A Look Back on Holidays 2013

Can you believe the holidays are over? The past three weeks leading into the Christmas and New Year's celebration happened as a blur. However, that does not mean that I was unable to make the most of the holidays and take it in. In most cases, that is the only break that we get with a super hectic schedule throughout the year. At the same time, we do not want it to stop because it holds dear memories to all of us, whether current or past holidays.

I feel the same way. Even though the Philippines is known to have the longest Christmas celebration in the world (heads up - celebration or commemoration of the Christmas season embarks on September), it still does not feel long enough. I credit most of that to the value that my family has placed on celebrating the holidays and what it truly means - not just the gifts and the feast! It is a celebration of blessings that we had received throughout the year.

And so, in place of my usual weekly posts on Instagram, I am taking this opportunity to highlight my favorite holidays 2013 memories via Instagram or otherwise.

 Giving Gifts to Loved Ones

Buying gifts has become a holiday tradition in the family. I like to spoil my loved ones particularly my nephew and my niece. But over the years, my family had branched out. We started wrapping gifts for relatives as well. We then put them together under the tree to make it look more festive at home. But this year, I also got my nephew a Christmas sock (due to his insistence) and he was very anxious about digging his hands into the sock for his Christmas surprise. Love it! 

PS - Also brought a surprise to my boyf's family - a dozen cupcakes with adorable Christmas fondant cupcake toppers!

Lunch Dates Tradition

In the 7 years we've been together, we always cherish the moment we get to spend holidays together. This is already our 8th together and yet we still continue on with our tradition - lunch dates. The Christmas and New Year's Eve are spent with our respective families, that's why. But we still love the quality time we get to spend together during this special time of the year.

Quality Time Off

A refreshing drink. Play time with my nephew and niece. My favorite show. What else can I ask for?

Beef Lasagna

Chicken Salad Croissant

Celebrating Relationship Milestones

Over the holidays, we celebrated our 85th month together! It's crazy how we just celebrated our 7th anniversary and a month had already gone by... but this certainly called for celebration! We also got click-happy over these adorable display of Sanrio characters!

New Year, New Start

2014 is a brand new start for me. I have plenty of goals set up and it literally signals a fresh start to make those goals happen. To say I am excited is an understatement.

If you want to see bits and pieces of my life (of which I share a few moments of), be sure to stay connected with me on Instagram. You can find me here.

What's your favorite memory of the 2013 holidays?