Wonderland

We were at Emporium yesterday and we saw their Christmas decor. We couldn't resist taking pictures.
a
a
a
a
I think no other holiday makes us giddy with excitement like Christmas. Aly loves it; no doubt about that, but it also seems to bring out the kid in Richard and me.
a
a
I can't wait to go home. Christmas is best enjoyed in the company of family and friends.

My Happy Thought

This never fails to make me smile:

a
a

Aly and Richard dancing to Michael Jackson.
a
aTrying to do that famous anti-gravity lean from Smooth Criminal -- with the help of daddy, of course. (Pardon the blurry pics, my camera skills are getting rusty. Need to practice more!)
a
aAly's got the moves!
a
aBig hug from daddy.
a
aShe can't stop dancing!
a
a

Richard and I were pleasantly surprised at how good Aly was at dancing! Gayang-gaya nya talaga ang dance steps ni MJ. No surprise there, since she watches her MJ DVD's practically every single day.
a
a
It was a fun night. It's my happy thought and it still works like magic :)

Gifts

The past week was very productive! I ticked off a lot of to-do's in our Christmas list: Christmas gift shopping is 98% done (save for a few more gifts that will have to wait for the weekend because I can only buy them at Chatuchak), bought the gift bags, printed our tags and I tied all the ribbons for our gifts as well.
a
a
On Sunday, Richard and I bought our "secret" gift for our dear daughter. This week, I am aiming to finish my gift shopping and to buy Richard's Christmas gift.
a
a
Hay...it was tiring -- had to juggle gift shopping with my household chores, went to Chinatown twice, and practically visited all the malls in Siam -- but I am very happy and fulfilled :)
a
a
Anyway, Aly and I finished wrapping her gifts for her classmates.
a
a

She calls them lunch bags, but the contents are far from edible.
a
aThey may look simple, just brown paper bags, ribbons, tags and tiny green wooden sipit...but all these were made with love by me and Aly. Each bow was carefully tied by me and inspected by Aly...the tags were cut individually and the design was a collaboration between mother and daughter.
a
aOur tags are printed, including the recipient's name. Heehee!
a
a

I love Christmas! I love gifts and I love wrapping them more :)

Table Setting by Aly

My darling six-year-old set the dinner table all by herself last night! She did everything on her own: getting the place mats from the drawer, carrying the plates and utensils from the cupboards...my only participation was I got the glasses for her because she couldn't reach the upper cupboards yet.

a
a

Aly's work.
a
aMay kasama pang dessert. Wheee!
a
a

I love how Aly sets the table...the small details like the folded napkin, the chocolate...it truly is a labor of love. I'm a proud mom :)

Trees

Christmas 2008: our tiny pink tree.
a
aToday: tiny pink tree is lonely no more :)
a
a

I wish we had more space at home. Aly would definitely love to have a bigger Christmas tree -- oooh, how I'd love to have a big, bright orange tree at home as well! Ngayon pa na alam ko na magpunta sa Sampeng Lane in Chinatown, where everything is crazy cheap. More space = more decorations. But space is limited, so I just have to make do with table top trees for now.
a
a

I added the masks that we used during last week's party as well, para naman hindi masyadong masayang ang effort ko to make them. Heehee!
a
a

Paskong-pasko na talaga!! 23 days to go na lang! :)

Christmas Resolutions

My ultimate Christmas notebook that contains our gift list, holiday to-do's, anything and everything Christmas-related; my handy dandy calculator (a must for Christmas shopping!) and my pens.
a
a

Is there such thing as Christmas resolutions? Well, if it took you five days to wrap 30 kilos worth of gifts last year, you are definitely bound to come up with one. Heehee!
a
a
I told my dear hubby that I'm planning to keep things simple for Christmas this year because I don't want to stress myself too much. I also want to enjoy my time with family and friends. So, in order for me to savor the holidays, here are my Christmas resolutions for 2009:
a
a
#1 - Gift wrapping should be simple and easy because I refuse to waste precious vacation days wrapping Christmas gifts! I'm also planning to use earth friendly paper bags and ribbons. I'll just slip the presents in, seal the bag, and I'm done! No more boxes and scotch tape for me!
a
a
#2 - This year, I'm setting a budget for our gifts. Last year, I didn't and it was crazy! Really crazy, but it was lots of fun. Heehee! Now, I took the initiative to set a budget, and so far so good! I am halfway through my shopping and I'm proud to say that I haven't gone over yet. *beams* :)
a
a
#3 - Gifts should be light, compact and suitcase friendly. My husband has now imposed a three-suitcase allowance for our family everytime we travel (compared to the five suitcases that we brought home last year!) so our gifts should be easy to squeeze in our luggage along with two-weeks worth of clothes for three. It's also good because it helps me stay within the budget. Hehe!
a
a
Funny how these resolutions are supposed to simplify things for me, but it's not as easy as it looks. First, paper bags are sold by 50's or 100's so the gifts should be roughly the same size so I can limit my bags to two different sizes. Second, finding the perfect gift is not that easy! Especially when you are bound by budget. Haha! I love how it challenges me, though. It puts my imagination and creativity into full gear:)