How was your Christmas season?
For those who’ve known me or followed my blog for years, you’ll know that Christmas is a big deal in our family. We usually go all in.
The Annual Family Thanksgiving
Every early December, we hold our Family Thanksgiving dinner – a time to look back on God’s faithfulness, share answered prayers and blessings, and express gratitude to one another over a carefully planned meal. My spreads are never extravagant, but they’re always thoughtfully put together.
This year, though, things didn’t unfold as planned. The boys came home late, I was exhausted from wrapping up work before my Christmas break, and it was clear we weren’t fully present. So we postponed our “program” and eventually resumed it a few days later at Army Navy in Alabang, after one of the boys’ open houses at STEPS Dance Studio.
Christmas Eve was the same story. December was so busy that there was no time to prepare. Jay and I ended up doing a last-minute supermarket run on the evening of the 23rd, after a practice we were handling. Dinner was simple – air-fried ribs, chicken lollipops, and bottled-sauce bolognese. A box of Purple Oven brownies given to us as a gift saved dessert. We paired it with vanilla ice cream and voila – brownies a la mode!
Flu season
On Christmas Eve, I came down with the flu. Jay went to church on his own while the kids stayed home with me. I wasn’t happy with the food. It felt too ordinary, but the kids were content, and that counted for something.
The days that followed were quiet and disappointing. I was in bed most of the time and we had to cancel plans with my father to avoid him catching the virus. The kids were coughing a lot, too.
We had planned to stay in Manila this Christmas – eat out, rest, do fun family things once work and “school” wrapped up. But none of that happened right away. I was in bed, sick until the 27th, and the season turned out very differently than I imagined.
On top of everything, our Christmas tree and our faux chimney did not survive our cats. Two weeks in and we had to throw them away.
The decors, not the cats, hahaha!
The great pick up!
But towards New Year, we started picking up on family time. We originally planned on the kids to continue school work during the Christmas break, but because of our health conditions, Jay and I decided to let them rest and chill out for the rest of their vacation instead.
We set up the projector and watched a lot of old movies. We like sharing the movies we enjoyed back in the days with them such as Shawshank Redemption, Miracle, Catch me if you can…even Nottinghill, because they always end up loving them.
We also played board games.
By the 31st of December, I was finally strong enough to plan a menu, and that alone felt like a small win. So I did. In my own way, it was how I made up to the kids with how Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving had turned out.
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s eve was a reminder for all of us why Christmas is a big deal to our family. Jay shared Hebrews 11:6 – “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” – and encouraged the family to pray unceasingly and to persevere in seeking God and God’s will for our lives. He also shared the real translation for the word “reward” in the book of Hebrews.
“Faithful giving from a trustworthy giver.”
“This “reward” is not salvation for effort, but God’s gracious response to faith.”
“The reward includes God himself.”
Trust Him. Pursue Him. Depend on Him.
This was an important Word for all of us, especially after how draining 2025 had been. We were definitely knocked down, but not out. As a family, we encouraged the boys to write down their faith goals for the year, and we each shared some of ours with one another.
Like Peter…
One of my goals is to spend quality time with God first thing in the morning, without the grogginess and sluggishness. I decided to commit to Max Lucado’s Just Like Jesus devotional for the next 30 days, and in just the past few days, it has already been a refreshing and strengthening time for me.
To be honest, I’m coming out of a heartbreak. The book has been gently but firmly challenging me to step forward in full trust, to surrender everything to the Lord all over again. And if I’m being completely real, I feel a bit terrified of what surrendering will all mean for me this time.
So please pray for me.
When I first began my walk with Christ, I was young and full of confidence, perhaps even pride. Like Peter, I truly believed I would never deny the Lord when the moment comes.
But also like Peter, I have failed Him when things became difficult. I’m learning now that following Jesus isn’t as romantic or heroic as I once imagined. It is costly, humbling, and deeply refining, and it asks more of the heart than I ever expected.
Why this matters to me
It may seem shallow to some, but it matters deeply to me that I can show up for my family in this way. When I got married, one of my quiet dreams was to create a home for my husband and children that felt warm and beautiful – to prepare thoughtful meals for them, especially at Christmas, to form our own traditions, and to share our faith with them in private, unhurried moments. Being able to do that now means more to me than I can easily put into words.
This year, we weren’t able to take the boys out much or give them gifts. Our funds were directed toward things that needed immediate attention: a consultation with a developmental pediatrician for Judah, a visit to a new orthodontist for Pablo, fixing the kitchen sink, purchasing an extra freezer for my small cold cuts business, paying the second-to-last installment of one of our house loans, starting off payments with our other debts, and other necessary expenses.
Praise God that our children doesn’t mind that they didn’t receive any gift from us this year. The trips were the gift we’ve been giving them for the past few years, but since we didn’t take one this year, they looked forward to just spending time with us over the only long break we get to have as a family.
The one “big” thing we managed to do was take the boys to the circus, which also became part of Judah’s 15th birthday celebration on January 2. I’ll write more about that in a separate post.
Tonight, the boys want to play board games again and make the most of our remaining time together. I reassured them that there will be opportunities this year to do some of the things we had hoped to do but couldn’t manage during this Christmas season and I truly believe that.
We really just need to make better choices, spend more wisely and intentionally, and find new ways to do business that can help augment our modest income. To be clear, we’re not living in poverty, but the cost of living in Manila is high, especially during inflation. If you’re not earning at U.S., Australian, Canadian, or European rates, it adds up quickly. The only people who tend to think Manila is “cheap” are those earning within those economies.
And most importantly, believe God for provisions – obeying His instructions even if it doesn’t make any sense.
So what was your Christmas like? I’d love to hear your stories!
Happy New Year, everyone!
May Palacpac, Storyteller 
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