Our Christmas Traditions

Growing up our family had Christmas traditions. I started thinking about it last night when my friend who has a new baby pinged to greet me. I told him it's time for him to create his family's Christmas tradition since he now has a baby. 

I remember we'd have huge family reunions when I was growing up. My Mom comes from a big family and whenever everyone was present our house would be full to the brim with my titos, titas and cousins. Eventually this grew bigger when my generation started producing babies. My Dad also comes from a bigger family and I remember one huge family reunion when a pregnant cousin's water broke in the middle of the party! There was a mad scramble to bring her to the hospital.

Here's some of the traditions we do annually -

Family Portrait - of course, family photo is a must! We also started this tradition in our little family. It's usually a family photo with the Christmas tree and a family photo at church. This year we're not together, but we still found a way to be together for our annual family photo. Check it out (see above)!  

Christmas Feast - my cousins and I were talking about our traditional family food. Each family brings their specialty. Titay used to make her lengua  dish, Tito Ben would bring seafood or steak, Dad would make his casserole (a.k.a. shepherd's pie), Tita Josie also brought a special dish (I just don't remember right now), I'd usually make Spanish adobo because Tito Mon loves it, Mom would prepare ham weeks ahead from scratch (it was like a science experiment) and there were many others. 

Noche Buena - we usually have noche buena after attending the midnight mass. This changed when my parents got older and we just hear mass on Christmas day. Noche buena is usually a full spread of food, ham, spaghetti, lechon manok, macaroni salad, embotido, are staples. When it's just Jay, Miggy and me I usually just prepare ham, spaghetti and macaroni salad. I prepared the same this year and Sweetie just ordered food for Miggy. I took so long cooking last night, so we ended up having Christmas lunch instead haha. 

Gift Giving - during our family reunions, Tito Tony usually distributed the gifts. The gifts would usually fly through the air since Tito Tony would normally throw the gift towards the person. That's why it was important to mark gifts as fragile if you were giving anything breakable (so he wouldn't throw it!). Eventually we shifted the tradition for the youngest in the family to do the distribution. 

Personally though I prefer to open gifts at the last hour of Christmas day. I usually set aside gifts that come from friends and open it at the last hour. I like doing this since it makes the day longer and there's still something to look forward to before going to bed. 

Things changed a lot in the last decade since we lost most of our elders in the family. Most of my cousins are all married now so that meant they have additional family reunions they need to attend. We started a new tradition last year by dining out. That's what started me on Recipes for My Son because I realized that we should have preserved our family recipes. So I started with some of the staple food I cook. 

Merry Christmas everyone! This year is definitely a different kind of Christmas for all of us, but I'd like to think this year has brought us an important gift. It taught us what is valuable and brought us closer to each other. 

CB//260 #StuckAtHomeDay/290 #StayHome #BeKind

Christmas 2020: Celebrating Far Away from Home

Celebrating Christmas in the most unusual way this year. This is the first Christmas I'm celebrating without my Mom and Miggy. Most of us won't have our families complete. The other night we had Christmas dinner with our friends. We made the effort to have a Christmas spread, but realized that there were many things missing, i.e. veggies! We all agreed it was hard to celebrate Christmas without our Moms since they always made sure there was something healthy in the handaan. 

As a promise to Baby Jesus, I got up and trudged to the park to re-start my fitness journey. It came with aches and pains, but it's the only way for me to move forward. Wish me luck!

For many years now I have been preparing noche buena. I can't help but laugh at myself because last year I actually cooked pinakbet as part of our Christmas lunch with Mommy and Dad. It was my first time to cook pinakbet because my friend Buddy from OnlinePalengke.com sent me a box of veggies.  Dad took home the rest of the pinakbet because he liked it a lot. 

And that's what I'll miss most this Christmas - my family. Kuya and fam are in Indonesia and Australia. Ate and her fam are in the US. I won't get to see my cousins, titos and titas and I won't get to eat our traditional family feast! Tonight it's just Sweetie and me and Miggy over hangout. We'll still come up with a Christmas family photo. Watch out for it!

Merry Christmas everyone! Warm hugs to all!

Happy birthday Baby Jesus =)

CB//259 #StuckAtHomeDay/289 #StayHome #BeKind

My Grown-up Christmas Wish

A year ago in Manila. 

Last night's Didache reflection spoke to me deeply. If you're going through challenges, you shouldn't dwell so much on the struggle, but you should be more focused on the future outcome. It was a good reminder for me and made staying offline more bearable. To get well and be able to do the things I still want to do, I have to follow doctor's orders. 

To help me stay offline I set limits on distracting apps so it won't send notifications. I also kept my phone under my pillow. Out of sight, out of mind! I did respond to a few messages, watched a few videos, but eventually I got busy with other things and the silence became comfortable. 

Through the silence and having my hands busy sewing, I was able to think through how I should proceed. I didn't sleep well last night because I was worrying about all the work I left hanging. Eventually the Peace & Calming oil helped me fall asleep. My sleep though was filled with several weird dreams. 

