Happy holidays everyone!
Ermisenda is already enjoying Christmas while Eliabeth still has to wait a couple hours. As we talked about what to write, Eliabeth had a major FAIL moment. Forgetting that the southern and northern hemispheres experience opposite seasons during the year, Eliabeth forgot it’s summer where Ermisenda lives! Too many songs about a white Christmas playing on the radio–or so Eliabeth claims.
Since we love showing different perspectives, we wanted to share the different Christmas traditions we partake in each year.
Eliabeth
My family is very artistic. Several years, we’ve created Christmas ornaments, some more elaborate than others. One year, we found some globes, houses, and other clear bobbles that split down the center. You filled them with glitter and figurines. Every year, I look for the Beauty and the Beast house ornament my mom made. It’s very special to me to take the time to decorate the tree together, because most of the ornaments are home-made or were purchased on a family trip. Some were gifts, but all have a special meaning and a story that goes with them. We only pull them out once a year, so getting to go through the ornaments is like telling each story again.
Ermisenda
When I was younger, we would group together other Spanish-speaking families (both Spanish and Latino, sometimes even Samoan families!) to have a big Christmas Eve. It included lots of food, dancing, and playing in the pool. In recent years, many families have moved away or friendships have changed. We still bring the closest friend families we have to create the family atmosphere here in Australia. I wouldn’t have it any other way because I do see them as family. Christmas day is more chillaxed. We open presents, talk, eat left overs, make more food, play in the pool some more, and watch movies with the immediate family plus maybe one other family. I’m not sure if any of that counts as tradition apart from the obvious putting up the tree, buying presents etc. But it reminds me of the importance of good people in your life, whether they are blood related or not.
Now some terrible Christmas jokes to shake your head at while smiling!
Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?
A: Because he had low elf esteem.
Christmas: The time when everyone gets Santamental.
Why did the gingerbread man go to the doctor?
Because he was feeling crummy!
Happy holidays everyone, whether you celebrate Christmas or something else, stay safe and enjoy the chance to relax. :) We wish you the best.
- Ermilia
). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.
A clove of garlic. A pinch of thyme. A drop of blood. I dropped it all into the small ceramic bowl. Strands of hair. Nail clippings. Arsenic. After I ground the ingredients, I noted them down in the family book. We had to be meticulous, we were the Odonalds and we wouldn’t get this wrong. Two daises. The child’s doll. Sharp needles. There would be no more crying children tonight.
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