A Belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The Franks Christmas Tree

Wow, time flies! It's my 3rd Christmas here now in the US and so far, it's all been great. I really wish my family (mom, bro and aunt... and dog) was here too, I think that would be perfect! But despite being away from my homeland, everything has been really fun and I'm grateful for having such an amazing family here too.

Christmas reminds me of my Grandpa Jake. This is his holiday. We would set up our small tree, then he puts up all the lights around the house up to the gate. It was magical! I guess that's where my obsession with lights and bokeh came from. I wish I had more pictures back then. We would put up our parol (a "parol" /puh-roll/ is a traditional star-shaped Filipino Christmas decor) and hang our ornaments. Then in the morning we would exchange gifts. I remember he would put away my gifts for him in his cabinet, probably to hoard it hahaha... I guess I know where my hoarding tendencies came from too!

Now that I'm here, Alexbear and I are building our own Christmas traditions.

You see, my dear hubby bear is not the Christmassy type of person. He doesn't really like the occasion and doesn't really care much for it. Now, Christmas is my thing. See, that seems to create a conflict of interest (e.g. The Grinch vs. The Elf). To my surprise, he offered to buy a small tree for this year and wanted to start our Family Christmas Tradition!

My cute little tree! One thing I learned from last year - no more real trees! As much as I love the scent of pine, the needles being every where is just... unbelievable. I still find random pine needles up to date. All from last year! Another trick learned, buy everything after the season! So Alexbear bought me the tree but it wasn't on sale. We're hoping to get a bigger tree now for next year.
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Then one thing I love doing is decorating the house. I still get that feeling like when I was a child and I was playing house with myself (lol, yes with myself because I was 7 years older than Bob and didn't really play with anyone else). Honestly having our own cozy place is like a dream come true. 
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​And part of that dream is to rearrange things, add/remove furniture, decorate the walls and so and so. This time, I moved the tree to the side because I moved the futon by the window so Hans can sit on it while watching people outside... and bork! bork! bork!

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And now presenting this year's ornaments! We wrote the years at the bottom of each item. Last year was R2D2 and BB8. This time, it's furry friends! And Hans... bork. bork. bork. bork.

More Fun Time with Family

 One thing that I'm truly grateful for is having such a loving family here in the US. I know that one thing most people dread is going to their in laws or meeting their spouse/partner's family members. I'm really glad that I have such a sweet family as well.

Jayne, my mom in law, is the best! Just love hanging out with her! While we usually go to her house and/or have double date dinners with Herbie, it's always nice to be over during Thanksgiving and Christmas because she is just an amazing cook! Imagine the pressure Alexbear puts on me when we talk about making casserole lol

The past two years was also financially challenging. To be honest, until now it is - but a lot better! One thing I love doing is giving gifts on Christmas. It just makes me happy, and even if you don't like it oh well haha it still makes me happy. This time we were able to bring a couple of stuff especially for the kids. I guess I just really love seeing people smile. 

Of course, we also got our share and we are super grateful for all they did!

I'm grateful...

To sum it all up, that's all I could think of saying - I'm grateful for all the people around us who have supported our ups and downs. I'm thankful for having such understanding and kind family on both sides, I really couldn't ask for more.

I have to admit, there are struggles along the way. There always are and they will never go away - but I'm glad because we will always overcome and better things will come.
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