Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house two boys were stirring and banging pots and running around like crazy apes. The mouse, at least had the sense to stay hidden.

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Happy Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate, and happy 24th of December to all those who don't!

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Boy, this December really flew by us! December, and November, and October. All of them were disrespectful enough to just leave without saying goodbye. I guess when life gets busy, time just doesn't have the same weight.

I remember reading somewhere that our perception of time sort of speeds up when we get older. I don't feel like looking it up, but I can see how this is true for me. I remember when I was younger it would seem the time between Halloween and Christmas was as long as a whole eternity. You could do loads of stuff in those few months. Now I've barely realized we're not in October anymore, and here's New Year already starting to shove its horns through the doorway.

I've always thought this speeding up is mostly due to the fact that we're busy. Especially with kids, there's very little downtime (I remember feeling busy in high school; the memory is laughable nowadays). But maybe not? Perhaps our "mode of cognition" of time just switches as we become older, and we start to perceive reality in a different way.

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Well, I don't have that much time to write, so let's get down to it.

Today is all about family. This morning my in-laws came to visit, and we had a nice lunch with them. Later today (in a couple of hours, in fact) we'll be going to my parents' and having dinner there. It's nice to be all cozy together this way :) Everyone is busy, but still they make time for you and make you feel special.

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(As I'm writing this, I'm listening to this playlist, which fits really well! I guess the spirit of Christmas is in me.)

Where I live they have this nice custom of making Tamales during this season, and you're likely to be gifted at least a dozen. Usually each family does a big batch of them and then gifts them to everyone they interact with daily. It's really nice, and each family has its own small variations they do on the recipe, so you're unlikely to eat two tamales that taste the same.

But more than anything, they feel like they're made with love. Literally, people just make them as an excuse to say "thank you" to those around them and show their appreciation. It's a small gesture, but I think one that has deep cultural significance.

The whole family (or a subset) gets together, usually under the guidance of the family matron, and then they all work at creating these small packets. They even come wrapped up in plantain leaves and look like small gifts!

(picture taken from here)

So yeah, here's to family and traditions that make us feel closer together! 🥂 I hope you, whoever you are, have a great holiday season this year.

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Stuff I'm thinking today (hey, wouldn't it be fun to give this section a cool name? Like "thoughts corner" or something cheesy like that):

• I recently moved all my wordvomits from my other writing project (which I've mentioned in passing in some of my previous now updates; not yet ready to share it here) to my main blog. The move feels right, but I'm realizing that I'm now caring more about my vomits than I should. Well, no surprise, I do care about my site; it's a labor of love!
  • I need to be mindful of this and not let myself get attached to them. That's the whole reason why they're called "vomits": an ugly name that sets no standards.

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That's it for today!

Happy holidays, all!