Holidays in the Boondocks

I have often referred to our new home as the one that sits on the boondocks. After moving here in the South, it’s been really difficult to imagine living anywhere else.  I have a fantastic view of Laguna de Bay, Mt. Makiling and Tagaytay.  The wind is fresh and cold–there is peace and quiet…until the holidays! Haha, finally we get to host this year’s Pangilinan Christmas reunion! After 19 years of being married to my husband, we have not had the chance of hosting our yearly Christmas gathering because there was never enough space to fit everyone…this year, as we marked our first Christmas in our new home, we also embarked a new adventure of being able to welcome people in it!

Welcome to Casantonio!

Our home now has become Casantonio…This was a gift from Ate Shawie (Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan) several years ago.  She got this from a store in one of her many travels when she visited Tuscany in Italy. It was actually the sign of the store but she managed to cajole the owner to sell it to her.

If there’s anything I can boast of being good at, it would be getting the best set of people to help me beautify my home. Some of the best gifted folks in aesthetics are just within reach like my husband Anthony, my brother in-law architect of our home, John Pangilinan and his wife our interior designer, Vicki Aldeguer-Pangilinan and my brother-in-law artist/sculptor Jinggoy Buencuseso. What a blessing for someone who loves art and enjoys is as it comes alive thru the works of the masters! Together, we have worked together for an ongoing work in progress for Casantonio.

Here’s what we have so far…

This pine tree was decorated with Gingerbread cookies by Hannah, Benjamin’s handmade star using paper by Wataru Sakuma and bird houses by Jinggoy with pearlized capiz accents.

Jinggoy opted for an all beige and natural theme which complemented exactly what Vicki had in mind. It was also what Anthony and I were comfortable with being laid back, simple folks.

Noche Buena dinner is always reserved for Anthony to prepare so our cook, Yaya Bev stays in the sidelines for support

while baked goodies have been traditionally Hannah’s and now Solana’s turf too…

We had a simple meal which everyone totally enjoyed because it was made with love with a lot of consideration to what each one prefers.

The next day was a big day –

Total headcount for the Christmas lunch alone was 80 people! It was a riot loads of great fun! Thank you, Lord for the gift of love, family and your coming!

Family photo taken in haste just before the rain fell, haha!