Mom's Holiday Rant

I finally completed the family gift list last night. What a relief! Now there are a few more things to wrap for our neighbors' kiddies.

So what's the recipe for Christmas? Not much because there is just the three of us and it will be Andreas' 2nd birthday on the 26th so i won't be cooking plenty. We are not expecting visitors either because hubby said we will spend Christmas with the UAE-Cordillerans Club.

But just in case somebody decides to pop in the house, Christmas menu includes fresh lumpia, lasagna, and carrot cake. Boy i hope i get to cook them all before midnight :)

I am also thinking of starting our own Christmas family tradition. Though this is Andreas' second Christmas, we didn't have a proper Christmas lunch last year as we were very busy preparing for his first birthday. And you know what everybody says about first birthdays. It is suppose to be stressed about and celebrated ;)

Back in Batanes, we open our gifts right after we arrive from midnight mass. My grandmother even went to the extend of making my siblings and I believe in Santa Claus. Our Christmas tree back then would be empty underneath. When we arrive from church, we find toys, gifts, and goodies under the tree! We would so wonder why Santa Claus never waited for us. I think i was in Grade six when i stopped believing in Santa Claus hahahaa. We all went to church except for my grandmother's sister who always prefers early morning mass. But she was really frail so we never suspected she was the one responsible of putting those goodies while we are attending mass.

After opening our gifts we share the Noche Buena then hit the bed. But before we climb up, my Grandmother will ask us to hang our school socks on the Christmas tree in case Santa Claus decides to come back while we were asleep. And come Christmas morning, we would find a hundred peso bill inside. Yeah, Christmas was a big deal on the family :)

Now I am excited to make our own family tradition. On Christmas eve, i'm planning fruit feast and cheese for my two boys since they both love it. And then hubby and i will probably cheer on a glass of red wine. But so far, i only see vodka on the counter. I hope some miracles happen between today and the 24th and a hamper will just happen to arrive the front door hahahaaa.

We will have brunch on the balcony and give our gifts to each other. Then we go to St. Mary's for church visit. The resy of the day will be spent with friends or just a roadtrip. I'm thinking, the most important part would be our Christmas brunch with just the three of us :)

The day after Christmas will always be a big day for our little boy. But we decided not to have a kiddie party. Instead, the three of us will celebrate at Al Muntaha in Burj Al Arab. We dream to visit the 7-star hotel. There will never be a chance for us to stay there, not even for a night but all we want is to see the famed interior. I think Burj Al Arab is a must experience for any expat.

That will be added to the family tradition. No more big birthday celebrations for Andreas. We will instead treat the whole family on his birthday to a little holiday or try some spectacular experience. We will never be staying here in the Middle East forever. We want to make the most of our stay. See the world. Experience it all.

Tonight, we are going to pay the reservation. We don't have credit card so we have to go there personally at the lobby to pay in cash.

I am having goosebumps at the thought.