(Editor’s note: They were once WaWies – blushing brides about to commit their lives to the men of their dreams. Fast forward to the present, they come across as well-seasoned in marriage. They’re happy moms and fulfilled wives; some of them are even breastfeeding champs!)

Christmas always triumphs in getting people together. All year long we get busy with our lives, running households, taking care of the children, minding businesses, going to work. Staying in touch is pretty much limited to social media interactions. So when Christmas bells ring to gather friends and family, members of the NewlywedsAtWork don’t think twice about answering the call!

lighted NaW Sign by NaWie Bunny Abalos of Limeworks

Held at the Camp Crame Multi-Purpose Hall last November 29, 2015, the NaW Christmas party welcomed 196 Nawies, 115 kids, 32 infants and 42 yayas.

Dubbed the “Winter Wonder NaW”, members pulled all the stops to make this year’s party a truly magical and memorable one for parents and kids alike. Spearheading the preps were NaWie Apple Cabel of Yan-Ple Party Planner, Jenki Galindo-Fernando who took care of the registration and NaW pioneer member Veronica Alcaneses-Pantig for securing the venue. All the NaWies who attended pitched together for foodcarts and activities. Eats Happy provided the kiddie meals while Daniel Talavera, brother of NaWie Clarice Talavera-Avinante, gamely took the photos.

As with any party, it’s the kids who reap the most. NaWie kids had a wonderful time this year. Game after game engaged the kids all afternoon.

They ruled the stage with entertaining sing-and-dance-along activities from Jive.

Of course, no Christmas party is complete without exchanging gifts. Nawies and kids came prepared for this!

Moms become instant stage mothers……

…..while tough Dads become gentle bears.

In the NaWie world, relationships are built and nurtured online. Daily chats happen on Yahoo and Facebook groups. Hourly updates are commonplace on the NaWie virtual community. But few and far in between are real life interactions with fellow NaWies. And this is the main reason why NaWies look forward to the annual Christmas party with such eagerness. The camaraderie and sisterhood that have grown on the web suddenly become actual experiences. Virtual smileys become beautiful and genuine smiles. Hugs are now tangible touches. Even hellos have voices.  Gone are the little round yellow grinning emoticons. In its place are real faces, real smiles that come from the heart.

May Mislang-Estaban with hubby Kim and Keith

May Mislang-Esteban, wife to Kim and mom to toddler Keith, looks forward to the “personal chikahan with my cyber friends” while for Jenki the best part of the NaW Christmas party is “seeing the faces behind the names, meeting new friends and those gigil babiesss! Feeling ko may anak na din ako sa dami ng kids!”

It’s a merry mixture of emotions – like greeting a long lost friend or seeing a sister after a long absence.

The bond that keeps NaWies intact is one-of-a-kind. The friendship among former WaWies who bonded together for a short while to prepare for their weddings has moved into another level. In this Mommy groupie, conversations take on a different nature like starting a family, being first time Moms, breastfeeding plus the highs and lows of married life. For Tin, wife to Marvin and mom to Mazie, “NaW is better than Google. You get intelligent in sights and various opinions from people from different backgrounds. What sets it apart is that there is always respect among all members.”   

Whatever the discussions are, no matter how numerous and branched out the threads will eventually become on NaW, no one ever gets lost because everyone has a place in this community. Every story and question is heard by someone. There is always a NaWie who will understand what you are going through. Because of the natural cycle of the community – a new member is continuously added while all those who came before her never leave – the sharing just becomes richer and richer with each passing day. An advice never grows old as there is always someone who is experiencing something for the first time. For those who have been there and have made it, the desire to impart the knowledge is strong.

Tin adds, “Iba yung insight that I get from NaW eh kasi everyone is so open. You feel their pain, their happiness and their frustrations, their kilig so you all know na may kadamay ka with whatever is going on in your life and the best part is they “GET” whatever it is that you feel.”

5 out of 7 nawies who trained under Velvet (in red) to be breastfeeding counselors Together they formed Breastfeeding Pinay, now a 70,000 member group

The beauty of bring a NaWie is you never ever graduate from this. As a wife and as a mom, the roles are for keeps. Just like the friendships here.

NaW endures because of authentic kindness and love that abound. Here everyone feels safe. A listening ear, a sound advice, a gentle pat on the back, unrepentant laughter and genuine friendship flow effortlessly. Most important of all the focus is on building a loving and caring family. In NaW, you’ll meet your friends for life.