Growing up in the Philippines, there was magic all around us. The tropical beaches, palm trees and coral reefs were breathtaking. The rice paddies, plantations, mountains and more were amazing. The tropical fruits were mouth watering. When people arrived in the country, it was common for the people meeting them to put sampaguita (jasmine) leis on the new arrivals. It's their national flower. Sampaguita and plumeria (pictures at the bottom of this post) are two of my favorite flowers, thanks to their amazing scents. But one thing we did not see much was pine. There are some evergreens in the north of the country, but further north than we usually went. It was a smell we missed when we were there, and the only time we got to smell it was when Christmas rolled around (starting in September) and the local hotels put up their imported trees. Partly due to the heat, partly due to the length of the Christmas season (September 1-January 6), and partly due to the scarcity of evergreens in the Philippines, most people used fake trees. We kept our tree in a barrel and assembled it every year. So it was a special treat to visit the local hotels to smell the trees. A bit of an odd tradition, but it was amazing.
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| Photo by Hotel Continentale on Unsplash |
The hotel lobby was resplendent in Christmas glory
Garland draped luxuriously on the walls
Wreaths announced the joy of the season
And in the middle, the crown jewel stood in all its splendor:
A tree of real pine, imported just for Christmas.
The scent of pine filled the air
Recalling memories of snowy slopes
Of sledding down the hills
And making angels in the snow
Memories of walking through a pine forest
The sweet smell wafting through the fresh air
Memories of long ago and far away
In far-off America
A scent in the hotel which we enjoyed but once a year
Stepping out of the heat of the outdoors
Into the cool of the air-conditioned hotel
Standing at the foot of a real pine tree
Savoring its sweet fragrance
Christmas season would soon be past
And the year through we would enjoy the savory fragrance
Of the enchanting sampaguita and the fair plumeria
And we would look forward to September
When the Christmas season would begin
And we could once more enjoy
The scent of pine.
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| Sampaguita (jasmine) Photo by Eslah Saad on Unsplash |
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| Plumeria Photo by Gina Ball on Unsplash |
