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When Cheerless Christmas Hit the Philippines During the Second World War

People can be so delusional into thinking nothing wrong can happen on Christmas. Two years ago, some parts of Visayas were hit by Typhoon Ursula (Phanfone). Last year, there was no Christmas celebration because of the devastation brought by Odette. Yet, I guess not so many have thought that Christmas never made COVID-19 suddenly disappear. Christmas didn't stop the Second World War either. I decided to do a history review lesson. This time, it's about how cheerless Christmas hit the Philippines during the reign of Manuel Luis Quezon. It was during the time of Commonwealth America. We had the Allies and the AXIS forces. Sadly, the AXIS forces, under Japan, took over the Philippines. It was at that time when the Japanese emperor was still believed to be divine. Later on, Emperor Hirohito himself renounced his so-called divinity. Today, the Japanese monarchy is as symbolic as the British monarchy.

It's December and Christmas celebrations were prepared. Unfortunately, the Empire of Japan made its move on December 9, 1941. So much for saying nothing wrong happens in December, right? Right now, I wish I had asked more from my late grandparents about the war. Though, I guess my paternal grandmother, being in her 80s when I asked her, couldn't recall everything. What I could remember was hiding here and there. I also remembered my former high school teacher (who's in her 90s now) who mentioned the Japanese and their bayonets. One thing I discovered some time after my paternal grandmother died was that her father (whose tomb is in Surigao City) died on Christmas day in 1942. It was a cheerless Christmas in 1941. The Japanese forces were still allies with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. China was taken over by the Japanese forces. It was also recorded in history that Chiang Kai Shek (a democrat) and Mao Zedong (a Communist) once joined forces during the Second World War. 

I found this note on the Bohol Provincial Library's Facebook page. I couldn't help but think it's worse than Typhoon Ursula, Typhoon Odette, or the recent Christmas inflation (which is nowhere near as bad as Venezuela):

In the afternoon of December 24, 1941, the eve of Christmas, President Manuel L. Quezon, accompanied by his family and War Cabinet, moved to Corregidor, where the Commonwealth Government was transferred. He left Secretary Jorge B. Vargas, Justice Jose P. Laurel, and other top officials in Manila to look after the people’s welfare during the critical times.

The next day, December 25, 1941, was cheerless Christmas Day, it was indeed dreary. There was no singing of Christmas carols and no exchange of gifts. From the Japanese, the people received a macabre Christmas gift – death from exploding bombs.

On January 2, 1942, the Japanese invaders entered and occupied Manila. Many Filipinos bravely stayed out of doors and curiously watched the cavalcading troops. None of them cheered, none applauded.

No Christmas, no New Year celebrations in 1941 because of that terrible event. Yet, some people today act as if Christmas is such a magical day or must be all-festive. 

The Second World War. I read this one from IWM which talks about Christmas during the Second World War in Britain:

Six years of war brought many changes to familiar festive rituals. Christmas celebrations during the Second World War often had to be scaled down or adjusted as restrictions and shortages took their toll.

For many families, the most difficult part of a wartime Christmas would be spending the festive season apart from loved ones. Many men were fighting abroad in the armed forces or were being held as prisoners of war. Women might also be away in the services or carrying out war work. Many children spent Christmas away from home as evacuees. By the end of the war, thousands of families had suffered the death of a family member either in action or from enemy bombing raids.

Christmas luxuries were especially hard to come by at a time when even basic foods were scarce. People were forced to find substitutes for key festive ingredients. Gifts were often homemade and practical, and children’s toys were often made from recycled materials. Cards were smaller and printed on flimsy paper.

In 1941, to conserve paper, the Ministry of Supply decreed that 'no retailer shall provide any paper for the packing or wrapping of goods excepting food stuffs or articles which the shopkeeper has agreed to deliver'. This made it difficult to keep Christmas presents a surprise. 

Sure, Odette was hard to go buy especially when supply and demand scales got literally tipped by the super typhoon. Here, more property damage was done. I even heard of the statement "Mickey Mouse money" when money became useless during the Second World War. The Allied vs. AXIS wars weren't going to easily settled. No amount of Christmas wishes for it to end soon happened. Instead, the war went from September 1, 1939, up to September 2, 1945. The Philippines wasn't exempted either. I believe that similar problems that hit Britain were also in the Philippines.

Every Christmas, I think about how something bad can happen on Christmas like any other day. As I mentioned earlier, my great-grandfather (via my paternal grandmother) died on December 25 a year after cheerless Christmas. Charlie Chaplin died on Christmas Day. Recently, a public figure mentions he'll probably hate Christmas because he lost the woman he loved in December. December can also carry many painful memories. The Cheerless Christmas during the Second World War is also a grim reminder.

I find all the ideas of, "Never talk negative during Christmas!" to be rather stupid. What if there's a war that needs to be won? If I were the leader of the Philippines and it's a time of war--I'd really order the cancellation of Christmas whether the fun-loving crowd wants it or not. A state of emergency had to be declared. Quezon had to move to Corregidor. A state of emergency is a state of emergency. The Second World War was a real problem. It was only fair enough to keep Christmas away from the minds of people. Britain took measures by placing restrictions because of shortages. 

At this point, this isn't gossip but facts. Christmas day disasters are recorded in history. They're not gossip. It's gossip to say that nothing wrong happens during the Christmas season. It's a fact that something bad can happen even during the Christmas season. 

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