we didn’t really have any concrete plans for christmas. heck, we didn’t even have a christmas tree, how much more a solid plan?! i did contemplate about getting a real tree, though. a really cute tiny one that’s easy to transport, decorate, and maintain. but, nope, that didn’t materialize either. maybe next year when raven’s a bit older we’ll start a christmas tradition. which is exactly the same thing i said last year too and look where we are now.
the good thing about not having a tree, aside from sparing you the trouble of packing them away, is that chances are, you can always “borrow” one from your council. or in our case, the city of melbourne’s. apparently, everyone else had the same goal in mind. with the sheer number of people taking pictures in front of the festive decorations, i daresay we’re not the only ones without a tree at home.
and besides, who needs a christmas tree when we got the best christmas present ever for years and years to come?
i just loved dressing her up in this dress, looking like a beautifully wrapped gift with all the christmas colors of red and green. i would’ve wanted to do a bit of a shoot of her there but federation square was packed and she was too distracted with everything going on around her it was impossible to get her to stand still.
not to mention that she is at that stage where she just wants to be independent and i had to sort of give it to her while keeping my eyes glued on her because for heaven’s sake, i wouldn’t wanna be that mom who loses her kid in public on christmas eve. as wild as my imagination can get, i’ve read far too many articles on the internet for me to safely conclude that, yep, such shit can happen. i’m not taking any chances with this baby. don’t even get me started on carrying her and holding on to her real tight if we’re on an escalator. (did you see that video? omg, my heart broke for that kid who got caught in one.)
which was exactly the image i had in my head while we were on this escalator at david jones in bourke street fantically looking for a toilet because raven did a poopoo and it took me a long time to find one. and when i did, they didn’t even have a parent’s room! like, seriously?! am i in the philippines or what?
long story short, i had to change her dirty nappy with her standing up and me crouching uncomfortably on the floor of the disabled toilet because they didn’t have a nappy change table either but you gotta do what you gotta do given the circumstances. it was quite a feat, i’ll tell you that much.
the joys of motherhood, hey?
but all’s well that ends well, so they say. raven enjoyed watching the trams go by and waving to them as they went. that kid is full of wonder. seriously, with her around, every day is christmas day. 🙂
*raven at 1 year and 7 months old
the pauses between 
It looked like a fun photoshoot in the city, and the tree and decorations look nicer than last year, lol 😀 Haha, you’re no the only one who has no tree for Christmas. I’ve never had a tree, and even my family never had a Christmas tree. For us Christmas is a day where we have a meal together and that’s about it. Live in the present and so every day is a present, lol 😀 Jeff and his rollerblades as usual. I’m guessing when he’s on the skates he doesn’t hold the camera…or maybe he does.
he does, actually. he even skates while filming. says it’s easier (and faster) for him to scout around for locations and it helps give him smoother movements too. it’s like his two passions in one. hehe.
i don’t really feel bad that we don’t have a tree. or if i did (for fleeting moments at a time), it was because of raven and how christmas should be a part of her childhood, you know what i mean? it’s more for her, really, than for anything else.
and, yes, you’re right about christmas being about the family. we had an awesome christmas last year when everyone in my family was here. this year was all cricket sounds. lol.
as for christmas meal, thank god springvale was open! 😀
Well, it sounds like Jeff is very talented then. Always gets the shots in one piece 😀
Haha! Springvale was open for Christmas, lol. It reminds me how in Malaysia and Singapore, the shops are open on Christmas and everyone comes out. In the city in Melbourne, on Christmas everything was closed apart from fast-food places, lol.
they’re actually pretty smart like that because they know the shops would be closed so everyone would flock there. most of them close on boxing day because people would be back to the shopping centres. win-win! 😀