December always gives me the warm fuzzies. I have good memories of childhood Christmases spent with family. Good food; going to church for ‘Simbang Gabi’ which should be a midnight mass but for some reason masses are done during early morning…it varies between 4am or 5am; christmas carols; giving candy to children knocking on your door saying “Namamasko po!”
Moving to Australia, Christmas is different. Well, for one, it’s summer here so hot choco is out during opening presents at midnight (unless you live in Victoria), then we (hubby and I) have no kids so it’s just the both of us having christmas lunches and dinner unless we visit family.
This Christmas, we were up in Queensland in the beautiful Sunshine Coast. I love the markets, walking along the hinterland and most of all the weather.
Brisbane had a bit of a fog around because of the fires that were happening.
Our first stop was visiting Malarkey!!
They make the best coffee in Caloundra and their space is so cozy. It’s perfect for whatever you want your day to be. You can choose to sit in the corner and have a read while drinking coffee or have a catch up with friends/family or have a browse on the other shops that are there…you choose
And if you do happen to be near the area, don’t forget to say hi to the owners, Lawren and Aaron 🙂
And if you are into board games, check out one of the shops out the back: (pro tip: I love Secret Hitler!!)
Or if you want to browse games available, check https://www.hucksterspecialtygames.com/
So aside from jugging freshly made iced teas, we took turns spoiling Pumpkin who likes to sit and sunbathe by the pool when she’s not poking your hips asking for more turkey with those cute little eyes. Yep, I’m smitten.
We also took walks along the coast…
Sussed out the food markets… I loved the Twilight Market in Bulcock Beach
and the beautiful sunsets…
Time spent with family was awesome…not to mention, food!
Most of all, I loved the down time… just sitting by the beach and reading…
We watched the fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Kings Beach.
Went back to Melbourne on the 2nd of January, mentally and physically prepared for the next lot of doctor’s appointments on the 6th and scheduling radiotherapy 🙂
TheHangryPinay 