Bohemian revelry

Netnet Camomot . 

THE easiest Christmas attire is the one with no rules. After all, one’s presence is more important than the attire.

Hollywood award shows, however, have attire requirements since the first question that may be asked at the red carpet is, Who are you wearing?

For this Christmas, the favorite attire seems to be Bohemian. I’ve seen at least five parties via Facebook with that look bringing us back to the ’60s and ’70s but I gotta feeling the inspiration behind this holiday season’s Bohemian theme is the movie, “Bohemian Rhapsody”—it’s not the movie’s attire; it’s the title.

A Christmas party is not a Hollywood award show but the attire still adds fun to the occasion as you wonder what your family and friends could come up with for the theme. And then, you can tease then with, Hala ka, dili man na Bohemian, hippie man na! Hmmm. Is there a diff?

Party planners are obviously tired of the usual—red, green, gold—and have learned to think outside the box with Bohemian, Gatsby, superheroes, Christmas sweaters or hats, etc. which may evoke a feeling of gratitude for being a hoarder, er, collector of clothes and accessories. Kind of a eureka moment: Now I know why I’ve kept this bracelet since the ’70s.

There’s this particular set of uniforms and costumes, though, that I’ve given away as part of my spring cleaning and moving forward.

I had not written about spring cleaning lately but it has indeed continued in this corner of the barangay.

If Christmas and Holy Week are the seasons for muni-muni—and money-money for others, for the gifts and vacations—they’re also the ideal days to get rid of the old in order to have room for the new.

Surely, you’ll be receiving gifts—where to put them now?

That’s probably why a small functional house is advisable, so, you’ll have room only for the essentials.

A guest room, den or study may end up as a storage room if a house owner is not careful in accumulating things. Or how about a whole house as storage area. Tsk tsk. It’s definitely the right time to simplify.

I have several books on simplifying. I read them, and then, stored them inside the cabinet filled with unread books.

The more we buy non-essentials, the more we’re not simplifying. It’s a rollercoaster ride, a vicious cycle of buying and storing things. That’s why each of our high school berks has a wish list posted on our chat group, our way of adhering to, Your wish is my command.

If there’s one gift that seldom ends up stored for years, it’s food. Two words: expiration date. The giftee has to eat that whether he likes it or not.

If you’re planning to give me food—Hint! Hint!—please delete ampalaya from the list. List—meaning, there’s more than one food item.

Christmas is the excuse to eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you’ll eat, drink and be merry again. Careful with alcohol, though, since even a small drop is now considered as harmful to your body. Darn. Goodbye, Jose Cuervo. Goodbye, Patron.

At least you can still have the pulutan—lechon, prechon, paksiw. Yum!

During our visit to Carcar last month, we bought ampao that were cut into cubes. Once we were back here in Cagayan de Oro, my sis tried to describe it as putol-putol to her friend who then replied, Oh, bite-size. Hugyaw mi’g katawa—why did we not think of that as its most fitting description?

Bite-sized ampao eases the pain of trying to eat the crunchy Carcar ampao which, much like the Carcar chicharon, has the potential to crack a tooth. All those visits to the dentist—ouch!

Bite-size is also the key to savoring the pulutan, one bite at a time.

If only Pinoy congressmen could also learn to savor small bites of what’s now suspected to be a pork barrel in the making. Billions of pesos are definitely not bite-sized.

That’s the congressman’s Christmas gift to himself, er, to his district—a multi-billion peso budget for…para sa unsa gani to? Let’s calculate the ways. Hmmm. Esep-esep. Election 2019 equals pork barrel minus the lechon donated to anyone who dares to solicit.

And it’s now the best time to solicit from political candidates. Expect the Christmas loot bag to have red wine, ham and queso de bola.