I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! In my family, we traditionally begin the celebration of Christmas on the 24th. My mom and I began preparing all the ingredients for tamales on Saturday, so that on Monday we just put everything together to cook and eat. We made tamales, and they turned out delicious! My brother and his wife came over and we enjoyed tamales and I even made chocolate chip bread pudding for dessert. It was a fun time! I also opened up some special wine bottles and we all had delicious wine while making gingerbread houses. I ended up spending the night at my parents’ house, and the next morning we had breakfast at IHOP.

Chris has been in the forefront of my mind as Christmas was his favorite holiday. One of his favorite wine varietals was tannat. He had begun collecting tannat from a winery called Tablas Creek in Paso Robles. It was one of the first wineries we went to on our first trip together to Paso. He wanted to one day open up all the tannats and have a vertical tasting with friends, and enjoy a great meal. Sadly, we never had the opportunity to do that as he became more sick toward the end of his life last year. This year, I went to Paso with my good friend Gerry and we went to Tablas Creek to buy another bottle of tannat for Chris. Soon I plan to host a dinner to open up all the tannat which spans about 8 years. Chris’s picture will be prominently displayed and we will toast to him!

I am a bit sad that the holiday season is coming to and end. I very much enjoyed having my first Christmas tree in my new home and this gorgeous Santa my parents bought for me while we were in Cambria. It made my house feel more like home. I enjoyed entertaining some friends, old and new, and look forward to more memories in my new home.

I can’t believe how time has passed me by. It’s been nice to be home and enjoy my house. In the last week or so, I’ve had three dinners at my house, mostly my parents’ friends. I’ve enjoyed cooking for these, experimenting with different recipes and wines. It makes my house feel like home.

I went out for some meals and was invited to a business event. I’ve been enjoying some fun meals and great time with friends!

I went hiking in Palos Verdes with my girlfriend Yaneisy and we went early enough to see the sunrise. It was stunning!

Part of making my house a home includes finding my own taste and figuring out what I want to do with the spaces. I recently commissioned an artist and I just received the paintings, and they’re stunning. These have inspired me to create a meditation room in my house. I hope to get started on this project soon!

This past weekend I took my parents up to Cambria for a long weekend. It was raining in LA so it was nice to get out of the city. As we made our way up north, the rain was gone and it was beautifully clear and sunny. We had a leisure drive up, stopping in at Laetitia Vineyards for some wine, then ended up at the Main Street Grille in Cambria for an early dinner. After dinner we went to the Christmas Market. And it was SPECTACULAR!!!

The rest of our time in Cambria, we spent walking through the town and exploring shops and restaurants. We also enjoyed walking at the beach. One thing my parents like is when I share wine with them. Even at our hotel on Moonstone Beach, we enjoyed wine together and just hung out. It was a great weekend spending time together and enjoying all the Christmas spirit in Cambria.