2008 Christmas break

I truly love the Christmas season because almost everyone is good to everybody else. Everyone loves to share their blessings simply because it's Christmas. Here's my holiday season journal.

Dec. 20, Saturday
Sis Jenny invited 3 of us to watch the Paskuhan Festival in Pampanga. She went home ahead so. In the end, Sis Eva was too tired to join, so it was just me and Sis Jennie Anna who went there. This is when the fun started. We took the wrong bus! We passed by the town we had to go to by about 2 towns. When we got to the place where we were supposed to be, we were very hungry, so we had a bonding over dinner at the mall. We were thinking of skipping the show altogether, the major reason we went there, because the place was very crowded. As we were able to find space, we finished the program until the fireworks display. The lanterns were just awesome!
We went to Sis Jenny's place shared cake with her family then slept at 2:00 a.m.

Dec. 21, Sunday
We woke up late, ate a very delicious tall glass of halo-halo then went back to Manila.
As soon as I arrived, I dropped off my things then went to the mall with my mom. I was able to do my Christmas shopping only this day! I was able to buy toys for my brothers, nephew and nieces.
I looked for my mom's favorite perfume and reserved it because, as it was expensive, I was short on cash.
We went home so I could drop off my things, left my mom at home, and headed off to another mall to buy more presents.

Dec. 22, Monday
I reported for work and a good friend told me to drop by his office as he will give me a gift! As I needed to go back to the mall to buy my mom's perfume I reserved, and as I didn't want to simply get my gift and leave him empty-handed, I wasn't able to claim my gift.

Dec. 23, Tuesday
My friend was supposed to wait for me in his office after 5:00 p.m. so we could exchange gifts but was driven out by the security guards at 4:00 p.m. as office hours ended at 12:00 noon.
He called me up that night and we agreed to see each other during the Christmas break.
I received a text message from my VP checking if I would report for work the next day. She needed me to work on her powerpoint presentation.

Dec. 24, Wednesday
In the office, I lacked the materials for inclusion in the presentation so I went home at 3:00 p.m. When I got there, the whole family was present.
In the last 2 years, we checked into hotels New Year's eve so the kids could swim and enjoy the fireworks display sans the noise and smoke. This year, we decided to skip it for economic reasons. My heart went to my nephew when he said he was looking forward to checking into a hotel on new year's eve. I joked that if he would give me the money everyone gave him for Christmas, we could do it. He gave me all the cash he had, P370.00.

Christmas Day
It was a very traditional day for us. We went to my tita's house as our dear Lola was there. We had lunch then gift-giving. The whole time, family members took turns singing along the videoke while others danced to ballroom music. To say that everyone was happy is an understatement.

Dec. 27, Saturday
I met with a friend, ate dinner then watched Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat. We had a good laugh.

Dec. 28, Sunday
I couldn't forget how my nephew looked when he told me he wanted to check into a hotel on new year's eve so we decided to do it again. After calling up a few hotels, my sister-in-law booked a room for us at the Renaissance Hotel.

Dec. 29, Monday
We paid the reservation fee and shopped for things to bring to the hotel. My mom had the flu but she tried her best to pace herself so she join in all our activities.

Dec. 30, Tuesday
We checked into the hotel, roamed around Makati, took out KFC for dinner, watched TV while the kids enjoyed the bathtub then went to sleep.

Dec. 31, Wednesday
The kids went swimming, we had lunch treated by my youngest brother, the kids swam again in the afternoon, we dined out at dinner then watched the fireworks display.

New Year's Day
The kids swam for about an hour, we had brunch then checked out.

January 3, Saturday
My mom still has the colds but she's feeling a little bit better now.

Though the break was 12 days, I was never bored because I rarely stayed at home. Bonding moments and days with the family were well-spent. I didn't even have the time to read books. It was a well-enjoyed break.

May you be blessed

May you be blessed with all things good. May your joys, like the stars at night, be too numerous to count. May your victories be more abundant than all the grains of sand on all the beaches, on all the oceans in all the world. May lack and struggle be absent from your life and may beauty order and abundance be your constant companions. May every pathway you choose lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.

May every doubt and fear be replaced by a deep abiding trust as you behold evidence of a Higher Power all around you. And when there is only darkness and the storms of life are closing in, may the light at the core of your being illuminate the world.

May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure and may you be willing to love unconditionally in return.

May you always feel protected and cradled in the arms of God, like the cherished child you are. And when you are tempted to judge, may you be reminded that we are all one and that every thought you think reverberates across the universe touching everyone and everything. And when you are tempted to hold back, may you remember that love flows best when it flows freely and it is in giving that we receive the greatest gift.

May you always have music and laughter and may a rainbow follow every storm. May gladness wash away every disappointment. May joy dissolve every sorrow and may love ease every pain. May every wound bring wisdom and may every trial bring triumph and with each passing day, may you live more abundantly than the day before.

This is my heartfelt wish for you.

May you be blessed and may others be blessed by you. May you be blessed with all things good.

KATE NOVAK (www.mayyoubeblessedmovie.com)