As I worked through my quilt project I was able to re-focus and remind myself that it's not my fault I've been sick. I need this time to rest and heal from what this terrible year has brought. There is still so much to be thankful for this year. My family has been coping well despite some challenges. We're all apart, but we're here for each other. My only wish is good health for everyone and hope we can see each other soon. 

How I wish I could be with you two this Christmas.

And my sole Christmas wish is for the whole world to heal together and defeat this pandemic as one big community. 

CB//255 #StuckAtHomeDay/285 #StayHome #BeKind

All I Want for Christmas

I was looking forward to being with family this year for Christmas. It breaks my heart that we won't be able to go home this year. It's going to be too risky for me and our time will be eaten up being quarantined in a hotel going home and coming back. The hotel stay plus the medical tests will also be expensive. My Mom also told me she doesn't any one of us to travel for now. 

My prayer for this Christmas is for all families to be in their own homes, safe and complete. I hope by then everyone who went through pain in the last few months would be settled and happy again. I've been watching the news and the outpouring of help back home. I hope the bayanihan happening at home will soon bring everyone back to their homes. 

All I want for Christmas is that and good health for me and my family. I'm doing some tests next week. I hope the tests will prove to my doctors that I can get off one of my maintenance medications. My physiotherapist warned me if it's removed I need to be aware how it may affect my body. So we'll be taking it slow for the next few weeks. 

A lot of my friends told me that they're not in the mood for Christmas. I felt like that last year. I didn't even decorate for Christmas last year even though I was on break. I thought I'd make up for it this year. I brought out my decors last October and started my Christmas project early. I hope my friends would like what I made for them since it's made with love. 

As usual I'm delayed with my project and the box going home is going to be picked up by Monday already. Accccck! I'm torn between sending it now or sending a smaller box next week. I'll decide tomorrow. Many years ago I was so good planning for Christmas. I have everything prepared really early. I've become sluggish the last few years since I've been getting sick in-between. Oh well, will do my best for now. 

Anyhoo, it's 34 days before Christmas. Do you have anything planned? 

#CB//227 #StuckAtHomeDay/257 #StayHome #BeKind 

Thinking About My Christmas Project

I just woke up from a nap. We've been busy tidying up since after lunch and I also took care of scanning some stuff. It took longer than I expected and I tired myself out from puttering around the house. I haven't started planning for my Christmas project which is what I set to do this afternoon.

I try to plan for Christmas early. When I have enough time I try to send out homemade Christmas cards and quilted gifts. I haven't been consistent in my plans since making things by hand takes time (not just time, but forever!). For this year we probably won't be able to come home for Christmas. I'm still hoping we can have Miggy and Mom over for Christmas. I can't imagine celebrating Christmas without Miggy and my Mom.

For the Christmas cards I'll probably head over to Art Friend to get some supplies so I can start the project soon. What takes time when I prepare the cards is writing out the addresses! I had an address stamp made early last year, but we moved! Haha. I should order a new one soon. I'm still thinking what kind of cards I'll be sending out.

Two years ago I made pouch bags for friends. It was all handmade and I embroidered their name on the pouch. I made about 30 sets which took three months. I also made some pillowcases for some friends, but I didn't finish it in time for that Christmas. I was supposed to give it last year, but I took a break and it was lost in storage. I found it today and decided to use it after we installed the elastic sofa cover hehehe.

Hmmm, it's going to be challenging this year because I need to finish whatever I make by October so I can ship it back to Manila early. I already have an idea what I'll make. I just need to determine how long it will take for me to make it. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions on what I should make for Christmas?


CB//151 #StuckAtHomeDay/181  #StayHome #BeKind 

The World Needs Christmas

Happy September first! Today is the day we start Christmas in the Philippines. I'm not entirely sure how that started since it wasn't always like that. I remember when I was a child, my parents together with neighbors would organize Halloween trick or treat for us kids. And it was only after All Saints Day when preparations for Christmas start. We don't really celebrate Thanksgiving in the Philippines.

I guess when celebrating Halloween really did not pick up in the Philippines, the coming of the ber (brrr) months was associated with the cool air during Christmas. Or maybe it was a commercial push. I dunno really. Whatever it is we've all accepted that Christmas in the Philippines lasts more than a hundred days.

With our situation now I think we need to sprinkle everyone we can with positivity. When I woke up this morning I had a thought, "During Christmas everyone tries their best to be happy, caring and loving. If we stay on Christmas mode then maybe we can get through this pandemic better". 

Family is Christmas.

2020 is one of the toughest years in my life and that's why I think the world needs Christmas. And Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. He is the only one who can redeem us. I hope by then the situation would be better and I pray I can be with my family. I can't imagine celebrating Christmas without my whole family.

Merry Christmas everyone!

CB//147 #StuckAtHomeDay/177 #WFH102 #StayHome #BeKind