A Christmas to Remember or Forget?

A lot was accomplished over the Christmas season this year. Many good memories and a few I'd prefer to forget were parts of our Christmas 2021. I sincerely hope that your Christmas went extraordinarily well and that you were able to celebrate with family and friends and enjoy some good food.

Typhoon Odette

This is one of the memories I'd prefer to forget. Over 400 people lost their lives right before Christmas. Scores of people remain missing, which doesn't bode well, especially for worried family members. The memories of the survivors will be forever etched in their minds each and every Christmas as they recall the loss of loved ones and mourn.

I really don't want to go into details as to what my husband and I did for the victims, but suffice it to say we had a bigger Christmas season expense helping others out. The image above is from a sister in Christ and their church in Bohol that was totally destroyed.

Husband?

Yes. I finally got married. It was a small but solemn wedding on the beach. As far as the honeymoon goes, we have delayed that until February, as other important matters have arisen that require our attention.

He has officially moved into my place but kept his place in Manila for now. At least there will be no more traveling except when we go on our honeymoon. We are also considering a move and buying a condo, though I am reluctant to move away from my friends and beach life. As a consequence, we are considering a place in Tagaytay overlooking the Taal volcano.

Christmas 2021

Our Christmas plans did not all go according to our wishes. Our son became ill and had to be taken to the doctor twice. We Filipinos prefer to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. That was our plan, but by 9 p.m we were too exhausted to follow through because of our sick son.

Christmas Day was fast and furious. Our son was feeling much better and gladly ripped his gifts open.

He received plenty of things from "Santa" and loved his bike. We got a few good laughs in when he opened his gifts of clothing. He just tossed them aside and went looking for toys. Not all gifts are shown.

I received some very special things as well and am thankful for all of them.

Fireworks

What was surprising to us was the dire lack of fireworks this year. Typically there are so many you kind of just shrug them off and don't even look outside. This year we saw nothing. Apparently there was one small display but we missed it as we were asleep.

I really do not understand why the government has to stick its nose into everyone's business as it pertains to fireworks. Sure, people are injured every year, mostly due to carelessness. But why punish the entire country for the safety of a few?

As far as I am concerned, it's like being forced to wear a diaper, not because you need one, but because other people have conditions such as incontinence, mobility impairment, severe diarrhea or dementia. But I digress.

Work

We were saddled with work right before the holidays. I wasn't able to assist my husband much because of the above-mentioned illness. The extra income sure helped a lot.

Our good friend in town owns a laundry. It's been open for 3 years now. It is a modern facility that does both family and commercial work for resorts and hotels in the area.

We will be assisting him and his partner as they just purchased 30 new commercial washing machines and 30 new commercial dryers. Hubby will be supervising the newly hired crew along with one of the co-owners. They are opening a second laundry location. Meanwhile, I'll be writing for our clients who are trickling in again.

2022

There are no definitive plans for New Year's Eve or day. Hopefully out nearby city will have a fireworks display. Other than that, we are planning a simple meal and some leisurely time on the beach.

Let's all hope and pray that 2022 will be a better year for all and that we will be able to move on from this overhyped pandemic. An amusing meme crossed my Facebook timeline and it read: "Merry Crisis and a Happy New Fear." Both are true. The truth behind the meme was not lost on me.

Overall, I had a Christmas to remember. I remain thankful to Christ Jesus who brought my family and others through their various trials. I'll enter 2022 with my head lifted up and with a positive attitude. I hope you will join me in in this positivity. Advance Happy 2022!