Mornings are definitely getting colder.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of foggy when we woke up. Officially, “amihan” is finally here. PAGASA has declared the start of the northeast winds a few days ago. We call it “hanging amihan”. It signals the end of the rainy season and the start of cold weather until February of next year.
I love this season. One would not need to worry about flash flooding or heavy downpours although based on experience, this is where we sometimes have late strong typhoons. The weather is good though, sunny and bright.
We are thinking of putting up the Christmas tree but we still have to buy new sets of lights to decorate it. So lazy to go out 🙂 They have changed the mall hours, it’s now from 11am to 11pm until January 15 of next year. So if you don’t want to be caught in the Christmas rush, you can do your Christmas shopping now. I did mine two weeks ago but I still need a few more for close friends. Some of us are planning a get-together one of these days of November. Fr. Lovell and I agreed to meet after Christmas. He is busy with work and we won’t be able to see each other if we don’t make time for it. I love meeting friends. I love the camaraderie it brings. I love getting in touch with each other. My close friends usually visit me here and I normally cook for them. Nothing that special, just good food to tide us over.
October has been a quiet one except for the days we went out for Nissa’s birthday and mine. It was just the family. Looking forward to Nate’s birthday but then he’ll probably celebrate it in school again just like last year where Nissa ordered food for his classmates and they had it for snack. Maybe we could go out again after his birthday or after Nissa’s and my son-in-law’s annual vacation (mandatory leaves) scheduled this month.
Of course, I am excited for Christmas, who would not be? xmasclock.com says it’s 51 days, 8 hours and 34 minutes to go before the day.
A tree up in November? Your seasonal excitement is in full flow, Arlene!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Still thinking about it Pete. We don’t have fresh pines like you have there. We use artificial ones.
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We have an artificial tree too. It has built-in lights, so no need to bother about having to string them around. Real pine Christmas trees are far too messy. 🙂
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That’s pretty good to know Pete. I’ve seen one here with built-in lights. My problem is, it is hard to dismantle the tree afterwards with all the lights and decor attached. Last year, we didn’t put up one.
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Our days start with mist at the moment, but are mostly mild and pleasant
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That’s nice Derrick. Just enjoy it 🙂
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I loved this post, Arlene…so much distinct-to-the-Philippines information! I hope the hanging amihans are gentle for you, and refreshing. 🙂 Can’t wait to see your tree! Joy to all your coming gatherings and celebrations! 🙂
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Thanks Kitty. That hanging amihan is pushed by the cold winds coming from Siberia. From November to February, the weather here is just wonderful.
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The first time to know about Amihan.
Hope you will have a great time
Wishing you all the best
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Thank you so much Nahla. We only have two seasons here, the dry and the wet. I always look forward to this time of the year.
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Hope you will have a great time.
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🙂
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Have a great time
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I will, thanks 🙂
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I’m not thinking of Christmas yet. We have Thanksgiving at the end of November, and it’s my favorite holiday. Christmas was best when I was a child. I love your enthusiasm for it.
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Thank you Anne. We don’t have Thanksgiving celebration here but we are big on Christmas and New Year.
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Arlene, you sound ready for Christmas! I only get real Christmas trees because I love the way they make your house fragrant. Growing up in Germany, we always put it up on Christmas Eve and left it up until mid January. Here in the US, many people put one up the day after Thanksgiving. I’ve compromised by getting one about a week or so before and leaving it up a little longer. Most of our neighbors throw their trees out on the 25th. No Boxing Day here! Have a great week!
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We don’t use the real one for our trees Sabine. We don\t have pines here. We use the artificial ones so they last until New Year. Have a nice week too 🙂
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In that case I would do the same thing. 😉
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