It’s almost half past 1pm and I’m finally sitting down to “write”. Not that I’ve been crazy busy this muggy Sunday but I’ve been taking things easy and trying to enjoy Sunday indoors.
My Christmas tree lights are up and half my Christmas ornaments are hanging on one side of the tree. I let Angelo take a stab at hanging them, so they sort of got all bunched up on one side of the tree most accessible to an almost 4-ft tall eight-year-old. The Dad noticed, and I immediately said I will “fix it” when I get the chance to bring the rest of the ornaments down later.
I have my Christmas card to assemble which was inspired by a Mega Christmas Artist Trading Card swap I did a parol-inspired ATC for (shown on the left). I know most people would ask why I even bother, but the truth is it’s been part of a holiday routine for me for years and years now and I like being able to put out something unique that truly comes from us. We’ve started receiving Christmas cards from the usual friends and I will fix them up on the upper staircase landing in the shape of a Christmas tree as I have done in previous years.
The eggs for my leche flan have arrived, and I’m mulling about doing a sans rival cake to put the egg whites to good use. I had attempted this once before and while baking sans rival can really be quite tedious, the results are well worth the effort. (Plus it saves me from wasting half the egg whites because we can only eat so much “diluted” scrambled eggs at a ratio of one egg to three egg whites.) That would be the easier alternative to macarrons which I can do if I could fetch some almond flour from Whole Foods, perhaps.
One week to Christmas and while I’m keeping things simple, I want to make it no less special since this is the first Christmas we’re spending here in the last three years, having spent Christmas 2010 and 2011 in Manila. I miss Manila, of course — but it’s time for another New York Christmas.
Angelo is more “aware” of the holidays and is all excited about wrapping the gifts (and I did promise I’d let him help over the weekend), and he’s been bugging me about what I want. Make up.
We’re thinking of doing new things this Christmas from previous years like maybe doing a Christmas dinner in the city as a family. Perhaps the start of a new tradition between the three of us.
My asthma is finally subsiding… and just in the nick of time before I get into the thick of the preparations for Christmas day itself.
Pinay New Yorker 