on chirstmas

Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display-so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow. It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow. It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again.

Christmastime was always a magical time of year for me. The beautifully decorated shopping malls, with toys everywhere you looked, always fascinated me. And the houses, with the way their lights would glow upon the glistening snow at night, always seemed to calm me. But decorating the Christmas tree and falling asleep underneath the warm glow of the lights, in awe that Santa Claus would soon be there, was the best part of it all. As a child, these things enchanted me. Sure, the presents were great, but the excitement and mystery of Christmas; I loved most of all. Believing…that’s what it was all about. Believing there really was a Santa and waking up Christmas morning, realizing he’d come, as my sleepy eyes focused on all the fancily wrapped presents before me.

To me Christmas means a time to spend with family and a time for Santa to come. It also means a time to give to others. A time to give, but also to receive.  on this post i will share to you the way we celebrate christmas as family.

Much as i love christmas so did my brother and we are crazy during christmas.

christmas is for children i know that pretty well and we always find this kid underneath our christmas tree playing balls and eating candy.

i cant count how many balls this kid had broke this christmas. he was just amaze. kiel lives near us and he used to stay and drink milk inside our house. sometime he pee on the carpet sometimes he sleep with it.

my brother used to bring his friends inside our home. and we treat them as family. 

sometime they used to help us decorate our two christmas tree.

and most of the time they visit us without any reason.

filipinos are fond of caroling and that includes our parish priest and some of the members of our religious community when they visit us and sing a lot of christmas songs.

they sing like a pro!.

so lucky that mom and dad visit us after we got their US visa before christmas. i was with them at the embassy and they take me home. although its a quick visit but at least they visit us.

mom and dad treat us family. since father jovi left for his mission we used to visit them in their place. its quite far in our place but we enjoy visiting them.

cena and kiel are brothers whom my mom and lao love so much. cena is a preschooler and kiel is just two. this two are always inside our home. and the joy of having them around almost everyday is more than winning a lotto grand prize~] i love how cena and kiel smile and kiss mom. 

I got this gift from the my second home which is our office. we may not have the grand christmas party this year since our country suffered devastation brought by raging christmas typhoons  but at least the bazaar and extravagant celebration of christmas became more frugal and meaningful. for us who used to go shopping with the use of our christmas bonuses learned to set aside our wish lists to give way to the basic needs of those who were in need of help. We used to  follow the traditional simbang gabi and we do not limit our prayers and wishes only  for ourselves but also to other people who are suffering crisis in their lives.

they're my second family in the office.

and they are my extended family too. i love all of them.

our boss gave us ham for christmas.

mom and aunt flor enjoying the christmas evening outside our office while waiting our ride home.

this are the neighborhood kids i get to play with during summer and holidays. they are all singing christmas carol and waiting for my promise christmas toys. 

our christmas this year may not be that grand compared to last year but as long as we are together no matter what trials we have to endure i believe we can always make it through.

we make sure that the three of us are together during christmas.

we may not be that rich but at least we are together. 

we wish all the families to have peace and love inside their home like we used to.

Our family used to serve excessive servings of food during Noche Buena learned to limit our cooking and share the extra ones to others instead of leaving it spoiled on the fridge.

my brother spend half of his earned money buying all the gifts we want to give our neighborhood kids. i know mom cant have small kids but we dont feel we lack one having them around.

on christmas eve all kids got their present from the three of us.

i took this shot on the eve of christmas while waiting for santa.

lao and kiel love each other very much. and they took all my present on christmas night.

i love this because this is my last pix of 2013.

i gave all this for my brother because that's all he ever wanted.

he got this from the neighborhood and all. you see its good to give and so good to receive. 

and we take all the cards and gift cards given to us and we forever treasure.

and lastly christmas is isnt about giving it is also receiving something you dont really expect since i have age and grown and have my job but my mom gave me this and i am forever grateful. 

loaded with five thousand bucks on christmas day i say merry christmas from my family to yours!

Merry christmas from my family to yours

Christmas is happier when you get to spend it with your family. No amount of money and present could ever buy the happiness I have with them. My mom and my brother are the only people I have in our home.  No matter how small our family is we make sure that we are together each Christmas! Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

after all this years and always

It’s been 30 days since you left us. Nothing had change in the office except for the fact that you’re not going to set down on your table anymore nor give us morning call and check us how are we going. All of your things and your favourite jacket are still there. We haven’t touched anything and I hope that your husband will let them be. We don’t want to remove it now. It gives us hope. It gives us strength and I think that you’re still here with us making sure of everything.

