As soon as Judy Ann Santos finished putting up her giant Christmas tree at home, she would stare at it for half an hour and express gratitude for all the blessings. The Drama Queen turned nostalgic while reliving her family’s simple Christmas celebrations in the past when they would simply take any available plant and put it up inside the house in lieu of a real Christmas tree. Yet, the financial struggle did not affect their closeness as a clan.
In 2019, Judy Ann looked forward to hosting a grand and frenzied Christmas time with family and relatives. She doesn’t have a list of traditions to follow, just preparing whatever recipe she likes.
Juday, as how showbiz baptized her, opened up on her relationship with eldest daughter, Yohan, who is now starting to ask questions about her biological parents. Yohan is her answered prayer, the gift she fervently asked for during her constant visits in Manaoag Church. She asked the Lord to prepare her for motherhood at the age of 26 no matter her relationship status is.
The heavens heard her heart’s deepest desire. At the age of 26, while on the set of Krystala, she got a call from her Mommy Carol asking if she is willing to adopt a child. Without any reluctance, Judy Ann said ‘yes’. She knew in her heart that it’s the moment she’s been waiting for. All Godly preparations led her to becoming Yohan’s mom.
The Kapamilya actress makes sure that Yohan would never feel left out in the family. “Ryan and I started a family because of you. Ikaw ang mitsa ng kandila ng pamilya natin. Your siblings were named after you because you came first. Hindi ka basta saling-pusa dito. You started this family,” she would often tell her.
Now that Yohan has already reached her teenage years, she seems to be growing more curious about her biological parents. And while Yohan’s questions can become overwhelming at times, Judy Ann has decided to give Yohan the freedom to meet her real parents if she would really want to, if this is the only way Yohan would feel completely free from all her questions. “Hindi ko naman siya pinagdadamot pero from that time na she asked me that question, I was preparing myself every day, ‘Lord, dumating man ‘yung time na maging seryoso na ‘tong batang ‘to, prepare mo kami’. Kasi hindi ko siya ipagkakait,” she added.
There was a point when they used to avoid the word ‘adopted’. But Judy Ann realized that “everybody out there who’s adopted should realize that it’s such a beautiful word.” “Because somebody out there wanted you in their lives. They chose you,” she expressed.