Never Ending January- The Beginning

Hey there Hivers! How are you guys doing? Doing well? If you are, that's a pleasure to hear. If I may, let me tell you a story about how my first month of the year went.

Have you guys ever noticed how long of a month January 2024 was? It felt like time was purposefully slowing itself down. Believe it or not, January just ended a day ago: on the first day of February. I would say that January being long is only MY opinion, but it seems that the people around me agree with me as well. Some say that they feel like January feels like it's been going on for 2 months and some people say that it feels like it's been going on for 3 years. But I think it's probably the fact that we've all done so much in the span of this month that makes it seem PAINFULLYYYY LONGGG.

Despite January being quite long, I would say that it's one of the best months I've ever experienced. It's been so fun so far. My family and I celebrated the new year, my cousins and I went ice skating for the first time, I tried using techniques in crochet that I've never tried before, my best friends and I celebrated the Sinulog Festival together, and more. This will be the first part of this (probably) three-part series.

Let's rewind and go all the way back to the beginning, the beginning of this life-changing month!

It started with a delayed Christmas party. Some people celebrate Christmas parties early, so why would a delayed Christmas party be any different right?

My family and I celebrated our Christmas party that day (January 1, 2024) because it was my mom's birthday. It's quite a big celebration for our family since it is also New Year's Eve. It has always been a tradition for my family to have our Christmas party on that specific night/day.

The food was so good and I think I ended up a little bit too bloated after eating. There was music playing and my cousins and I were talking while also enjoying our meal. I could feel the magic in the air that surrounded us that night, especially because it was a little chilly. I even wore a sweater! It's pretty surprising and unusual because the Philippines is a very warm country.

I was quite happy with the outfit I picked out for myself by the way, because it really complimented my skin and I looked like I was blooming.

And then we played games (after sitting down for a while after dinner) it was SOOOOO FUN. My family is quite competitive in a funny way. We put so much effort into winning that we look like dummies in the process. Not too competitive though, I don't mind losing but I also like winning. I don't really mind the competitiveness either cause they (my family) don't take it personally afterward and we made every moment of playing the games enjoyable for everyone.

If I'm being honest, I'd say that I am also competitive hahaha. The prizes were something I looked forward to as well. Anyway, I won a couple of games here and there and I was quite happy, to say the least hehe

After playing the games, we went into the Manito Manita. It is a Christmas tradition similar to Secret Santa. We get strips of paper, put all of our names with it, and then pick one piece of paper per person. On the day that we reveal who our Manito (male receiver) or Manita (female receiver) is, it is where the fun begins. We form a circle, sing a song that is also called "Manito Manita", dance within the circle and then we give our gifts to our Manito and Manita and also receive gifts.

The gift I received was a guitar capo and a jersey. I have been asking for a capo for such a long time ever since my old one broke. I was over the moon to see that I was given a capo! I also love wearing jerseys because they're quite comfy but also cool for me. Seeing everyone be happy with their gifts made me so happy too. Seeing everyone be happy with their gifts made me so happy too

The celebration ended with fireworks, genuine kisses, and greetings for the new year. My cousins and I jumped in hopes of growing just a little bit taller (it's a Filipino tradition for New Year hehe).

I really like it when my family gathers up for events like this one. Everyone seems to be enjoying each other's company and themselves. Each of us is dancing and laughing like no one else is in the room, a place of no judgment. It was such a good way to end the year that was full of changes for me. I'm grateful to have a family like mine to do these things with.

Thank you for reading this far dear reader! I was psyched about sharing this story with you guys, I hope that you guys enjoyed it. Until next time, see ya guys in the next one!