A joyous holiday celebration? Ah! It was a Merry Christmas in 2023 and a Happy New Year 2024 at home as I celebrated it with my family and loved ones.
My family and I celebrated Christmas and welcomed New Year with memorable moments not to mention that we had a tradition of preparing sumptuous foods or whatever dishes we could prepare at the table.
On the evening before Christmas and New Year, we always start the festivity by visiting the Church to attend Mass. As a Catholic, the Nativity scene or the Christmas Belen was displayed at church and I love capturing it every time.
When the mass ended, I was able to take a moment of photo opportunity as the portion with the dazzling Christmas ornaments. And here I was in my pink dress when the mass ended at 11:30 pm on the 24th of December.
Merry Christmas 2023!
After going to church, we gathered with our extended family and loved ones to share a festive meal. The dining table was displayed with many mouth-watering Filipino delicacies and foodies. During Christmas, I only prepared the sweet-style spaghetti, grilled fish, and creamy elbow macaroni salad, and all of the dishes were ordered from a catering service.
From the Lechon belly or roast belly to the delectable seafood, and a variety of meat and vegetable recipes, I was so full and I had a great time dining with my family when we had our dining together on midnight of the Christmas Day the flavorful and traditional dishes that made the occasion happier.
And Christmas would not be complete without the delicious festive Christmas Cake. It is a creamy butter cake with almonds and all succulent fruit toppings just like sliced Kiwis, oranges, cherries, and as well as chocolates and cheese.
Aside from the Christmas cake, there were also sweets and desserts just like leche flan, macaroons, chocolate cake, cheese sticks, and brownies. And then beverages like Fundador and Jack Daniels for my brother.
The foodies were all delicious. With the presence of the Lechon belly, the mixed vegetable salad, roast beef, fish fillet, fish escabeche, fried chicken, chicken cordon, and Filipino-style spaghetti.
And then we had parlor games and exchanging of gifts. I have the gifts for my loved ones and as a tradition, we open them together on the 25th of December. Before giving to them, we had an exchange of messages and gratitude to everyone. And I stood in front of the Christmas tree with a candid pose while being excited for the gifts to be given to them. And everybody had big smiles after opening them, although I was not able to capture the moment.
Happy New Year 2024!
Just like the tradition that we had during Christmas, we went to Church and attended the pre-New Year mass which ended at 11:30 pm. When we all went home, we prepared the food at the table with all the beliefs and luck for 2024.
We prepared delicious treats for the new year just like the presence of the 13 kinds of fruits, and a variety of delectable recipes and treats. We had a different preparation in terms of food compared to Christmas and New Year. But the roast pig or the Lechon belly would always be present.
The New Year Cake was so delicious since it was a Triple Moist Chocolate Cake. I ate many slices of cake including other sweets such as cheesecake, creamy macaroni salad, various Pinoy Kakanin, mango float, and many more. I must say that I was so full during New Year too.
We also observe the 13 kinds of fruits on the table during New Year as part of our tradition. And that, each fruit is believed to bring a prosperous blessing for the upcoming days of the year, especially wealth and abundance.
As my grandmother often believed in preparing the 13 kinds of round fruits on the table for more wealth, but it was difficult to find all-round fruits in 13 varieties, so I had a bunch of various shapes but most of the fruits were round.
And while we were having a celebration, I could also hear the loud music, the defeaning cheers from our neighbors along with the fireworks in the sky.
With the joyous celebration that we had, these moments were also beautiful memories to be grateful for all the blessings received for the year 2023. And as the New Year has started, I am always wishing for a more prosperous 2024, while leaving behind the breakdowns and breakthroughs that we once had.
And that the holiday season was not only about the festivity but also the faith belief, the spirit of giving, and the wonderful gift of a happy family. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024 to one and all!
Disclaimer: All texts and pictures are my own unless otherwise stated.
