WQ: Cherish the Memories

I'm back and I am excited to reminisce and share my Christmas experience after I posted a...melancholy post. Now, on to the question.

What special Christmas memories do you still cherish as the years pass by?

I cannot pinpoint a single Christmas memory because there have been quite a lot that colored my past but I have learned to appreciate every memory.

I remember Christmas dinner at my grandparents house with my father's family. My grandfather was one who loved Christmas and spared no expense when it came to Christmas dinner and the decorations. Everywhere you looked there were various twinkling lights on the outdoor plants and I remember the tall Christmas tree and the presents underneath it, it was enough to make a little girl excited! Approaching 12 midnight, we would all gather in the porch and see the grown-ups set up the fireworks and by 12, all of them where airborne.

When my grandfather died, Christmas wasn't the same. We didn't have the same Christmas spirit that we used to have when he was still alive. We didn't gather at their old house anymore so we had Christmas dinner at our place. It was my grandmother who made our Christmas special. She would always take out the decorations and encouraged me to participate in the preparations. It was during this time that I started baking and helping out in the kitchen. This time, I was happy to try out new things like my fudge chocolate cake and my infamous lasagna. Ham, bacon and hotdogs were a staple and my grandmother would make her famous humba and estofado. Yumm yumm! We invited everyone for Christmas dinner and we also had the fireworks; our very own Christmas tradition.

There is no Christmas like a Filipino Christmas. With me in another country, I can only wish that I was back home...if only in my dreams...