Christmas 2025 New Changes

 Hi Friends,

Christmas is almost here, and I have yet to set up the Christmas tree. (I have a mini one that I bought last minute last year.) We wanted to get a bigger tree, but our place is kind of small, and our dog’s crate is taking up the perfect spot.

What a year we are going through—literally going through it! We’ve been struggling to save money, losing family members, traveling, dealing with drama, getting enraged over things, applying for new jobs, and just trying to figure everything out.

This Christmas feels like another new beginning. I’m trying to figure out a good way to spend the holidays with the people you love without feeling like you have to show off, listen to the drama, or worry about who you “should” spend the holidays with.

I would like to start a new tradition that helps us actually enjoy the holidays without trying to decide whether we need to spend money on gas or Christmas presents. (Of course, it doesn’t help that my birthday is the eve of almost every holiday! 😂)

Some families have cookie bake-offs, gingerbread house contests, trivia, movie nights, and so many other traditions.

I’m not counting game nights or something that is already a planned event or hobby that can simply be Christmas-themed. I’m talking about creating a tradition that everyone looks forward to and remembers.

Like, “OMG, it’s the Kardashian Christmas Party!”

Or, “Wow, your holiday party is so well-known that the grandkids still talk about it!”

LOL. It might sound a little extra, but I think you know what I mean, right?

Christmas Gifts Are Getting Harder

So far, we’ve gotten everyone’s gifts for this year. We made sure to get them early enough, and honestly, it was a little hard because my fiancé’s Nana would usually help us buy gifts and wrap them for us.

I’ve also noticed that gift-giving is getting more interesting. Sometimes it’s something you need, and other times it’s something you really wanted. It can be harder to shop for people because we don’t always know what they need or want.

So, we end up texting other family members and asking, “What do they want?” Then we have to try to find it while staying within our budget.

For some of my friends, I like making gift baskets. I’ll put together things like different scents, candles, lotions, and maybe one or two things they specifically wanted from their list.

With family, it gets a little harder because we can’t all be in the same house. Then, with my fiancé and his family, we’re also trying to balance everyone’s schedules and traditions.

Which brings me to another question:

What do you do when you have multiple family Christmases to attend?

In my case, I work during the holidays, while some family members have an entire week off. So, finding a day and time that works for everyone can be difficult.

It can also be annoying when I hear jokes like, “You’re only here for Thanksgiving and Christmas!”

But sometimes we weren’t even invited to the other family gatherings. 😅

Some of my family would love for us to go up north, while his family would love for us to go west.

And honestly, I know our current house is too small for a huge family gathering, but I’ve always dreamed of having a big house where family and friends could all gather under one roof for the holidays.

Family Comes First

I may not be a huge fan of the Kardashians, but I do love how they seem to prioritize family. Family comes first.

They have such a big family, while for me, it’s really just my mom and me. My fiancé has a decent-sized family, but growing up, it was usually just him and his Nana.

I’m used to having a cute, small Latina Christmas with my mom. We would go to midnight Christmas Mass and then have dinner afterward.

After my dad passed away, my mom tried to give me a mix of both Christmas styles—the traditional American Christmas and our Latina Christmas traditions.

Now that I’m older, she prefers a smaller and more intimate Christmas.

My fiancé grew up with his Nana, and they would usually have lunch and open presents together.

This Christmas is a little different because his cousin gave birth to a baby boy. So now we have a Christmas baby in the family!

And then there’s me, the Christmas Eve Eve baby. 😂

Christmas With Friends

Christmas with friends is a little different.

We either combine it with game night, or we just go over to each other’s houses to drop off gifts and packages.

There’s something nice about having those smaller celebrations, too. They may not be elaborate, but they still give us a chance to spend time together during a busy season.

Creating a New Tradition

As for traditions, I would really like to start one and try to make it last forever.

I know some families have bake-offs, Christmas games, movie nights, gingerbread house competitions, ugly sweater parties, and other fun traditions.

But I want to create something that becomes our thing.

Something that people look forward to every year.

Something that our future kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, friends, and family can talk about years later.

Maybe it sounds a little extra, but I think the holidays should be about creating memories—not competing over who has the biggest house, the most expensive gifts, or the most elaborate Christmas.

I want something that brings everyone together and reminds us that family and friends are what really matter.

So, I want to hear from you!

What are your Christmas traditions?

Do you have a family tradition that has been passed down for generations, or did you create your own?

And what kind of gifts do you usually give your family and/or friends?

I’d love to hear your ideas because I’m ready to start a new Christmas tradition of our own! 🎄❤️

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Our Japan Trip Is Finally Happening! 🇯🇵✈️

Hi, friend!

