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Tag: family

  • A Wonderful Traditional Christmas with Family and Friends!

    It’s the time of the year when we celebrate Christmas! A holiday that is filled with bright colors, feasts, a Christmas tree, lights, decorations, gifts and more. More importantly, a moment to cherish and spend time with family and friends. A holiday celebrated by many cultures and adapted to their traditional customs. Indeed, a special Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. 

    In previous years, we’ve been invited to my uncle and aunt’s house for Christmas Eve. There would be a huge gathering of families, most of whom are my uncle’s side of the family, including friends and colleagues. It was a great time that brought happiness and memorable moments. We danced, sang, prayed, dined, exchanged gifts and did all sorts of activities. 

    How Are We Celebrating Christmas? 

    We are celebrating Christmas at home this year. Recently, my mom’s baby Jesus arrived from Mexico from my grandmother’s home. In her early teens while in Mexico, she always dreamed of having one of her own because visiting nearby families all had a baby Jesus. Everyone in her community will walk out with their baby Jesus and head to a local church for it to be blessed, in which people will sing and pray together. Children, especially adults are welcomed to their nearby neighbors and families homes to visit their baby Jesus nativity scenes. At their visit, food is prepared for anyone to eat, especially candies are given to children who come by their doors. It’s indeed a marvelous day for both Mexico and religious traditions. 

    Throughout Christmas, we are going to spend it the same, and it will be our first experience. Well, our first experience at our home. We invited a few friends, and family members. My father, brothers and I own acoustic guitars and will be playing while we all are singing, praying, and my younger sister will be gentle rocking baby Jesus, and give him a loving kiss.

    Wishing you all a Precious Happy Holidays!

  • A Special Day for Gratitude & Family!

    Thanksgiving is a special holiday to express gratitude, reconnect, and share wonderful memories together. It’s the opportunity for spending time with family, families, and friends. Of course, each family has their own way of celebrating thanksgiving, particularly through their distinctive cultures and traditional feasts. 

    How Was Our Day? & What Did We Do for Thanksgiving?  

    Well, our day went like this. We all woke up and said good morning greetings to one another as usual, followed by our daily morning routine. My father was required to work, but lucky enough his boss allowed him to leave two hours early. My brothers and I had the day off from work and school, especially my younger sisters. My bros and I took our furry companion for a stroll in our local nearby park about 6-8 minutes from our home. We had a great early morning, taking our dog for a stroll in the park and running, which is something we rarely do together. Therefore, my sisters were aiding my mother in preparing for the afternoon holiday feast. Though, I’ll love to continue, but here was a bit of an overview on our morning. 

    This Thanksgiving, we are celebrating alongside our aunt, uncle, and younger cousin. And we’re looking forward to spending time with them!

    My family is from Mexico, and my mother, sisters and aunt prepared a variety of delicious traditional Mexican dishes. For instance, pozole, roast pork (with added potatoes, carrots, some add in juices for flavor) types of salsas, tortilla chips, tostadas, mexican rice, to name a few.  For desserts, we had homemade chocolate brownies, caramel flan, and Mexican rice pudding with cinnamon. Our furry pals also had tasty meals too!

    We enjoyed a wonderful night of sharing memories, expressing gratitude to one another, playing board games, and listening to music in the background while communicating and sharing moments of laughter and happiness!

    Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!

  • I See Warmth in Snowfall

    I don’t think I know how to celebrate Christmas. The little snippets I get of this specific holiday is through television, and it always looked like such a gentle holiday. There’s a pine tree adorned with ornaments, a wreath (not reef), hot chocolate, sweaters, friends, family and a big meal. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Like all the good things in the world and nothing hurts. I would love to celebrate the holiday when I’m older, gather my two best friends and experience that golden warm feel. Maybe it could go something like this:

    There Would Be A Tree in Our Living Room

    There would be a tree in our living room. It would be the most perfect tree, meticulously picked out. It would smell like pine and there would be shiny baubles and bright lights. A star would sit at the very top of the branches. Under the tree would be presents wrapped in pretty paper with bows on top.

    And There Would Be Hot Chocolate

    And there would be hot chocolate. We would heat up some milk and pour it over pieces of chocolate. Then we would add marshmallows and whipped cream and cinnamon sticks. It would taste sweet on our tongues and settle warm in our bellies. The smell of chocolate would linger in the air, a steady reminder of gentle times.

    There Would Be Sweaters

    There would be sweaters. They would wrap us up in softness and warmth. The cold would be left outside and we would be without a care in the world. I can almost feel the yarn against my skin. I can almost feel the fuzzy fibers wrapping gently around me. And we would be in sweatpants and fuzzy socks. I can almost feel Christmas, all comforting and serene.

    And There Would Be Three

    And there would be three. There would be three girls and three mugs. There would be three chairs at the table and three plates. Three sets of utensils and three voices.

    This is what Christmas would look like to me. It would be cold outside, but so very warm inside.

