ROYAL HOLIDAY
Day 3: Christmas in the Kingdom




PRADA MAMA's Log, Saturday, December 25, 2004

6:00 AM: Poor Auntie Olive.

She woke up early, having had the misfortune of falling asleep beside Lance. My son is not used to sharing a bed with anyone, and has been known to push and kick trespassers out. My aunt swore he was like a human clock. I totally believed her.

Since she was awake anyway, she decided to go to early morning mass. I gave her an early morning Christmas kiss and promptly fell asleep again.


9:30 AM: Auntie Olive returns, grumbling about the lack of food places open on Christmas Day. She had to search high and low just for coffee, which she brought back to our room, cleverly quitting while she was ahead.

Good thing she was thinking forward when she bought a box of Goldilocks Ensaymada yesterday. We consumed these eagerly when she arrived, the ham and cheese-filled brioche melting in our mouths. It tasted heavenly combined with the piping hot coffee.

And then we got to the business of getting ready to go out, a serious exercise for a family of five. Lorenzo and I usually take the assembly-line approach: Daddy showers with the kids and passes them to Mommy one by one, finishing his shower while I slather my brood with lotion and get them dressed. And then it's MY turn to get ready while the family waits.

It was a time-consuming affair. Of course, when everybody was finally ready, we were all hungry again. Luckily, Auntie Olive came loaded. Aside from the ensaymada, she also bought chicken barbecue yesterday, bless her soul.

I think the best part about having older Filipina relatives is their penchant for bringing food with them wherever they go. My mother-in-law is the same way. Give me a few years and I too will be squirrelling away turon and lumpia in a giant tote bag.

I'm a Filipina mother. It's in my nature.


2:00 PM: We FINALLY step out the door. Lorenzo loads the van and straps the kids in their car seats. We were sad to leave without Auntie Olive, who wasn't feeling well, opting to stay in the room and rest while we discovered the Magic Kingdom.



Alas, by the time we drove across the street and entered the parking lot, we saw signs saying "Disneyland Full, California Adventure Still Open".

Lorenzo and I discussed our options: Disney's California Adventure was only open until 9:00 PM, unlike Disneyland, which closed at 12:00 midnight. Since it was already mid-afternoon, we didn't think it was worth the $50 entrance ($40 for the kids).

I wanted to kick myself for not buying tickets beforehand. The hardest part was hearing Lance and Troy say "Why aren't we going to Disneyland, Daddy?" when they saw the car turn away. Instead, we drove to Disney Way, where Lorenzo parked the van so I could go to the ticket stands. To appease Lance, who was the more vocal of the two, I took him along with me to buy tickets. I wasn't about to take any more chances.

We trooped back to the hotel with a heavy heart. Good thing Auntie Olive was feeling better. We put our heads together and decided to catch the 7:00 PM screening of "The Incredibles" at Downtown Disney. This raised the kids' spirits, and it didn't take long before they were back to their old selves again.


9:00 PM: We emerged from the theater after watching "The Incredibles" just in time to catch the fireworks display, which was awesome.

The movie ended at about 8:40 PM. It was quite enjoyable when the plot finally took off, but I found myself nodding off during the slow parts.

Predictably, both Lance and Troy were running around possessed by the recent memory of Dash. I didn't envy Lorenzo, whose task it was to take both of our boys to the Men's Room after the movie.

When the fireworks display was over, we decided to have Christmas Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, which was just a few steps away. Lorenzo and I have been to their Miami outlet, so we knew it was the kind of place our kids would LOVE.

You could see the look of wonder in Lance and Troy's faces as soon as we stepped inside. They headed straight for the giant fish tanks, where Troy singled out Nemo and Dory right off the bat.




Dining at the Rainforest Cafe is a sensory experience in itself. The food was delicious and the ambiance unequaled. There were unusual sights and sounds all around which heightened everyone's enjoyment, like the mock thunderstorm which took place every twenty minutes, complete with rolling thunder and flashes of lightning. The kids found this daunting at first, but they eventually relaxed, especially after seeing the animatronic dancing gorilla.





Troy was having so much fun, he insisted on escorting me to the bathroom, so he could see more. Of course, I couldn't resist taking these pictures.



After eating, we hit the gift shop, where I immediately found some souvenir tank tops for my husband. I also bought a refrigerator magnet to add to my collection along with our framed picture taken by the roving photographer.

Lance and Troy, who could choose anything they wanted, both got baby alligators (rubber toys, not real ones). They also found a lifelike floating crocodile, which they insisted on getting as well.

As I was paying for the goods, I could hear them conspiring with their Dad in the background. Something about hiding the crocodile behind the waterfall in our pool and inviting our female neighbors over for a swim.

I guess boys will be boys. No matter what age.





Soon it was almost midnight, and the place was about to close. We had time to pose for one more picture before heading for the parking lot, where Auntie Olive and Lorenzo loaded the kids while I scampered back to have our ticket validated. Good thing they left the doors open. Nothing in Disney is cheap, parking included.

I looked down at the the time stamp, which said December 26, the same date displayed in the photo below. It was a few minutes past midnight, and Christmas was over. Halfway around the world, a huge wave had already torn through much of South Asia's coastal regions, taking many lives in its wake. But we were blissfully unaware of it all. We were still in our sheltered, privileged little world, enjoying the end of a magical evening...



And we were none the wiser.


(PLUGGING: "Shanghai Surprise", the latest in The Prada Mama Chronicles, and "Sunbeams for Lance", my stepfather's latest poem in his site, Ira's Poetry.)