Well, my dream of going to Japan is finally happening! 🇯🇵

After our engagement, my fiancé announced, “Let’s go to Japan next year!” Japan is also one of his dream destinations, so of course, I was completely on board.

I’ve flown on planes before, but the only international flight I’ve taken was to visit my family in Panama. My fiancé had never flown on a plane until we went to San Diego, so this will be his first international flight. For me, it will be my first international flight that’s longer than five hours.

I’ve always wanted to travel ever since I was little. I’ve dreamed about meeting new people, making friends, learning languages, and experiencing different cultures. Japan was going to be one of my first big international trips before visiting other countries. Plus, I had heard that Japan is a pretty easy and safe place for beginner travelers, especially if I ever decided to travel there solo.

My fiancé has always wanted to travel too, and Japan is one of his biggest dream trips. He grew up with anime and manga, so being able to finally visit the country that was such a big part of his childhood is really exciting for him. Of course, he also wants to experience the culture, food, history, and everything else Japan has to offer.

I came across a quote about traveling that really stuck with me:

“Traveling changes a person by breaking daily routines, lowering stress hormones like cortisol, and forcing the brain to adapt to new environments. It builds confidence through problem-solving, deepens empathy by exposing individuals to different cultures, and expands personal perspective.”

That really describes one of the reasons I want to travel. I want to experience something completely different from my everyday life and come home with new memories, stories, and perspectives.

So, we started talking about the trip, and one of our friends wanted to come too. That’s when we decided to see how many people might want to join us.

Originally, we were hoping for a big group—maybe even up to 10 people! That would have been so much fun. However, we ended up with five of us total: my fiancé and me, our friend and his wife, and his brother.

Honestly, five people is perfect because it feels like a little family trip too.

They all wanted to travel because, well…why not? We’re at a point in our lives where we feel like if we don’t take at least one big trip now, we might never get the opportunity.

We’re also excited about the diversity of experiences we’ll get from visiting another country and learning about its history and culture. And since we’re going in October, we’re hoping to experience some of the Halloween season in Japan too!

It might not be quite the same as Halloween here in the U.S., but there are Halloween events, including Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Japan. There are also festivals and events based around Japanese folklore.

And, of course, there’s Resident Evil—which our friend loves! He’s also a huge food lover, so he’s incredibly excited to try all the food.

His brother loves history, and his wife has also dreamed of going to Japan. She especially loves Godzilla, so I’m sure she’s going to have a blast.

We’re all a little nerdy, and honestly, I love it. 😂

Our Japan Trip Plans

We’ve officially booked our flights, and we finally have both of our Airbnbs booked too!

We decided to have two home bases for our trip: Osaka and Tokyo.

We’ll be flying from Orlando to Canada and then to Tokyo, where we’ll arrive at Narita Airport.

We’re still debating whether we want to take the train from Narita to Osaka or fly domestically to Osaka. We’re going to see how everything goes and figure out which option makes the most sense for us.

We think Osaka will be a great first base because there are so many things to see and do there, including other places that are easy to visit as day trips. Plus, there’s Universal Studios Japan—if we can make it work with our schedule!

After Osaka, we’ll take a train to Tokyo and spend the rest of our trip there.

Our train station near the Airbnb in Tokyo is about an hour from the airport, and there’s even a post office around the corner, which is a nice little bonus!

When Are We Going?

We’ll be in Japan from October 7th–18th! 🇯🇵

October 7th will mostly be spent traveling, and we’ll arrive in Japan on the 8th.

Our current plan is:

🏯 Osaka: October 8th–13th

🗼 Tokyo: October 13th–18th

✈️ October 18th: Fly back home to Florida

So now, the biggest thing we’re doing in the meantime is saving more money—not only for the trip, but also to make sure we can cover all of our bills back home.

We’ll also be doing some shopping for new clothes and, of course, new shoes. I have a feeling we’re going to be doing A LOT of walking!

I seriously can’t wait for all of this to happen.

I’m also thinking about sharing the whole experience while we’re there and after we get back. I’m just trying to figure out how I want to do it—YouTube, TikTok, blog posts, or maybe all of the above!

I’ll definitely try to share more here too.

What Do You Think?

Have you ever been to Japan? If so, how was your experience?

If you haven’t been, would you ever like to go?

And what other places would you love to travel to?

Feel free to follow me here and check out my other links if you want to keep up with our journey.

I’m trying my best to keep up with everything and share updates along the way! ❤️

Thanks for coming along on this adventure with us!