Masks off only for a few seconds for this shot: From left, the author, Grace Sabas Raquino, Aleli Raymundo-Belonia, Malen Claravall, Cynthia Habaluyas-Moraza, Celeste Molina, Sonia Zuniga, Webbie Falcon Gozo
How do you stage a mini-class reunion/Christmas celebration in a pandemic-cursed 2020, not Zoom, not virtual call, but a physical reunion?
With grit, military-like efficiency and precision, a senior’s youthful ingenuity—and a kid’s appetite.
I was just a guest and had no hand in the minute preparations; it was my Theresian ex-classmates who pulled the stunt. Southern Belles is the very small chat group of our St. Theresa’s College class who all live in the south.
Cooped up at home, they wanted to push through with our annual Christmas meet-up—but without COVID paranoia. So months before, these do-ers, as we were programmed to be in school, got to work. Please feel free to adopt these logistical and creative procedures for your holiday get-togethers.
First, they pinned down the attendance to eight or nine, so we could keep the healthy distance—while still bond (e.g. gossip transmission). And that number is just about the size of our chat group.
Second, they chose the ideal venue—big, open-air guest pavilion in the home of our class member, with mini kitchen counter and beautiful garden. Two from the class—the one in charge of the food and the one of the seating—did an ocular way before the reunion date.
A week or two before the date, our host, Cynthia Habaluyas Moraza, submitted all our names to her barangay, our vehicle plate numbers, our drivers’ names, and got the necessary clearances.
Third, the menu and food presentation must require the least social contact. This was where my classmates’ thoroughness and painstaking eye for details came in. “OC” would be an understatement.
It helped that one of us, Sonia Zuniga, is a consummate cook and homemaker, and her daughter Yna has her own brand of artisan cookies and ice cream (Petite Dessert Studio in IG).
On the T-shaped table, before each chair, were laid out the foil-wrapped boxes that contained the rice, the salad, dessert, condiments, bottled tea, the paper cups for water and coffee. Each seat also had a Tupperware box where we could put our dishes, pre-wrapped wood utensils (with paper napkin, toothpick), a small bottle of alcohol, and a health kit of hand tissue paper, wipes, take-out bag.
Such military-like precision would have made the dinner seem so clinical, except that it was not. It was simply yummy, starting with the Roasted Sesame Salad. It was followed by A4 Wagyu Teppanyaki, which Sonia and Yna prepared right at the kitchen counter, and Grilled Salmon Belly. Some asked for additional servings because the main courses went irresistibly well with the Yakimeshi Rice, the best fried rice I’ve tasted in a while. Yna also prepared a luscious Sugar-free Chocolate Cake.
Catching-up stories filled that evening of December 7, capped by a video preview of the dance clip of the Glamorous Swans, the class members who took ballet exercises under our class ballerina and ballet teacher Malen Claravall. There’s nothing like chatting without feeling paranoid (we kept our masks on when not eating)—in these times that’s a real blessing.
That mini-class reunion proved that you could get into the Christmas spirit—a mindful holiday spirit, meaning you’re aware of and accept current realities while keeping the faith in your heart.
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