Hello, 2006!

There are many things we wish for, and in my case I wished that everyone in the family can be together on Christmas eve. Our youngest sister, her family, and our older brother could not make it, however. But I am still thankful for having everone else around. Plus it's Jo-Lo's first Christmas!
We gathered round the living room and opened the gifts at midnight as is our custom . My niece Gretel used to be the gracious host for randomly picking gifts from the pile and announcing who the recipient and the gift giver is. This time around, my nephew Kyle did the distribution of gifts.

The gifts were opened with oohs and aahs! We usually give gifts to our older sister based on fashion trends. Previously it was this thing that you use to straighten your hair. They had a lot of fun with those after all the gifts were opened. This year, long skirts and curly hair were the fashion. So we gave them those. Straight hair yesterday, curly today. I guess I'll never understand these trends. :-)
That's my father at the back, all covered up. Too cold for him. I don't know what's with the shades, however.

My wife and I had a blast opening our gifts. With matching award-winner photo-shoot!
They had fun trying out their new hair-curling thingamajig. Don't ask why I did not join them :-).

It was quite a busy week for my wife and I, as we went to La Union to visit Tita Rem and distribute gifts on the 26th. We were supposed to leave for Manila on the 27th but wasn't able to because Jo-Lo was nursing a fever. We thought he was teething already, or it was way too cold in my parents' place.
We left on the 27th instead, arriving in Manila in the early morning of the 28th. After a quick stop in the apartment, we headed off to Dolores, Quezon (Tina's hometown) to visit her friends and relatives and distribute gifts. We left for Manila in the afternoon.

I reported for work on the 29th, and we left for Baguio that evening. Whew!


We visited the Cathedral on New Year's Day to give thanks.
My mother-in-law with Jo-Lo and Jay-R.
The Yuletide season is about family and about remembering the birth of our Lord and giving thanks for all our blessings and trials that make us stronger. All the best of 2006 from my family to yours.