Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Wriggly's Tree!!!

My Christmas tree at home is not a traditional one.



I made it for Wriggly!



I have had it for a few years now.  Mom used to decorate our tree each year with different color themes, Oriental, Lavender, Blue and Silver, Rust, etc....  But since she passed away, I  opted for something  so out of the norm.... I made a tree with DOGS!!!


We do miss Mom so much, we had the best Christmas celebrations with her.  But in our own special way, we made our Christmas meaningful and fun. 

My friends were texting me and imagining what I was preparing for Noche Buena.  They said, I must be cooking up a storm.  On the contrary, our Christmas Eve meal, if you can call it a meal, was very simple.  It was more of a midnight snack.

Tita Portia and I heard mass at 8:00 p.m. then shared a simple late evening meal.  We invited a couple of neighbors to join us this year.

I only prepared Chicken Relleno  http://liasfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/happy-fiesta-to-me.html



and bought Chocolate Ensaimada from Bizu.

I like to eat my relleno with gravy




and jellied cranberry sauce.



Tita Portia made Potato Salad.

It was a fun evening and we enjoyed ourselves.

We celebrated Christmas lunch with the whole family.  Again, not too much food but just a whole Lechon and Nilgang Manok for my niece, Gilly, who does not eat Lechon.



We went uptairs to the house of PD for dessert, ice cream and chocolate covered marshmallows,



and to open our presents.


We started unwrapping from the youngest to the oldest.  It was a very long process because we watched each one as they opened their gifts.

Renzo - PD tricked him.

Gave him a box of cookies....



Obviously, he did not like it.  LOL



Was happy when he got his Dragon Universe.





Gilly was excited to open her loot.





I gave Sophie a panini maker



and her smile got bigger when she got her tower of gifts from PD.



Our Kuya Nicky is so big already!!!!  The eldest and most favorite grandchild of my Mom.





My X-mas presents....








Ate Gina





Kuya Raul





Butch - husband of Ate





PD





I just noticed each one of us had genuine smiles of delight no matter how simple our gifts to each other were.

The real meaning of Christmas for the whole family is being together sharing special happy moments.