I love Christmas. Believe me, I do. It's by far my favorite holiday. And it's such a pity that right after that warm Christmas feeling rolls off the absolute worst season comes and jumps in your face - the sick commercial gimmicry that is otherwise known to the dreamy-eyed masses as Valentine's Day. But I digress. My first 17 Christmases were spent at home, with my family, just like any other Christmas. On my 18th Christmas I was with my grandmother and my aunt and her family in New Jersey. And last Christmas I was on a plane back to Manila. This year it's worse. I will be here. In Germany. In IUB, I mean Jacobs University Bremen (as of Spring 2007). Today I was cutting out paper snowflakes and rummaging for Christmas decorations from all the crap in my basement locker. And not to mention, listening to Christmas songs that made me want to cry (or puke, depending on which song of course). So basically it's my first Christmas away from anything that can be remotely called home.

Of course IUB is home in plenty of ways already. I've been living here for more than two years. I have met so many interesting people, made amazing friendships, and learned more than one thing about living my life. But it's not home. It can never be. It's a worldly place. No one is particularly in that Christmas mood. You can't feel that Christmas is in the air (hmm, but I guess you can blame finals week for that). Which reminds me, I actually still have another final on Tuesday. That leaves me only five days to get into the proper Christmas spirit. How I wish I were home.