Give a smile to your OFW family overseas and make their holiday season a very merry Christmas.

Many Filipinos leave the country every year in search of a greener pasture. In 2019 alone, an estimated 2.2 million Filipinos worked abroad from April to September. During this period, they sent around Php 211.9 billion worth of remittances to their family.

Whatever their reason for leaving the Philippines, working in places thousands of miles away from your family is brutal. Homesickness affects new and returning OFWs. But above missing their loved ones, their desire to financially provide makes them stay.

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OFW Common Hugot Lines on Christmas

Uwi O Ipon?

For an OFW to go back home on Christmas day, he needs to spend  airplane tickets, pasalubong and pocket money. Imagine how much all of these would cost instead of putting it in a bank. Spending Christmas with the family back home is a costly project. 

SMP (Samahan ng Malalamig ang Pasko)

Single and lonely on Christmas Day, this is exactly how it feels to be away from your family overseas. You will miss the cuddles, kisses and greetings from your loved ones. The weather is cold during this season, and sometimes your heart feels cold, too!

Mustang?

Mustang is a combination of “Musta?” and “Pautang”. It happens when an OFW receives a random message from a relative, friend or even acquaintances about loaning money. This is a common practice in the Philippines. Instead of borrowing from a bank then paying it back with interest rates, borrowing from a person, usually a friend, becomes a better option. 

Anong sagot ko?

Whether you go home or not, OFW’s are expected to treat their family. They might not be physically present, but money transfer businesses got their back.

Common Misconceptions about OFW

Since millions of Filipinos are working abroad, the Philippines becomes a hub for cultural diversity. Results from the 2018 National Migration Survey say that 12% of Filipino households have a member who was or had been working overseas. After working overseas for a time, friends and relatives see an OFW differently. Here are some misconceptions about an OFW.

Nag-iba ka na

What do you expect from a person who lived several years away from his native town? To live overseas requires us to adapt to the current country we live in.  Yes we change. We change to survive. We need to adapt our lifestyle, our taste, our clothing and even our language to belong. But our hearts and minds remain Filipinos. 

Don at Donya

We are not rich, instead, we learn to value our hard earned money. To be away from your family just to provide for them is a big battle fought everyday by OFWs around the world. OFWs work to earn, to save, and to provide. Sure, they earn dollars, but they also spend dollars! 

May Hepa ka?

Saudi Arabia gets the top spot for preferred destination for OFWs. Growing up, I always heard a household joke that Saudi Arabian OFW’s have Hepatitis because of how proudly they flaunt their jewelry. That is not how I see it now. Jewelry can be an investment. And after working so hard, OFWs need some kind of consolation for themselves. Let them enjoy the fruit of their labor, at least.

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Wish Your Family Overseas a Happy and Blessed Christmas

This Christmas day, let us not forget to acknowledge the hard work of our kababayans abroad. Thanks to technology you may now enjoy an unlimited call and messages to your family overseas. Make them feel loved and important, because for them, family is everything. 

You can also send a Christmas e-greeting card for a family overseas with these messages.

Happy Holidays! The past years have been intensely crazy but I wish you to remain happy and merry! We miss you terribly here and we hope to see you soon.

  Holidays are the perfect times to pause, reflect and celebrate. As I look back on the past year, I am truly grateful for our family. Though we may be miles away, may you feel my love and hugs, I pray. May it be enough to keep you warm and happy everyday. Missin’ you! Happy holidays!

Putting a personal touch and message for your card is always the best. The best messages are the ones that come from the heart.

If you are feeling extra generous this Christmas, you can always send gifts overseas. How? Thanks to online shopping. Most countries now have online shopping that can deliver right to their doorsteps.  And sending gifts to your family abroad is not an exemption. Buy a gift online, deliver it as a gift to your family living abroad.

Conclusion

“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.”

– Wendy Wunder

There is no better place than home and even when OFWs are far away, anything that reminds them of home–in the Philippines–is enough to warm the heart and make this Christmas season special.