Henlo!

So, I was challenged by my SIL at Becoming Rivera to answer these 20 Christmasy Questions. 🎄🎅🏼🤶🏼🦌❄️🕊

They say when you have children, your Christmas spirit is rekindled, and the holiday has a brand new magic to it. ✨ I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely true for me. I’ve been so excited for Christmas this year, even though we have less money this year to buy gifts. I love buying things for other people, but having one income, a hungry, hungry caterpillar for a baby, and in the middle of buying a new house, there aren’t exactly a lot of extra funds to go around. 💸It just so happened that this year we were able to purchase gifts with gift cards, and we had to stretch it out like Elastigirl and Mr. Fantastic. 🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏼‍♂️

I thought having a limited budget would be stressful, but it’s actually been fun! It’s made me think harder about what I get my loved ones, 🤔 putting that much more meaning behind the gift, and I’ve also been making a lot more DIY gifts for yankee swaps and gift baskets. 🤗 I’ve been saving every glass jar we’ve gotten this last year, in the interest of keeping them out of the landfills, ♻️ 🌎 and I’ve been able to make some adorable hot cocoa and cookie kits with them. 🍪 ☕️

Of course I can’t forget I have this little nuggit this year 🤩😍💞 Best Christmas gift this world could offer ❤️

Okay, TL;DR, having a baby brings joy back into the holidays. I’m ready to observe my Savior’s birth surrounded by loved ones with my baby squished against me ❤️❤️❤️

Now for a lil festive game of 20 Questions!

1. Use one noise to describe how excited you are for Christmas:

“Yeeeeeeeh~” LoL A tired excitement 😆😴

2. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

I did with my father’s second wife’s family as a child, and we did at my father’s last year, since he, my brothers and I are all over the place with significant others’ families to keep up with 💞💍💞

3. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

A lot of old and a little bit of new. I’m excited to go to my Abuelos-in-Law on Christmas Eve and be a part of a large, loving family 💞👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👧‍👧💞 and eat amazing, authentic Dominican food, 🥘😋🤤and then I can’t wait to roast bad Christmas movies with my Dad and brothers right after, 😂🎞 then see my Dad, In-Laws, and Mom for Christmas. ❤️🎄

I’m also excited to be implementing the minimalist Christmas gift rule of 4 (👍🏼something you like, ✔️something you need, 🧦something you wear,                                         📖something you read) for my son and future children. It’s super important to me to bring them up non-materialistic and against the pop cultural over saturation grain (as best as we can–and it’s okay to enjoy some of what popular culture has to offer, I just feel we let it run our lives sometimes, if that makes sense), so this minimalist guide will be the perfect way to help with that. #tryhardminimalist

Speaking of gifts, I can’t wait to give my siblings-in-law my lil Sobrina’s Christmas gift 😘 🎁💖

4. Is your Christmas tree real or fake? Fake and 4′ 😂

5. What is your favorite Christmas film?

The Star Wars Holiday Special 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

But seriously, It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone 💖

6. Where do you usually spend your holiday?Christmas Eve my husband and I and now our son first visit my husband’s Abuelos, and then we go to my Dad’s house, then Christmas day we go back to my Dad’s, then to my husband’s parents’, and then reconvene with my brothers and my Mom. 💞💞💞

7. What is your favorite Christmas song?All I Want For Christmas Is You 💋 😘 O Holy Night 🌟 💫 and Hark the Harold Angels Sing 😇 🎶 🎵

8. What is your all-time favorite holiday food/sweet treat?

For dinner food, green bean casserole, ham and stuffing, for dessert, ded velvet cake, gingerbread, pumpkin pie 🥧 🍰 😋

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?Giving gifts! As I mentioned, I love buying things for people, and I always just feel awkward when people get me things. 😅Unless it’s my husband, for some reason.

11. What is your favorite thing about Christmas?The observation of Jesus’s birth (my faith is very important to me), spending time with my loved ones, giving, and just the general warmth and whimsy of the holiday season. 💖💖💖

12. When do you start getting excited for Christmas?After Thanksgiving 🦃

13. What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?Although it terrified me, it was the news that I was going to be having a baby. 🤰🏻 🤱 👶🏼 🍼 👩‍👦❤️

15. As a kid, did a sibling ever receive a present that you wished was for you?One Christmas all of my brothers got Nintendo DS’s and I kind of wished I’d gotten one, too, but the same year I was given a  video camera, which was awesome, and a lot of silly indie-indie films and home videos came out of it, so I was and still am extremely grateful🎞📽

16. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?Honestly, right here ❄️

17. Most memorable Holiday moment?My very first Christmas with my in-laws, back when I had only been dating my husband for a matter of months. I felt extreme levels of Greg Focker awkwardness, but everyone was so genuinely excited to meet me, and I just remember being in awe of how openly loving and happy everyone was. And being overwhelmed by the volume, physical and audial, of the family. But it was magical, and I remember making it my Christmas wish that someday that I might be worthy of being a part of that family. ❤️💖💞💓💗💕

18. Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?Sort of, and not really. But this year I plan on starting! ✅

19. What makes the holidays special for you?L o v e. ❤️

20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?To get back in shape 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼😂

So, that’s about it! I would challenge people, but I don’t know anyone else on this site yet, so if you feel so inclined, copy and paste these questions for your own blog, and tell your readers I sent you. 😉

Tune in next time for my second trimester story and tips and tricks! Have a very, very Merry Christmas full of fun, good health, and blessings. 💗