I was thinking of going to Colon.

The first hint that all would not be well was this sign that I saw in the jeepney I was riding. "STOP MENDICANCY (Ang paghatag maayo, pero sa kadalanan dili husto)" I felt that I was about to commit a crime. Basin madakpan ko ug CITOM while giving away my goodies. Unsaon na lang. But I did not want to go home with the heavy bag I was carrying. I got this far, and betchabygollywow, humanon nako kung unsa akong gisugdan.

Sa jeepney pa lang, I was already on the lookout for some homeless people to give my stuff to. Well, waddaya know, I could not find any! As in! No kidding. I was wondering if they were hauled off somewhere already having a very merry Christmas. Or baka naman lahat nabigyan na ng bahay ng GK? Why am I always the last to know?

My stubborn fighting spirit just won't let me give up now. Di lagi ko muuli nga dala pa to sila. I got off the jeepney and resolved to roam around Colon and find me some street people. I saw my first recipient under a streetlamp singing for his supper. He was a blind old man and I hope that he was happy with what I gave him. His reaction when I gave him the bag was, "Unsa man ni?" I just said merry Christmas and walked away not waiting around for his thanks.

I don't know if my head is just not screwed on right but I kind of felt embarrassed to be handing out these stuff in public. Feeling nako naghilas-hilas ko with what I was doing. I don't know what's wrong with me.

The rest of the time was a hide and seek game. The people I was going to give stuff to being hard to find. I walked the stretch from Metro Gaisano Colon up until Basilica Sto. Nino and then back again to Colon and then to the Colonnade area. There were some kids hauling garbage that I wanted to give stuff to but they were running and I did not want to run after them like some demented Santa in shorts and flipflops. All in all, it took me 45 minutes to give away five goodie bags. Yep, just five because that was all that could fit in the paper bag that I brought.

Oh boy, with the first day going the way it did, I could not imagine how my second distribution is going to be. Maybe that was why it took me so long to do part two. After New Year pa gyud.

I once again rode a jeepney, this time with two paper bags. Traffic was at a standstill and the jeepney stopped right in front of this billboard. I was staring off into space (read: nakatunganga) when my eyes started to focus on what was written on the billboard. You guessed it right. All together now. "STOP MENDICANCY!" Anu vah! Nagui-guilty na naman ako. Ang hirap naman magpakabait. Or baka di lang ako sanay. :D

The second time took as long as the first. But I finally gave the last goodie bag to an old man in front of San Carlos Main. I again did not wait to hear thanks and almost ran away. Nauwaw na sad ko. Angay na siguro pukpukon ako ulo.

Inspite of all the hardships and the "crime" I've committed (ordinance man gud ang STOP MENDICANCY) , I felt really happy that I was able to do this for God. It gave me that warm feeling inside that you get when know you've helped someone. It makes me smile to know na somehow I was able to lift someone's spirits for a day.

Pero I swear I am not going to do this again. Itaga mo yan sa bato and ipukpuk mo sa ulo ko if I forget. Ang hirap. I am just going to think of a different gift for Jesus next time. Yung mas bongga. :D