Greeting the Year 2011 at home

Since being married, Cupid and I never really got to properly celebrate New Year's Eve at home.  New Year's Eve 2006, back at the condo unit we were renting at the time, we decided to stay put for we were told that celebrating the New Year at one's house will bring good luck to that household.  But we ended up just sleeping through the night, which is a boo-boo according to tradition...and feng-shui.

During the 2007 holiday season (actually, the whole final quarter of the year), my parents insisted that we stay with them because I was pregnant and had a bad case of morning sickness, some anemic spells, urinary tract infection, and soaring blood sugar levels.  We ended up staying with them until February 2008. 

New Year's Eve 2008, my Maia just turned 7 months old.  She was still a fussy baby those days, and was always sleeping.  So we just stayed in our room, turned on the airconditioner and hoped that she would be able to sleep through the noisy New Year celebration happening just outside the street (which traditionally involves fireworks displays, trumpets, and really dangerous firecrackers).

New Year's Eve 2009 was a difficult time for us and for many Filipinos.  It was just 3 months from the time we were submerged in flood water from Typhoon Ondoy (see my story here).  And just 2 months after Maia was hospitalized (read here).  Celebrating the new year wasn't really on top of our list of priorities then.  But my parents insisted that we celebrate it one way or another.  And so we went to their place and celebrated with them.

It was only this past New Year's Eve, December 31, 2010, when we were able stay home.  And it wasn't even planned!

The original plan was for us to celebrate it at my parents' house (again) because my aunt and uncle from San Francisco were here for the holidays.  But last minute changes took place and so we ended up not going after all.

It was just as well for I really want to be able to celebrate New Year's Eve properly this time.  Here at home.  Greeting it fully-awake, with fruits, a simple media noche feast, with the accompanying noise, and chaos outside..to symbolize that the problems our family faced the past couple of years are now things from the past and way behind us...and to usher-in the New Year with a new perspective, a positive outlook, and a fresh start!

My family!  (L to R:  yours truly, Maia, and Cupid)

Maia is now 2 years and 7 months old.  And ever since she came to this world, she always greeted the New Year either in our room or the guest room at my parent's house, sleeping peacefully, and with the air-conditioner turned on.  This New Year's Eve was her very FIRST TIME to see real firework displays up in the sky!  I wish Cupid had a shot of her eyes that were bulging out from amazement and excitement.  She was in awe of the colorful sparks of light coming from our neighbor's chinese fountain; and surprisingly wasn't afraid of the firecrackers that kept exploding all around.  Of course, her eyes were squinting all the time from the brightness and noise.  But I think she was more curious than scared.  We jumped and shouted "Happy New Year!" but she didn't mind at all.  She was just happy!  She cried everytime we took her back inside the house.  She wanted to be where all the action was!  At one point, when I couldn't take the noise and craziness anymore, I just instructed her yaya to accompany Maia outside, but to be extremely careful and cautious.  *Sigh!*

Maia here playing with the radio

When everything outside eventually calmed down, Maia and her yaya came back inside.  Maia saw that our radio was turned on and so she played with the volume.  I didn't mind having the volume high that night.  Every house had their radios and TVs in full blast that time, anyway!  They say the noise drives away all evil spirits and negative vibes from your household (Hence, the reason for all the firecrackers and trumpets every New Year's Eve).

Simple Media Noche consisting of fruits, holiday ham, and some toasted bread :)

Really creamy Fruit Salad made by my hubby, Cupid. (So sorry about this!  We were already eating when we suddenly remembered to take a photo.)

Since everything was last minute, we only had a few food items on our media noche table.  Good thing we still had ham left over from Christmas.  So we went to the grocery to buy bread, and ingredients for Cupid's fruit salad.  Oh, and then we bought fruits!  The chinese and feng-shui experts say that you should have a basketful of fruits on your table on New Year's Eve.  As much as possible, have "round" fruits, which symbolize money.  They say it brings year-long luck and wealth to the household.  Cupid's Auntie Karel gave us some plums, ponkans, green apples, and others for starters, and then we just bought some grapes, more apples, melon, pears, kyat-kyat, watermelon, papaya, pineapple (for the round "eyes"), persimmons, and even bananas for Maia. :)

Happy 2011 from our family to yours!

Thank you for taking the time to visit me here and reading my blog.  I sincerely wish you all a great 2011 and all the years to come.  May God shower you with more blessings and may all your aspirations, dreams, and hopes come true.

Mama Mia is a 30-something wife; stay-at-home mom to one; blogger; and author of Online Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom (OCSAHM). Learn more about Mia here, or contact her via this page. You can also get instant updates on this blog by following Mia on Twitter @miadsoriano; by "Liking" the official OCSAHM Facebook page; or by subscribing via Email or RSS.

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