I am a gift-giving person.

I like making customized gifts and carefully wrapping them. I find satisfaction in the enhanced anticipation of the receiver unwrapping and wondering what’s inside.

Every Christmas, I would wrap as many gifts as I could. No matter how cheap or small my gifts are, I wrap them all. There is nothing more exciting than the mystery and surprise of a gift.

The more gifts I wrap, the happier I am.

This December is a bit gloomy for me because this year will go down in history as the first Christmas I didn’t have gifts to wrap for my family. Since we came back here in Abu Dhabi my husband and I had been trying to make ends meet as we slowly recover from the financial damage of the wedding. In short, hello, financial crisis.

My frustration lies in the fact that as much as I want to, I could not send home a balikabyan box this year.

I will miss the agitation of waiting for the box to arrive. I will miss the frenzy once it arrives in our doorstep. I will miss my mom’s childish squeals and my siblings’ screams. I will surely miss the yahoos and yeheys from the kids.

(Moment of sadness inserted here)

A few days ago a package arrived… in Abu Dhabi!

My brother and sister sent a small Christmas box for me from the Philippines! Because courier is expensive from there to here, they chose the smallest and lightest stuff they think I would need.

Finally, I have new pairs of contact lenses and my 6 month-old expired ones could rest in peace.

It feels so nice to be at the receiving end of a box and to open gifts carefully wrapped for me!

Thank you Doreekipedia and Leo for giving love this Christmas season!