“Whenever I see girls and boys…” 🎶
Pagpatak palang ng September 1, you’ll definitely hear this line wherever you go. Kaya kung never heard ito sa’yo, giiiiirl ewan ko na lang! ‘Yung photos ng singer nito? Naglilipana sa socmed, mainly nakasilip sa iba’t ibang photos/posts. Lol! Yes, I’m talking about Jose Mari Chan (JMC) — the icon of the Philippine Christmas Season. Since we were all kids, kilalang-kilala na ang mga kanta niya, lalo na ang “Christmas In Our Hearts” na full of solemnity and spirit reflective of our fave season.
Pero sige, hindi lang naman JMC songs ang sikat sa atin, even ‘yung songs sa Christmas Station IDs ng one of the famous TV networks in our country ay pine-play din kahit saan. Very nostalgic. Kaya for sure, makaka-relate kayo rito!
Wake me up when September starts!
Hmmm… maybe you’re wondering kung bakit September palang Christmas songs na ang music sa radio. Pero honestly, it’s not that weird. September talaga siya nagstastart kasi we like to do countdowns. It’s like the beginning of our preparation for the very special day in December. Isa pa, ito yung unang “ber” month of the year, which is also the start of the cooler weather in our tropical country! Pero siyempre, hindi lang ito dahil sa practical reasons, maybe because we, Filipinos, love the feeling of happiness during Christmas. After all, wiith all the gatherings and various celebrations? Of course, gugustuhin talaga natin mas mapatagal ang feeling.
Kaya naman, bukod sa traditional na pag-decorate natin ng mga bahay or establishments with colorful Christmas decors, we also do it in a modern way by posting about it non-stop! At hindi mawawala diyan ang JMC postings ng netizens. Mapa-brands, influencers, or just normal people — everyone already hopped on the JMC trend. In fact, it’s been going on for YEARS since 2018. He even became the brand ambassador of a famous e-commerce company because of it!
Nakakatuwa, ‘no? Because of social media, ang dami talagang nauuso or sumisikat ulit. Who would’ve thought na JMC would be a phenomenon in the digital age at hindi lang natin siya maririnig sa TV or radio? It is indeed amusing and cute at the same time.
Will this be our ‘Forever Culture’?
Just how fun would it be if we could retain this culture forever, right? Kasi let’s be honest, siyempre nandiyan ‘yung possibility na mawala ito eventually. Lalo na dahil some Filipinos celebrate the Christmas season in a non-traditional way na. But for now, let’s enjoy this culture while it lasts. Ituloy-tuloy lang natin ang happiness with the Jose Mari Chan trend and pass it to the younger generations, so that they can also make a new culture out of it — just like us. And yes, with a hopeful heart, we wish that this culture will remain and develop even more (halata naman siguro, ‘di ba?). I-push lang natin para nasa atin pa rin ang korona na “country with the longest Christmas celebration.”
