Our daughter spent one New Year’s trip to the Philippines when she was little. She loved how my mother prepared everything on the table. She likes the 12 kinds of fruits that represent each month of the year, the bowl of rice with money, the round candies and other goodies. She never likes the Karaoke part due to its loudness.
Here at home, in the USA, every December 30, we go shopping for 12 fruits and cherry Sour candy. Cherry sour candy is perfectly round that’s why she likes them and we have that every New Year since the Philippines.
She was given a huge trumpet by my mom. It was 2013 going 2014 when we were there. It is 2022 going 2023 and she still has it and works like a ships horn.
I am always at work every New Year’s Eve so she gets to do the trumpet sound out at 12 midnight with her Dad. She would wake him up a couple minutes before it hit 12 o’clock and both of them would blow the trumpet. And they have been doing that for years. I thought this was cute.
For tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner she requested white rice so I made it for her and added an extra few food on the table that we don’t normally have on regular dinner. I wanted to have it tonight because I work later, 11pm to 7am and tomorrow I will be sleeping all day.
Anyway, I just want to jot down a few thoughts on how we celebrate, or how my daughter loves to continue the tradition she witnessed at my mother’s house a long time ago. I love it very much.
I enjoyed the photos that my siblings sent. My siblings have their own family. They cook in their homes and would share. Each one will eat at their own home at midnight, then they will gather at my mother’s around 1am, eat there again then go home. The next day, they may go for an outing at the river, pool or at the beach, or just gather again at my mother’s house and share whatever food each home had prepared. This right here is what I miss. I miss being at my mother’s house hanging out with my siblings and soaking in the noise, the yelling which is normal during conversation.
I hope that someday, I can be there. It’s been twenty years since the last time I spent Christmas and eight years ago since the last time our daughter and I celebrated New Year there.
Right where I am, I am happy. It is a quiet celebration and work later. We don’t live in the city so maybe it makes a lot of difference. I can’t complain though. I love and am very grateful of where I am.
I pray that we all have a blessed daily life this coming new year and may it be the happiest.
Jotting Down Grace 