come and gone.

currently listening to: eva's music. hehe.

the christmas season just flew by this year. in fact, it flew by so fast that i didn't realize it was over, and that i didn't even get to blog about it! oh my!

the holiday spirit differs as you get older. it just doesn't seem as exciting as it used to be. as opposed to being "the most wonderful time of the year", it's just more of... a break.

the christmas lights in the village used to amaze me so much that my dad and i once went around with our video camera in order to capture all the bongga lights. this year, the houses and streets now seemed lifeless--a sad attempt at seeming festive.

christmas mass wasn't as inspiring this year. the annual mass we go to on christmas eve is one of my favorite parts of the season. it never ever fails to get me in the mood to go home and celebrate christmas "the icasas style". this year, however, there were so many technical difficulties that it was hard to appreciate the beauty of the celebration. instead of the mass giving me tears and bucketloads of appreciation for the season, i just felt like giggling a few times. how sad.

the one thing i am grateful for, of course, is that midnight with my family was as great as ever. pictures have yet to be uploaded on my multiply account, but really, christmas with my family is NOT a boring thing. really. if there were a way to invite all my friends to experience christmas eve with us, i would. we have a way of... spicing this up. and the gifts just keep getting better and funnier :).

so no, christmas is no longer about the gifts, the lights, the parties, or even *gasp* the money... it's more and more about family each year. yay for family! :)