We may not have our boss today but have completed all the tasks you’ve left us to work for. Submitted all the documents the national government required us to and all our vital documents are in safety. Tito Ramon use to supervise us and even Sir Roger helped. We make sure to unplug all our gadgets and turn off the AC before we leave our office for you used to remind us that. Things in the office are getting well. And we are all functioning the way we used to. Many of our officemates told us they are missing you and they still visit in the office but they don’t stay that long, they missed you and will all start to cry and sobbed which make us sobbed too, so they prefer not to come back anymore. We just see them in the lobby. And since its Christmas tomorrow we’re not going in the office but we will all report the day after that. We just received our bonus but we haven’t much grand vacation this time. From the day you left us we haven’t stop thinking how are you there but knowing that you’re going home we just utter a little prayer everyday to guide you on your way. We offer mass for your soul. And tell our guardian angel to guide you. We are at least ok now. Still holding and helping each other to make it through the day. We don’t have much office supplies now and the internet connection is bad. We used to carry workloads at home lately and haven’t encountered the word weekend. The Grinch used to steal our planned weekend for the government had so many requirements but nothing beats coffee and gummy bears right?

It was hard to see you lying in your white metal coffin. And it was so hard to realize that it was you inside. You wore your best golden dress. You’re so pretty and you’re just heavily sleeping. I told you to wake up but you don’t move. It was adorned with white beautiful flowers. It was raining mad when we laid you to rest. The long parade of vehicles could tell how many loves you. The more we cried the more the rain poured in. We were so worried that you’re graveyard might be full of water but thanks god it was dry and clean. We cried too much. Your mother cried too much. Your husband and your children cried too much. I cried too much for your sudden lose. We were not prepared that day. I just feel a sudden change and im not at ease that I think something happened to one of my beloved. The plane to which I was boarded in has just touched the ground. I run to get out fast of the airport and look for a cab and I told the cab driver to drive that fast for I am not ok and later I heard about what happened to you from my brother I don’t believe him first for he used to make fond of me. I sleep and then I got a call from the secretary telling me you went home to heaven. We know that you’re tired fighting but you had a good fight. You are just amazing. You always give people surprise. You took me by surprise.

All of your classmates and friends bid you goodbye. They visit at your wake. A lot of people from different parts of the world visit and convey their sympathies with your family. Even tito ed’s rivals and opponents in politics were there to give respect and condolences. The way I see it, they set aside politics and they prayed for you too. Your wreath of flowers and Mass cards are over flowing so with the coffee and candies and food. It was perfect like what you wanted it to be and like you always do. You know what the AVP I created together with your daughter is the hardest thing I have ever made in my entire life. I never know that the very last AVP you will required me to do is yours. Don’t you know how much effort and eyebags me and tween exerted to finish that beautifully? Playing it in the church before your final mass makes all the people sobbed. I saw your bestfriend crying. And BTW you arrived at the church an hour before your final mass. You were never late until your last day on earth. I salute you for such discipline! 

I will always remember you as my second mom and the best boss I have ever had. Ate lala, ate phing and roxy are all thankful for having you as our boss and mentor. With you we learned to focus and had master the art of cramming and the power of magic and most of all for believing that we can. I am forever grateful for all the wonderful things you let me experience with. I wish that you will still guide us in every decisions we are about to make for the coming years and hoping that the one who will replace your post will be at least half like you. But we prefer if he is prim and proper and crazy too! There’s no one in this world could beat you as boss. You’re just perfectly perfect! And you’re such a great loss. We all plan to visit you today but it was raining mad so we waited for it to stop. Ate lala and Tito Ramon will just visit you later. As for me, Lao and Roxy…(of course were here at starbucks!) this wasn’t the very first time we visit you. We used to visit you and pray for you. The last time we did, we bought you a venti mocha frap but when we get back it’s gone. Lawrence misses you too. He used to tell me how thankful he is for all the gifts and for your generosity to the church. It’s gonna be your first Christmas in heaven today as you reach it and I hope you will have fun in there. Don’t worry about your children, they are all ok. Your house is somewhat ok. I texted Tween and Tito Ed and they invited us to come over. We can’t promise to go to your house after this since its Christmas and we got to prepare too with our family.  We miss you in the office and we miss your call. Rest well tita norms. Thank you for all the love and patience and for being a light to all of us. It’s sad to know that nobody will defend us now in the office but don’t worry we can make it through. Never in our life will we forget you. You have been part of our development. Thank you for moulding us like this. I love you…we love you! Until then. Good night!

oh christmas tree!

five years ago i don’t even worry when it’s december and we don’t have christmas tree because my sister will fix them for me but she went home to heaven and leave me with just me…(imagine that) not even a single idea how are those christmas tree came as christmas tree….from then on for the last five years my brother and i try to fix our christmas tree….every year we try to decorate it with blue balls, green balls, yellow balls and magenta balls sometimes it doesn’t have balls and all and sometimes too we change christmas tree depending on what mom instructed us to do. somehow it turned out good…sometimes it doesn’t look like christmas tree at all. how about flying helicopter in the christmas tree? but its christmas and i guess every home have their christmas tree now, mom wake me and my brother telling us to decorate our home… rushing out, cleaning and dusting all the balls i try to decorate it but the problem is… that christmas tree doesn’t like me at all!