    Happy Holidays

    Remember to be with your loved ones. Or you could give them a call. Write them a letter, I guess.

    And, Merry Christmas.

  • Take Time to Travel and Get Packing!

    Taking time to travel with family, friends, or yourself is a way to depart from everyday life stress. Traveling allows us the opportunity to recharge and refresh our minds. And for many reasons, the opportunity to create wonderful memories, building bonds, and moments of joy.

    The previous post on “Spend Good Quality Time with A Destination to San Diego, California”, where I talked about this destination (specifically Balboa Park) for a family vacation over the summer and the endless explorations of activities for families or with friends. Of course, especially yourself if you are planning a solo trip. Anyone can appreciate the fun of this popular tourist destination. 

    Now moving forward, today’s post will be about packing for our visit to San Diego. Probably the first thing to consider is the weather. Is the weather warm or cool? Therefore, depending on the season you are planning your trip. My family and I are planning to travel this summer. While reading online, San Diego’s climate varies during the summer as it can get both warm and cool. 

    So, packing light clothes such as shorts, t-shirts, tanks, tank tops, short sleeve tops, sundresses, swimsuits/swimwear are good choices for warm climates. For cool climates (seems to occur throughout the evenings) packing long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, light cardigans, comfortable hoodies, jeans/pants are good options in keeping comfy. Moreover, packing a comfortable walking pair of shoes, sandals, flip flops, and sneakers based on the occasion. By the way, bringing sunscreen is essential to protect your skin from the UV rays, in which sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat are recommended too! Additionally, packing toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, tweezers, along with electronics like chargers, backup chargers, and cameras. More importantly, pack necessary medications, for instance my sisters and mother often have motion sickness, so we’ll pack over the counter dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and allergy medications, including a first aid kit.

    Quite a packing I’ll say, ha-ha. But it’s worth it, when it’s about having fun and creating memorable experiences with family! Makes life happier with your loved ones, indeed.

  • It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

    Although celebrating Thanksgiving with friends was fun, I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my family. Many families celebrate Christmas differently and again, because my family comes from Mexico, we tend to focus more on Christmas Eve. This is also due to religious reasons. My mom tends to decorate the house and makes it look like a Christmas workshop. It can be quite overwhelming but still very festive and beautiful. My favorite decoration is always the Christmas tree! She keeps it very traditional. It’s always green and has hints of red, gold, and white. She always makes sure to include any ornaments my brother and I have made.

    On Christmas Eve we tend to stay up past midnight. We start our night off by enacting the birth of Jesus. We carry a porcelain baby Jesus, pray, and lull it to “sleep” before finally placing it on a nativity scene. We then eat and pass around bags filled with holiday treats known to us as “aguinaldos navideños”,  to children and adults if there are any left over. The children usually light up party sparklers at the end of the night too. We usually stay up dancing and talking well into Christmas morning. The children usually make an attempt to stay up past midnight so that they have a chance to open their presents. My family and I have celebrated Christmas this way since I was a child, I wouldn’t change a thing about it but I would suggest adding a new tradition.

    New Traditions?

    I have always wanted my family and I to participate in a secret santa. I have always felt that there was pressure from each adult to get every single family member their own present. This can be costly and stressful during the holiday season. I think secret santa is a great way that everyone can end up with a present without the stress and over spending. After all, the holidays are about spending time with loved ones and creating valuable memories together.

  • Spend Good Quality Time with A Destination to San Diego, California

    I have several places in mind for future destinations, in which I have yet to experience. However, one of the places on my bucket list is visiting San Diego, California. San Diego, California is a city known for top attractions in the arts, activities, food, beautiful nature surroundings, and more. It’s a great destination to plan for a summer vacation as the weather is terrific and the peak of the season for travelers to have a good time.

    A tourist attraction to look forward to, while in San Diego, California is Balboa Park! Oh my, just looking at the photographs online makes me excited! Truly remarkable architecture, and green space. And filled with a myriad of activities for families or with friends. It’s like a WOW! Almost as if you can spend your whole vacation in Balboa Park.

    Are you in your wonders? Because I am! Things to experience in this marvelous place, is the endless of explorations ranging from museums (18 museums!), well-known San Diego Zoo (home to rare and endangered animals), activities such as hiking, carousel, going for a walk around the gardens (such as Botanical Buildings and Lily Pond or Japanese Friendship Garden), and last but not least a pleasant time of entertainment of performing arts. It’s a dream vacation my family and I are planning for a summer vacation.

    Traveling is a wonderful way to give yourself, family, or friends a relaxing, explorative, enjoyable, or connect with each other experience. Traveling is all about happiness and having fun, indeed. And definitely place a positive impact on your wellbeing, especially your health. Planning a vacation destination varies from person to person and depends on personal preferences and interest. If you are planning a vacation with your loved ones or with friends, it’s best to plan and decide together.

    Is there a dream destination you have yet to experience?