WHEN HOLIDAYS INTERRUPT DISCIPLINE

 In the Philippines, holidays are not just pauses in the calendar. They are experiences. They are long, loud, colorful, and deeply emotional. Christmas alone stretches for months. Then come the New Year celebrations, followed by festivals like Sinulog, and because I live in Cebu, it sometimes feels like the holidays never really stop.

Each celebration is beautiful. Each one is meaningful. Each one is culturally rich. I love how our country knows how to celebrate life.

But I began to notice something.

With every celebration, my routine quietly disappeared.

I had to stop reading because my mind kept returning to this thought. Christmas break. New Year break. Now Sinulog break. Unsa naman lay mahimo nato ani? Don’t get me wrong. I love how our celebrations look and feel, how they fill the air with life. My senses are overwhelmed by the sound of our festivities, and yet, each one slowly pulls me away from the discipline I was trying to build.

My study rhythm dissolved, not because I lacked motivation, but because I kept restarting.

This is what I have been telling my students, too, under my tutelage. Routine is not just about productivity. For me, routine is where growth lives. It is where my goals breathe. It is where my future, and our future, take small, invisible steps forward.

In a culture that celebrates deeply, discipline can sometimes feel out of place. Extended rest becomes normal. Disruptions are accepted, and without realizing it, we lose momentum. Not because we are lazy, but because we are human, and we are shaped by our environment.

I am trying to look at this more gently. I do not want to blame myself. Traditions and cultural joy are not the enemy of discipline. However, discipline must learn to live within what brings us joy.

So I began creating what I now call holiday-proof routines, for me at least. Not rigid schedules. Not perfection. Just small, protected habits.

Thirty minutes of uninterrupted reading.
Forty-five minutes to an hour of Math.
A few focused hours for my goals.

Even on noisy days.
Even on festive days.
Even on tired days.

Because discipline does not have to be loud.
It only has to return.

And so, Jane begins again.

Pit Señor, everyone!