Belated Christmas

“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ” ― Mary Ellen Chase

My niece Anna, her fiance DeAndre, and my great niece Lailah came up to Orange County for a cheerleading event.  You know Uncle Trevor couldn't leave out our nieces (or Dre) for the holidays.  When I was at work, he went Christmas shopping. 

When I got home, I had to wrap presents.  I have an amazing husband.  He's so very thoughtful.  It's like Christmas all year round, sometimes.

We went to Lailah's cheer performance at Edison High School in Huntington Beach (that's not her school).  And then we met up with them for some Hawaiian BBQ at Maui Barbecue in Westminster.  Anna was the one who suggested it, because we had Maui BBQ the last time she came up and she loves it.

Anna and Uncle Trevor (and Dre)

Lailah and Uncle Trevor

Anna and Aunt Jeri

Me and Dre

Trevor and Dre

Me and Anna

Me and Lailah

Lailah and Aunt Jeri

Lailah LOVED her present

Anna and Dre got a gift too

Christmas 2025

“Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever.” – Richelle E. Goodrich. 

All in attendance:
Me, Trevor, Jeri, Geoffrey, Mom, Kalib, Christopher, Gemal, Jose, Brenda, and Shawn.

Geoffrey was our first guest.  He got here about 3:00pm.  Kalib and Chris came in about 3:15pm.  Gemal, Jose, Brenda and Shawn got here about 3:30pm.  Jose, Brenda and Shawn had to get back home soon because they have Christmas with their family, but we had Christmas gifts for our godson Shawn.  He got all kinds of Bluey items, this year, as that is his new obsession.  Plus, my son's got to meet my godson for the first time.  Shawn, who is normally very outgoing, was very shy.  He was the only child in the room and we all had eyes on him.  So, he opened his gifts, and Jose and Brenda opened theirs, and they left.

For Christmas dinner, we had prime rib, 2 huli-huli game hens, mashed potatoes, candied yams, deviled eggs, Portuguese sausage bean soup, Hawaiian sweet rolls, cranberry sauce, and peas and carrots.  I'm a little old school, I do miss having macaroni and cheese, turkey and ham, and all the Thanksgiving fixin's for Christmas.  Some years ago, my sister began making prime rib for Christmas dinner, which I am not fond of for two reasons.  The first reason is I don't really care for steak-meat.  The second reason is I have a disorder called dysphagia that I have been suffering from for about 12 years now, which makes it difficult to swallow food.  For me, certain meats like steak meat, chicken breast, and pork chops are choking hazards.  So, I do not eat them.  The cornish game hens, cooked huli-huli style by my husband was delicious and soft.  I love chicken skin, but the game hen skin was a bit too tough for me.  

We had a Where's Waldo? ornament this year, that Trevor bought from Walmart.  We decided on a new tradition of hiding Waldo for Christmas every year.  The first to make a comment about Waldo will win a prize.  This year, Gemal spotted Waldo in the tree.  She won a mug and cocoa set.  Later, my son Kalib told me he saw the Waldo way before Gemal mentioned it but he didn't say anything.  I gave him a prize, too, of Guava cookies.

The prank gift this year, was Trevor decided to take the first layer of chocolate cookies out of a gift box, and refill it with Marlboro cigarettes.  Then, he replaced the second layer of chocolate cookies over the cigarettes.  He wrapped the first layer of cookies separately, and then wrapped the cigarette/cookie box, too.  I thought cigarettes was such a tacky gift, but he pointed out, "Hey, it's expensive!"  It is an expensive gift, but geez...cancer sticks?  That was his revenge for Jeri wrapping a package of socks individually the year before, and hiding it as tree garland, and making Trevor unwrap 24 individual socks.

Gifts were simple this year, and I think everyone was happy with what they received.  Mom was so elated for her Christmas socks, she made the cutest gesture by, joyfully, clapping her hands.  She has lost most of her ability to communicate in English.

