The holiday season is my favorite time of the year. When given the theme of “Home for the Holidays,” I came up with a few ideas to portray the nostalgia I feel when I think about the holidays. Initially, I wanted to create a piece where my family and I open presents together around a Christmas tree because those moments are always so memorable and wholesome. However, before I started to draft that idea down on paper, I blasted a bunch of Christmas songs to feed more inspiration. More and more memories piled up in my head, leading me to create a piece that included bits and pieces of memories that resonate with me and make me feel home during the holiday season.
On the left is my chihuahua Gucci. Looking through all the videos of my family and I opening presents around the Christmas tree over the past few years, I discovered that every single year, my dog was sitting on my lap.
I also included a parol, which is a Filipino Christmas lantern, to touch on my Filipino roots and traditions.
I added a quick ink drawing of some snowy mountains. In the past, my family and I have made trips to Lake Tahoe for the holidays, and I’ve made some unforgettable memories there.
The stockings hold immense value within my family. Every year, my siblings and I hang up our stockings, and we look forward to the goodies that appear in them every morning of December.
Every time I see a tray of Christmas sugar cookies, it reminds me of a close friend of mine who passed away in 2018. We used to be neighbors, and my little brother and I would always goover to her house in December to make tamales and sugar cookies. I miss her dearly, and the tray of sugar cookies in this piece is my way of commemorating her life and how much of an impact she’s made in my life.
Maligayang Pasko! (Merry Christmas) and/or Happy Holidays!
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