Christmas won’t be the same without you

The first time I heard this song “Christmas won’t be the same without you” in 1987 I immediately fell in love with the lyrics and the melody that it has become one of my favorite Christmas ballads. I so love this song of Martin Nievera that even outside yuletide season I would still sing this in karaoke or videoke. However, liking the song did not mean a romantic association with someone especially that I was in college when this song topped the music chart.

When my father (Wenceslao Nuera) died in 1997, the song hit a chord in my heart. It is not anymore hearty nor romantic but sentimental and nostalgic. Every lyric, especially the chorus, would bring tears to my eyes because it represents what I was feeling inside, that I miss my father every Christmas. That since 1997, my Christmas has never been the same. The death of my father has left a vacuum in my heart and the song is a reminder how un-Christmassy my Christmas is. Although as years go by I have learned to live with that void; with that vacuum.

So, for 25 Christmases now, singing “Christmas won’t be the same without you” evokes a true-to-life emotion in me. Just like in the lyrics, all I really need to see is my father standing by our Christmas tree because it has been a long, long time since we had him during Christmas time.