For the first time in a long, LONG time… Allan and I did absolutely nothing for our vacation. It was absolutely fantastic. In the 25 years I have been alive, I can’t remember a time that I have done absolutely nothing. So… it was a nice change, and a welcome one after a very hectic year. And so, I don’t have very many posts from over the holidays… which were spent playing video games, baking, and cooking. We didn’t even get up the mountain to go snowboarding once! *gasp* ‘Twas quite shocking if I do say so myself. However, I do have a few posts with some recipes coming up though, so check back for those!

Christmas is my favourite holiday, and what I look forward to most every year is Christmas morning breakfast.

My mom and dad get in the kitchen together and make delicious homemade waffles. Ice cream, maple syrup, strawberry sauce made from our summer strawberries, blueberry sauce, and fresh fruit like papaya become our fuel for a busy day of family and celebrations. Mmmm… so good!

Of course, Christmas earrings are a must!

One thing I miss about living at home is missing out on putting up the Christmas tree decorations…

Christmas tree and presents…

Allan and I trade off on the Santa Hat wearing on Christmas Day. We were trying to take some photos for my Twitter profile photo, but unfortunately I never got around to using it… I don’t look very happy here for some reason, so maybe it’s for the best

My mom and dad always make Christmas dinner, so it’s nice to relax and not have to worry about any cooking. I took care of the place settings this year.

No such thing as being too gaudy on Christmas!

My mom made stuffed mushrooms and a soup/souffle for appetizers.

My mom’s panettone bread is so famous in our circle of family and friends, that no matter where she travels… she always has to bring a luggage full of panettone wrapped to satisfy the requests. It’s always  a treat.

Christmas dinner is always traditional. My dad brines the turkey overnight, and then roasts it all day before finishing it off by smoking it in the BBQ. So. Good. There’s also a beef roast, vegetables, potatoes, gravy, and stuffing.

Dessert this year was some bread pudding (made with my mom’s homemade brioche!) and my favourite… leche flan… a Filipino version of creme caramel.

After dinner it was time to open presents with my mom, dad, Allan, my brother Byron, our grandmother, and several of our cousins and relatives. There was definitely spoiling all around! I was happy to get a very useful step ladder (pictured in the background!), a martini kit, socks (so needed), and some memory cards.

Allan was shocked and happy to open his brand new Burton CO2 EST Bindings from all of us His bindings are several years old, and are not only broken… but don’t work as well with the new Burton EST Supermodel board he bought this year. I think it’s safe to say he’s stoked to ride them.

So, Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year! I hope you all have a fantastic 2010! What did you do for the holidays?