Merry Christmas everyone! 

Summer and I had a very low-key Christmas celebration this year despite it being her first. What's more important is that we are together. My husband won't be home to celebrate but we already talked on the phone earlier today. He will be home in about a month's time so I guess we will have a delayed celebration if we want to.  

The Nielsen's

We attended church service last Sunday and decided to go around a bit before going home. Angel and Sam accompanied us. The weather yesterday was better compared to the other days of the week but it rained again around 4PM. Good thing we were already inside the car on the way to Powerplant Mall from BGC when it started to drizzle. 

We walked from our church to Serendra and passed by the very jam-packed Market Market. I decided not to window shop anymore as the throng of people stressed me out. Angel said it was reminiscent of Divisoria. 

We dropped by La Lola Churreria Serendra to try their much-talked about churros. I ordered mix of 12 churros (6 plain and 6 chocolate-coated) with chocolate dip. It set me back Php390. The churros craze has not died down yet and I am honestly a late bloomer. I've been craving for it so much lately. If you think about the ingredients used to make the churros, you would say that what I bought is really overpriced but I guess it's worth the price. I could tell that they used high quality oil (or maybe just new oil) because there was no aftertaste (hindi maanta in Tagalog). 

We then decided to go to Powerplant Mall to meet Santa Claus. Summer cried as soon as I put her on Santa's lap. I guess it was the result of her being sleepy and not used to seeing a big man with white beard. Santa gave her a little sweet treat to calm her down but it didn't help. She was pacified when her ate's joined her beside Santa. 

Does anyone want some sweet kiss from our little darling? 

We had dinner in one of our favorite restaurants and headed home right after. Summer slept on the way home so I guess she's tired thus her mood. 

I can't believe Christmas is just 3 days from now. Are you done with all your Christmas preps? 

This blog post is an offshoot of a planned blog post that I decided not to post because I still believe that sometimes we need to choose our battles and that if we don't have anything nice to say then we better shut up yeah?

I will not erase the draft. Maybe I just need to reword the post so it will not come out like I am an angry and uptight woman. 

The blog post was about my views about the following: 

1. Republic of the Philippines national election 2016 (who am I voting, why I won't vote for Mar Roxas and any other candidate from the Liberal Party, personal views and opinion about the presidential candidates, etc)

2. Refugees in Europe - the influx, the abuse, the real deal

3. Horrendous traffic in Manila - it's the worst traffic situation compared to the other countries that I have visited so far

4. Miss Universe - this one's probably the lightest component but since I already posted my top picks in my Facebook account, I will no longer include this topic should I decide to publish the original blog post for today

5. Why I came out of the cinema disappointed after watching the latest blockbuster (nope, not Star Wars)

Maybe I should stay away from Twitter and maybe even Facebook because I don't want to be influenced and I don't want to read so much hate. I wish I have the power to knock some sense into every social media user including myself sometimes. I need to guard my thoughts from the negativity lurking around.

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicky Laatz

The first time I watched this commercial of a German supermarket, I was a mess. I did not cry, I wept. There was something in the plot that pulled my heartstrings and I am sure it will pull yours too.

The ad shows an elderly man walking inside his home following his dog with his grocery items and then looked out the window while watching his neighbours. The musical scoring was en pointe! He then checks his voicemail and listens to messages from his children informing him that they won't be able to make it to Christmas dinner this year and would try again next year. 

He eats alone... (what a heartbreaking scene). So much feels! My tears started rolling down my cheeks. 

The next scene shows his children in their busy lives reading a card notifying them that their dad has passed. They all travel home and arrive for the funeral. As soon as they walk inside the house, they find that the dining room is all decked for dinner and then their dad appears from the kitchen. 

I never told you how

How much you mean to me

What in the world I would do

If you are still haven't decided what to give your daughters, your niece, or any other little miss in your life, this gift guide is for you. Shopping for little ones is always something I enjoy and I always consider it the most fun. It is very heartwarming to see their excited faces as soon as you hand them their beautifully wrapped gifts - and almost always you get brownie points to the next level and you become their most favorite person in the world. Yes, the little ones are easy to please seriously!

I actually just planned to buy a few dresses for Summer but when my husband asked me what to gift our little miss, I decided that a few dresses just won't cut it especially with all the wonderful deals in stores or online. You can never go wrong with just about anything really. Your gift will surely put a wide grin on their faces.

1. Carter's Unisex Baby 2 Piece Christmas Set (Baby) 2. Set of 3 Baby Girl Nursery Storage Baskets - White Willow with Pink Cotton Gingham Fabric 3. Little Me Baby-Girls Newborn Scroll 4 Piece TMH Pant Set 4. Bedtime Originals Lavender Woods Musical Mobile 5. The Children's Place Unisex-Baby Snow Cool Stretchie 6. Ralph Lauren Layette Briley Ballet Crib Shoe (Infant/Toddler),Pink Satin 7. Prince Lionheart Jumbo Toy Hammock 8. mDesign Chevron Over the Door - Wall Mount - Baby Toddler Kids Clothing Toy Organizer 9. Rare Editions Baby Baby-Girls Infant Lace Social Dress 10. Lolli Living Lamp Base and Shade, Surina Elephant

Whatever you decide to give the little princesses in your family, know that your time and attention is still the most important gift. Give them a hug and tell them how much you love them. Even if they won't be able to respond by articulating the appropriate response, for sure they would feel the love and feel really special.

Happy holidays!

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