By Julienne G. Tan

For many Tamaraws, the holiday season has become less about celebration and more about balancing budgets for the Christmas festivities. Rising costs have turned yearly traditions into careful negotiations within families, leaving students and families alike to navigate the pressure of celebrating Christmas amid economic realities.

When the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) declared that a ‘complete’ holiday meal for a family of four could be prepared for ₱500—a figure later defended by Malacañang—many Filipino families found the estimate deeply out of touch with the real cost of food and basic necessities. 

The announcement sparked widespread criticism online, with celebrities also expressing concern and curiosity about what grocery items could be purchased for a ₱500-worth Noche Buena, highlighting frustration over policies that fail to reflect the financial realities faced by households.

Amid the price hikes and stagnant wages, one question lingers: which Christmas traditions do Filipino families and Tamaraws choose to keep—and which do they let go?

‘Tis the season to be costly

What used to be a table filled with hamonado, creamy fruit salad, and a proudly displayed queso de bola has become a negotiation of what to keep and what to sacrifice. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Maria Kathlina Noble, a working mother of two, shared how she had to cut down on both groceries and gifts.

“Nabawasan ang pagbili ng mga groceries at regalo dahil sa crisis sa budget. Pero ang importante, may pagsasaluhan kahit simple lang (Grocery and gift purchases have decreased due to budget constraints. But what matters is sharing a meal together, even if they’re simple),” she explained.

Across borders, the impact of these financial strains remains difficult. Jasmine Engay, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in China, described the frustration of hearing that ₱500 is enough for a ‘complete’ Noche Buena. 

“Ang ₱500 sa Pilipinas ay pang-isang ordinary meal lang ng pamilya… Minsan, gusto mo lang umuwi kasi pagod ka na… gusto mo lang ng pahinga (Five-hundred pesos in the Philippines only covers an ordinary family meal… Sometimes, you just want to go home because you’re tired… you just want to rest),” the OFW expressed.

Beyond personal fatigue, Engay highlighted the structural pressures OFWs face. Remittances are expected to cover not just daily living expenses but also family celebrations, tuition, bills, and emergencies, as insufficient policies, inflation, rising prices, and currency fluctuations further amplify the stress. 

When celebration becomes compromise

For many, the holiday season is less about spending and more about making small, meaningful choices. At Far Eastern University (FEU), students adjust their day-to-day lives just to get through the season, revealing how economic pressures are shaping even the most personal aspects of celebration.

Rising prices have pushed some to skip meals, walk short distances instead of commuting, and cut back on expenses altogether—a pattern that risks being treated as normal or acceptable behaviors, even though these are harmful coping strategies imposed by economic pressure rather than choice.

Kazzandrah Cabig, a second-year Nursing student, admitted to facing these difficulties, sharing how she copes and helps her family get by.

“I avoid buying milk tea or fast food after class. Minsan, nagbaon na lang para makatulong sa budget ng pamilya (Sometimes, I just bring my own food to help with the family’s budget),” she shared.

Cabig’s experience echoes what many parents face. Parents like Noble struggle to recreate Christmas traditions such as gift-giving amid tight budgets.

“Siyempre, kahit gusto mo bumili ng regalo, mahirap gawin ngayon (Of course, even if you want to buy gifts, it is difficult to do so nowadays),” she noted.

Despite this, she also shared what helps her through the holiday rush, despite all of the stress that comes before it.

“Ang saya pa rin basta sabay-sabay kumain ng Noche Buena at salubungin ang Pasko [It is still happy to eat Noche Buena and greet Christmas together],” the mother added. 

Even amid rising costs, families continue these traditions not because circumstances allow it, but because the responsibility of preserving the season has been pushed onto them. Attending Simbang Gabi, sharing a modest Noche Buena, or maintaining ties across time zones now demand extra effort to sustain in the absence of financial security.

These small traditions offer continuity, but they also expose how much of the burden has shifted onto households. As costs rise and incomes stall, families are left to absorb the gap by scaling back, compromising, and recalibrating expectations on their own. This reflects a system that treats adaptation as a substitute for support.

Holding the season together 

This year, Christmas paints a sobering portrait: a nation forced to reshape its most cherished tradition just to stay afloat for the rest of the year. 

The debate around the claimed ₱500 Noche Buena went beyond online outrage, it underscored how policymakers are disconnected with the real cost of food and daily living in Filipino households.

It exposed a bigger truth that many have come to face: families should not have to perform miracles, stretch budgets to a breaking point, or choose between dinner and dignity just to honor a holiday meant to bring light into the year’s darkest days.

This goes beyond individual belt-tightening or the usual ‘tiis-tiis na lang.’ It calls on institutions—from the DTI to other national agencies providing temporary relief—to address the real consequences of short-term solutions and disconnected policies.

When officials claim that ₱500 is enough for a traditional Christmas meal or release price guides without addressing stagnant wages, limited jobs, or weak consumer protection, the burden falls not on those in power, but on students skipping meals, parents juggling bills, and OFWs whose remittances stretch thinner by the week.

Perhaps the story of this Christmas is not only about loss, restraint, or economic strain. In this year’s celebrations, families are not simply surrendering to hardship, they are also questioning long-held assumptions about what the season must look like. When the usual traditions become unattainable, the excess once taken for tradition is stripped away, revealing what remains essential.

Ultimately, these adjustments should not be mistaken for strength or acceptance. They are responses to systemic failure, filling in where economic support and policy fall short. When celebration requires sacrifice of this scale, it signals a deeper problem, one where rest, dignity, and tradition become conditional on personal compromise.

When the holidays will eventually pass, the question remains beyond December: how long can families be expected to absorb these pressures, and at what cost? Until the burden shifts away from households, Christmas will continue to reflect not renewal or rebirth, but the weight of everyday survival.

(Illustration by Chynna Mae Santos /FEU Advocate)