Everyday is a NEW day!

10 things I love about the holidays here in Davao:

1. No traffic! As in. Everywhere in Davao. Sheer BLISS!
2. No super long lines at the department stores. Even during midnight madness. No pushing, shoving, glaring. Welcome to the world of civilized shopping.
3. CHEAP food, drinks, fruits, desserts, gifts. Eat and drink all you can reigns supreme! Ice cold beer for less than P30.00. Lots of gift options for all price ranges.
4. SANTOS family (Francisco-Ines branch) Christmas dinner at Tito Pacquings and Tita Nen's. This get-together with Mark's closest relatives is just one in the almost monthly get-togethers we have with them, usually swings between Tito Nick's and Tito Pacquing's. Mahjong, tong-its, laro, kain, tawanan, kantyawan. Busog talaga! Ang sarap ng lechon tupa!
5. SANTOS Clan Christmas party. Another annual event. Big crowd, lots of relatives, food, games, prizes, picture-taking. This year, it was held at the Santos-owned Forest Hill Resort. So may swimming din. Mega pig-out sa lechon baka!
6. 4th Generation Santos Christmas Party (annual na sana...), the first-ever! Kahit na ako ay hindi tunay na Santos, he he, feeling pa rin naman ako at mega-siksik sa mga cousins-in-law. BONDING is the key word, followed by fun, noise, laughter, lots of free day-old food and booze, tagaka, KARAOKE, falling down, earthquakes, MTS and SORE EYES!
7. CLUB X Christmas get-together. At Pepper and Peppers, owned by the Triumvirate of Mike Sy, Karloz Alba, and John Obsines, all badminton afficionados. The Magdalo-inspired group ate, ate, ate... drank, drank, drank. May exchange gifts pa. Kawawa ang baby ko, siyempre, handmaid ang regalo... para ONE-OF-A-KIND!
8. Gift-giving (this year, it's soft dough-choco chip cookies) and gift-receiving, he he. Nambudbod kami ni Mark ng Christmas cookies sa lahat ng kamag-anak at kaibigan (sorry po sa hindi nakatanggap). Our place smelled great! Ang bango talaga pag nagba-bake. Nag-sampling na rin, para sa aming homemade pizza. Nakakuha rin ng orders para sa cookies and pizza so happy ako... at si Mark, op cors.
9. Christmas Ham... chinese, fiesta, and according to Keri, casino ham. Dave loves bacon but come December, its ham fever for all of us. Natatabunan ang favorite!
10. Spending the holidays with my family, MARK, DAVE and KERI, in myriad ways. Christmas here in Davao is more-relaxed, less stressful, because we have more time to do stuff with the kids.

10 things I HATE about the holidays here in Davao:

1. I miss my siblings... Atching Beth, Atching Jenny, Kong Tony, Atching Carol, Atching Mans, Atching Mariel, Kong Lawrence; my extended family: Atching Lisa and Ruby, and all their familes. Hay... there's always a hole in my heart no matter how gay the celebrations are, there's a time-counting, event-clocking part of me that keeps track of the movements of my siblings on the other side of the country, trying to hear the sounds of what seems like a million kapampangans all talking at the same time, updating each other, having fun, just being.
2. I don't get to have breakfast at the Ayson's (Mang Ting's)... yummy treats, from mga kakanin na suman and biko, cassava cakes, to heavenly ensaymadas, cupcakes. The best way to start Christmas mornings!
3. I don't get to attend the TORRES Reunion. Sigh! These are the relatives I grew up with, aunts who stood as my mothers and later on, uncles who became my fathers na rin. The cousins I played with in the family compound, the same ones I shared scrapes, bruises and fights with. Sila ang mga kasama kong naliligo sa ulan, naglalaro hanggang takipsilim, sumasayaw, kumakanta, nakikiaway sa mga Galang at kung sino-sino pa.
4. I don't get to spend time with my TIMBOL cousins. Especially with Gay, my BFF. Bapang Greg's luncheon at the old house of Lolo Gorio and Apung Pelang. I love seeing Kong Ike here. I miss the little lechon, he he, and the group pictures. Just love looking at that old desk where young pictures of us all are kept. Dinner at Imang Celia's, where all the food is simply great! Talks with her that are filled with lessons. The great gathering at her big sala, the big tree with all the lights, the heart-to-heart talks with Gay, about anything and everything!
5. I don't get to eat TIBOK-TIBOK from Susie's! My absolute favorite in the whole wide world! I salivate just thinking about it. really!
6. I miss my siblings... again!
7. Not having a get-together with Mark's UST friends. Sina Creza, Cindy, Beni, Thess. Of course, pati sina Ela. Though nag-splinter na ang group because of distance and other commitments, we still try to keep in touch with each other. They're Mark's friends, but I always felt welcome in their midst, and I consider them my closest friends na rin.
8. I miss the holiday lights in Manila. We'd do joyrides everywhere, end up in subdivisions where lights were spectacular. Roxas Blvd and Makati, ablaze with millions of lights. Christmas spirit!
9. No overnighters at Mans, my other BFF, and super kapatid. She's the one who worries about me, in good and bad times. I love her place! The furniture, the books casually strewn around, the bottles and bottles of wine! Whenever I spend the night with her, I don't let her sleep! I chatter and chatter next to her, and I am relentless, even when I see her owlishly blinking and yawning away! Mega-talk to death.
10. I miss my siblings... still. And the great horde of nephews, nieces and now, 1 apo! Hearing oi, Monette! Or Tita Mons! The talks about what's up, who's down, anong bago, anong luma. Sinong payat, mataba, malusog, malaki, nagdi-diet. Eating and eating with them all. Sleeping in whoever's house we end up in, camping style. Bedrooms filled to capacity, mattresses and blankets laid out on the floors, long lines at the bathrooms, hour-long meals... laughter, shrieks and shouts of laughter....