Merry Christmas, Two Thousand Fifteen!
Christmas is everything it should be this year.
First of all, I am most grateful to be celebrating in a house where there is so much warmth and love, despite being seven thousand miles away from home. It is a season about family gatherings and I can’t imagine a better way to bond with my new family – cooking in the Gomes kitchen; peeling potatoes and tasting bacalhau, sitting by an actual fireplace with books and cozy throws; which É’s granny knitted, and listening to the sound of wrapping papers tear; revealing precious gifts that reflect smiles on faces.
Since the day I arrived, I’ve been fed with steady feasts of home cooked meals by my future in-laws. As they are both doctors, each meal was accompanied by intellectual and interesting conversations over a bottle or two of good Porto wine. The best gifts indeed, are moments like these that money can’t buy, and there’s nothing I would do to trade this lucky state I’m in.
Meanwhile, here are 5 Christmasy Cinspirations from Portugal that I’d love to share. I hope you too, are making memorable memories with the ones you love, wherever you are right now.
1. Bolo Rei, which I think about day and night
{a Portuguese Christmas cake named ‘King’s Cake’ because it resembles a king’s crown}
2. This real fireplace
{because I know in Malaysia you won’t have one and wouldn’t want to have one with that tropical heat – yet Christmas doesn’t feel much like Christmas without an actual fireplace}
3. This tree
{because there are more ornaments to come, handmade by the kids}
4. My holiday season-themed nail art
{because there’s something about having my nails done beautifully that makes anything and everything I wear feel more ‘furnished’, if not complete}
5. This man and his bright smile
{because all I want for Christmas is him, and he’s mine! <3}
