Questions · Christmas abroad

Questions for a Filipino Christmas abroad, far from home but not alone

You hung the parol (star lantern) in a window that looks out on snow, or on a Dubai high-rise, and you’re cooking Noche Buena for whoever is here this year. These questions help the night feel like home and like something new at the same time.

  • 16 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
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Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 57

Who do you wish you could spend more normal, no-special-plan time with?

Sino yung gusto mong makasama nang mas madalas, kahit walang special na lakad?

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A note

Ordinary time can build closeness slowly. Not every good moment needs an occasion.

Nakakabuo rin ng closeness ang ordinaryong time. Hindi lahat ng magandang moment kailangan may special na lakad.

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The questions

16 questions for Christmas away from the Philippines

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Missing home, a little

4 questions

The sounds, days and people you’d go back to.

  1. Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?

    Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?

    Back of the card

    Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.

    Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.

  2. You receive one free round-trip ticket. Where are you going first?

    May libre kang round-trip ticket. Saan ka pupunta?

    Back of the card

    Choose one thing you would want to do before flying home.

    Pumili ng isang gusto mong gawin bago bumiyahe pauwi.

  3. What day from the past would you like to watch?

    Anong araw sa nakaraan ang gusto mong mapanood?

    Back of the card

    Pause on one scene from that day. Which detail would you want to look at longer?

    Huminto muna sa isang eksena ng araw na iyon. Anong detalye ang gusto mong tingnan nang mas matagal?

  4. Who do you wish you could spend more normal, no-special-plan time with?

    Sino yung gusto mong makasama nang mas madalas, kahit walang special na lakad?

    Back of the card

    Ordinary time can build closeness slowly. Not every good moment needs an occasion.

    Nakakabuo rin ng closeness ang ordinaryong time. Hindi lahat ng magandang moment kailangan may special na lakad.

Our own traditions here

4 questions

The traditions you’d keep, invent or make a little sillier.

  1. Create a new holiday that everyone gets to celebrate. What happens that day?

    Gumawa ng bagong holiday na puwedeng i-celebrate ng lahat. Ano ang ginagawa sa araw na iyon?

    Back of the card

    What tradition would belong to your holiday?

    Anong tradisyon ang bagay sa holiday mo?

  2. Which simple friendship tradition would you like to keep even when everyone gets busier?

    Anong nakasanayan ninyong gawin ng friends mo ang gusto mong ituloy kahit maging mas busy kayo?

    Back of the card

    What would be the easiest version to keep on a busy week?

    Ano ang pinakamadaling bersiyon nito kapag busy ang linggo?

  3. Invent one silly rule everyone should follow for one day.

    Gumawa ng silly rule na susundin ng lahat for one day.

    Back of the card

    Silly rules make ordinary life feel slightly remixed. One harmless rule can turn a normal day into a shared bit.

    Yung silly rules, nire-remix lang nang konti ang normal na araw. Isang harmless rule, shared bit na agad.

  4. What flavor of ice cream would you invent?

    Anong lasa ng ice cream ang iimbentuhin mo?

    Back of the card

    Give your invented ice cream a name if you like.

    Kung gusto mo, bigyan mo ng pangalan ang ice cream na inimbento mo.

Gifts that aren’t things

4 questions

Invitations, messages and small kindnesses for people far away.

  1. What simple invitation could brighten a friend's ordinary day?

    Anong simpleng yaya ang puwedeng magpasaya sa normal na araw ng friend?

    Back of the card

    Keep the invitation short enough to send as one message.

    Puwedeng maikli lang ang yaya, kasya sa isang message.

  2. Choose a short message you could send a friend you have not talked to lately.

    Kung hindi mo nakakausap lately ang isang friend, anong maikling message ang ipapadala mo?

    Back of the card

    The first message does not need to contain the whole catch-up.

    Hindi kailangang nasa unang message ang buong kumustahan.

  3. Which small kindness from other people do you notice right away?

    Anong small kindness mula sa ibang tao ang napapansin mo agad?

    Back of the card

    It could be someone checking in, saving you a seat, helping quietly, or remembering a small detail. The kindness you notice may be the kind you needed before.

