Christmas may still be months away, but I was intentionally scrolling through my old Facebook posts, looking for memories of my crochet. That’s when I came across an old post of Ningning dated December 12, 2016. Her caption read:
“Ngayon lang ulit kami naglagay ng Christmas decor sa bahay. Last year kasi, we decided not to put any decors since it’s Dad’s first death anniv. So there. For this year’s Christmas, mom crocheted Christmas decors for the tree. So tadaaaa! 😁 #prouddaughter #PaskongMonsies
Immediately following Rey's passing, we didn't just skip the decorations—we didn't celebrate Christmas at home.
But months before Christmas 2016 arrived, my children and I made a decision: we would not run away from home this year. Although I was hesitant to agree at first, deep inside, I felt happy. Our home would finally have “lights” on Christmas Day after two year of darkness.
The First Belén (2016)
To create our handmade Christmas decorations, I gathered left-over yarns from my simple crochet experiments. As I worked, I thought of crocheting a complete Belén (Nativity scene). I immediately ordered the specific yarns I needed. Just days before Christmas, everything came together, and the tiny Belén was complete.
I had almost forgotten about this first little Nativity set. Until I found an old photo that served as a gentle reminder: yes, it was right there during that Christmas of 2016, sitting quietly in the home where we had finally decided to turn the lights back on.
A few weeks later, on January 9, 2017, I documented the end of that season on Facebook:
“Starting to remove Christmas decors… And my crocheted Nativity will go to my apo, Ia.”
Growing One Inch at a Time (2017)
When December 2017 rolled around, I decided to make a brand-new Belen. Only this time, I wanted to introduce a few upgrades. I proudly posted the project on Facebook on December 8, 2017, writing:
“I decided to make another one for this year. Last year, the height of my characters was 2-2.5 inches. Ngayon, 6-6.5 inches na! Hindi ko na kinayang gumawa ng malaking crocheted “stable” to be converted into a bag for keeping the pieces like I did last year! Kaya... gumawa na lang ako gamit ang carton, manila paper, glue gun, paint brush at acrylic paint. NATAPOS DIN!!! Dyaran! My 2017 Nativity scene! Nadagdagan sila. I added a young boy, a young girl and 2 sheeps.
*Apologies to those who were ordering crocheted Nativity Scene since last year. Ningning was encouraging me pero di po talaga kaya ng powers maisingit.”
—Momlen
