My Top Three Favorite Christmas Memories

I have been reminiscing about my memories of Christmas past and I realize how I miss having a proper Christmas celebration. You know, the kind where you have the whole clan on Christmas Eve, dressed up in red or green getting ready for grandma’s big, sumptuous dinner. The house would be decked out with the latest Yuletide décor complete with tiny, golden lights. The kids would be near the tree preoccupied with trying to guess what kind of gifts they are going to receive while the adults are busy catching up on gossip. In the background, you can hear Johnny Mathis or Bing Crosby sing a classic carol.

Ah, those were the days! Lately, I have noticed that I have mostly used Christmas as an excuse to travel. It’s a slow time and it’s the end of the year, so it makes sense to use those vacation days. Doesn’t it seem so much more magical when we were kids and we didn’t have to worry about the expense associated with this particular holiday? Hmmm, I guess on first thought it would seem that way--digging deeper, I have had as much fun and "magic" celebrating Christmas in a non-traditional manner. So for this post, I'm sharing my top three favorite Christmas memories.

Memory#1 The one with the ants

I was thirteen and I think I was the only girl in my class that still believed in Santa. I've managed to block the speculations and the hearsay because that year I decided to ask for the impossible. A cat. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but my family, especially my mom, is strictly a dog family. For some reason, I got it in my head that having a cute fluffy Persian cat was THE thing to have. I decided to craft a very long letter complete with a photocopied picture of the cat that I wanted. I made a solid case as to why I should get a kitty this year and how I was going to be so responsible with taking care of it. As I stuffed pages of my letter into my sock I caught a glimpse of a pack of Chips Ahoy cookies and had a light-bulb moment. I grabbed a piece of cookie and added it into the sock thinking that it would be a nice finishing touch. Lo and behold I woke up to my mom the next morning shrieking: "Oh my god, what iiiissss thisssssss?" I ran out to where the tree was and an army of red ants were making trails all over it. It didn't take long for her to figure out who the culprit was. Hehehe. So for my last Christmas I think I got a wad of cash in an envelope and a revelation about the identity of Santa (boo!). Well, it was good while it lasted.

Memory#2 The one with the chicken curry

The past couple of weeks, I have been busy preparing a Christmas Eve menu. Somehow I felt that one of the things that one should accomplish in their 30s is a full-course holiday meal. I don't know how I could have forgotten, but I have already managed to cook a full meal in the past. A long time ago before I left the Philippines, I took a month off from work and lived on the island of Boracay. There I met a lot of new friends from all over the world. Flash forward to two years later, I was living in Michigan and decided to spend Christmas in the Big Apple. By coincidence, some of my new friends had decided to do the same thing and we had agreed to get together for Christmas and New Year's Eve. So we did and since I was still very much fresh off the boat I didn't know how to cook turkey or ham. I went for chicken curry and flavored rice. I forget what the appetizer and dessert were, but I think I might have successfully pulled the dinner off because everybody ate what I served. Either that or I successfully served the liquor ahead of the meal =) Regardless, it was great to see everybody again and to share memories of our past and most recent adventures.

Memory#3 The one with the surf trip

After almost three years of being away from home, I made my way back to the Philippines in time for Christmas. By then, I was dreaming of white, sandy beaches and warm, ocean water, so I managed to book a short surf trip to the island of Siargao the day after Christmas. Now before I launch into the surf trip story, I just want to emphasize that the best part of this particular Christmas was being able to spend time with my family and friends. I never had a proper going away party so I was not prepared when I went to live in the U.S. It was also the last year I saw my grandmother alive. So I was very, very lucky to have spent some time with her before she passed away. Gosh, now that I've written that down the surf story seems to pale in comparison to that specific memory. What I am going to do though is to link you to that photo set of my trip here. I went solo because everybody else I invited was busy or had no interest to surf. Solo as in alone!!??, you say? A lot of people especially women travel solo and it's really something I recommend you ladies do even once in your life. Not only do you meet a lot of new people, but it makes you realize a lot of things about yourself and life in general.

So those are my top three Christmas memories for now...what's the best one that you've got? Come on now...spill =)

-Grace is a blogger for The Sorbate. Check out her bio to see where her view comes from.