    Puwedeng may nag-check in, nagtira ng seat, tumulong quietly, o nakaalala ng small detail. Baka yung kindness na napapansin mo ang kind na kinailangan mo dati.

  4. Tell us about a normal moment this week when you noticed God.

    Kuwento ng ordinary moment this week na napansin mo si Lord.

    Back of the card

    Sometimes faith grows through small noticing. Ordinary days can still carry reminders that God is near and paying attention.

    Minsan lumalalim ang faith sa maliliit na napapansin natin. Kahit ordinary day, puwedeng may paalala na malapit si Lord.

Before Media Noche

4 questions

Hopes for the year, for the last hour of December 31.

  1. Name one small wish you have for yourself this year.

    Ano yung isang maliit na wish mo para sa sarili mo this year?

    Back of the card

    Small wishes can still be honest. They may be easier to say out loud because they do not demand a perfect life.

    Maliit man yung wish, honest pa rin. Minsan mas madaling sabihin kasi hindi niya hinihingi na perfect ang buhay.

  2. Name one small hope that helps you keep going.

    Magbanggit ng isang maliit na hope na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.

    Back of the card

    A small hope can still carry real strength. It may be quiet, but it is not nothing.

    May totoong lakas din ang maliit na hope. Tahimik man siya, hindi ibig sabihin wala siyang bigat.

  3. Name one good thing you are quietly hoping for.

    Magsabi ng isang good thing na tahimik mong hinihiling lately.

    Back of the card

    Quiet hopes still deserve room. Saying them gently can remind you that wanting good things is not foolish.

    May lugar din ang tahimik na hopes. Kapag nasabi mo sila nang gentle, naaalala mong hindi foolish ang umasa sa mabuti.

  4. Name one thing that would make next month feel a little lighter.

    Magbanggit ng isang bagay na makakatulong para mas gumaan nang konti ang next month.

    Back of the card

    A lighter month does not have to mean a perfect one. Even one less weight can change how a season feels.

    Hindi kailangang perfect ang mas magaan na month. Kahit isang bawas na bigat, iba na ang pakiramdam ng season.

How to use them

Before you ask

A Filipino Christmas abroad usually starts with what’s missing: the Simbang Gabi before dawn, the carolers at the gate, the whole clan at Noche Buena. Then it becomes something of its own. Kababayan friends become the clan, a church hall becomes the plaza, and the menu gets a local dish next to the hamon and queso de bola.

Use the questions to hold both. Start with what you miss, which is often a relief to say out loud, then move to the traditions you want to build here, especially if there are kids who will remember these Christmases as their Christmas. The gift questions are good for the video call home on the 24th, when the Philippines is already on Christmas morning.

Every card has English and Filipino, which helps at a table that mixes kababayan friends, kids raised abroad and maybe a few non-Filipino guests trying their first bibingka.

Good for

  • Noche Buena with kababayan friends abroad
  • OFWs spending Christmas away from family
  • Fil-Am families starting their own traditions
  • Christmas video calls with home
  • New Year’s Eve Media Noche

Tips

  1. Ask each guest to bring a dish from their province. The table tells its own stories.
  2. Make the kids’ question time part of the night. They’re building their memories now.
  3. Call home before the party gets loud. Families in the Philippines are hours ahead.
  4. Don’t force cheer. Missing home is part of a Filipino Christmas abroad, and naming it helps.

Decks for this

Filipino Christmas abroad

Frequently asked questions

How do Filipinos celebrate Christmas abroad?

Many hang a parol, attend Simbang Gabi at a Filipino parish or community, cook Noche Buena on Christmas Eve with family or kababayan friends, and video-call family in the Philippines. Some keep every tradition; others mix in local ones.

What are good questions for Noche Buena away from home?

Ask what everyone misses most, which tradition they would keep or invent, and what small wish they have for the new year. Missing home is easier to share when there’s a question for it.

What is Noche Buena?

Noche Buena is the Filipino Christmas Eve feast, traditionally eaten after the late-night Mass on December 24. Ham, queso de bola, pasta and lechon are common.

Bring a better question to the table.

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