Shawn was so excited for his Bluey Legos

Shawn and his Bluey Activity kit

Shawn and his Bluey Christmas ornament

Brenda and Shawn

Me, Trevor and our godson Shawn

Trevor's present

Jeri finally got her prank present open

Kalib's magnifying screen from Aunt Jeri

Geoffrey with his robe and slipper from me and Trevor

Gemal's Philosophy bath gels from Jeri

A sweet treat for Chris from Mom and Trevor

Old Navy PJs for Kalib from Mom and Trevor

Earbuds for Geoffrey from Jeri

PJ pants for Chris from Mom and Trevor

A lumberjack shirt for Trevor from Jeri

The Perfect Man for Gemal (she's had bad luck with men, lately)

A sweet treat for Kalib from Mom and Trevor

A magnifying screen for Trevor from Jeri

A magnifying screen for Chris from Aunt Jeri

A magnifying mirror for Jeri from me and Trevor

Gemal got everyone a bouquet of flowers

Danish cookies from Gemal

3 generations, Chris, Kalib, Me and my Mom

Chris and Grandma

Kalib and Grandma

Me and my sons

Chris and Aunt Jeri

Kalib and aunt Jeri

Gemal and Me

Gemal and Jeri

Lunar New Year

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” ― Oprah Winfrey

Me on Feb 18, 2024  

Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!  That means, "Happy New Year" in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.  

I am of three cultures, Ilocano, French-Canadian, and Korean.  I was raised with two New Year's celebrations.  Mom always called it the Korean New Year, but as I got older I learned other Asians celebrated it and have other names for it.  Most people I knew, called it Chinese New Year or Tet.  I just call it Lunar New Year to be more inclusive to all people who celebrate.  

This time of year, people usually put money in a red envelope as a gift.  The Chinese have a phonetic saying, "Gung hey fat choy," which does not mean "Happy New Year," but more along the lines of "have more money."  How cool is that?  

It's like Christmas all over again.  Gift-giving and well-wishes.  I was able to give to a woman I befriended when I lived in Oregon.  She lost her teenaged son to gun violence a few months back (article).  And then someone stole her clothes off her clothesline, so her younger children had no winter coats and she lost all her scrubs for work.  I wish people would take into consideration that some people are really struggling in life and financially, and that taking from others is damaging them more.  According to her surveillance camera footage, it was a teenager who stole the clothes.  

I hope that my little bit of money, which was basically money earned from a gratuity, can be used for warm coats.  I hope everyone does better this year.  If January 1st wasn't the beginning of a New Year, at least we have February to start again.

새해 복 많이 받으세요 (Happy New Year in Korean)

Christmas 2023

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” ― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

2023 is a bittersweet Christmas and is probably my mother's last Christmas with us.  That's our reality.  Every day could be her last, in this End-Stage Alzheimer's.  There's just no way to know as she gets more forgetful (not just in memory, but in how to physically function).  She also has become weaker by the day.  We are also both sick as well.

To me, it was very important that her family be there for Christmas, even though I have flu-like symptoms.  It isn't about me.  Time is all my mom has left.  I wish people would put their differences aside and think about my mom, instead of whatever it is they are mad about.  Shamefully, not everyone came over.  It was expected, but still hoped for something different.  It is what it is.  We still had fun.

We bought lots of food, and spent hours cooking.  But, we made the best of our Christmas.  This Christmas included my mom, my sister Jeri, her boyfriend Geoffrey, my children's father Mike, my two sons Kalib and Christopher, my husband Trevor, and myself.  Small and intimate.  

Our endeared neighbors Shawn and Katie also came over for a short time.  They had their family to visit.  They gave us an extremely soft and beautiful, fuzzy, faux fur blanket.  We gave them wine.  

My mom has been lying down a lot.  She doesn't have much of an appetite these days.  She can barely have a conversation.  I made her sit up for Christmas.  She was happy to have us around her.  She was showered with gifts.  I only wanted to share a handful of the many photos we took.  I'm glad I took photos and video (which I won't share).  

Geoffrey got his Cowboy's football for future autographs from me and Trevor.

Mike got a special hoodie made with recycled bottles from me and Trevor.

Three Generations photo with my sons and their grandmother and me.  We've never taken a Christmas picture with her before.

Trevor giving my sister the bird finger for this idea of wrapping each sock individually and tying them together tightly with ribbon.

My mom and her Christmas socks.  She's always cold.  It's a symptom of her Alzheimer's progression.

A Moai glass vase my sister got me for my plants.

Money from me and Trevor, so Jeri could get her nails done after her cast comes off.

Surprisingly, my daughter sent us a gift.  A projector. 

A cookbook on Edibles for Trevor the cannabis enthusiast.

Christopher's pajamas from me and Trevor.

Almond cookies from Santa (of course it was me).  Santa Claus used to give all my children cookies every year.  I haven't forgotten.

A teeshirt for Christopher from Trevor and me.