Excerpt:

“What is your family doing for the holiday? They have Christmas in the Philippines, don’t they?”

“The Philippines has the longest Christmas season in the world.” Flora passed over the next dish.

“Really?”

“We start in September and finish in January on the Feast of the Epiphany. There’s caroling and food and decorations.”

“It sounds lovely.”

Flora nodded and swallowed. “When my grandmother was alive, the whole family would come to our house on Christmas Eve for a big dinner and we would all go to midnight mass together.”