Nikita_Adanna

I would like to wish every a very Merry Christmas!! Hope you all had an amazing and safe day!

My family and I unfortunately do not have a Christmas Eve tradition. Well.. Unless you count the fact that we all stay up late on Christmas Eve as a tradition??? What do you guys think? lol What are some of your traditions?  Photos: Nikita Adanna- St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York, NY)

This year we're going to do things a lot differently. My dad has to work 3-11, so I was thinking of doing a family breakfast. My mom and I will be cooking Christmas dinner. After dinner, we're going to head down to lower Delaware to visit with my baby cousins so we can give them their presents. We all work Friday, so we can't really do too much, but I do not mind spending the entire day with my family. What are your plans for Christmas?

Hot Chocolate!! I like eggnog as well, but nothing compares to an amazing cup of hot chocolate with some marshmallows in it. I absolutely love it! Photos: deliciouslyyum.com

One year, my family and I traveled to Trinidad the day after Christmas(Boxing Day), and just one day made a big difference in terms of the amount of people traveling. I'd definitely do that again, but traveling a few days before a big holiday is a no no. When I lived in New York, I used to travel a lot during the holidays, which were always a nightmare. I absolutely avoid traveling during the holidays at all costs now, thank God I don't have to do that anymore. Photo: Nikita Adanna

Honestly, it doesn't matter to me what we have for Christmas dinner, as long as ham is also included in the menu. I absolutely love ham! We've always baked a ham every year for Christmas, since we lived in Trinidad.  Photo: Nikita Adanna

This might come as a surprise to you guys, but my family and I don't participate in stuffing stockings. Growing up in Trinidad, we never did this either. So, I guess it kinda followed us here. Maybe when I have kids I'll start this tradition. Do you guys stuff stockings? Photo: Nikita Adanna

When I was younger, my brother and I would always beg to open one gift Christmas Eve, but my parents always said no! So, instead we woke up at the crack of dawn Christmas morning and ran to my parents room to wake them up. Then, ran downstairs to open our gifts. My best friends family has a tradition where they each open one gift on Christmas Eve. What about you guys? When do you and your family open your gifts?  Photo: Nikita Adanna

I don't have any old Christmas cards on deck, so instead I decided to post an old picture of my brother and I from a few years ago. My brother will probably hurt me if he knew I posted this picture lol.  Photo: Nikita Adanna

My dad is the hardest person to buy for, because I don't always know what to get him. Like my mom, he doesn't ask for anything. However, my mom and I have similar taste, so it's easier for me to go shopping for my mom with no problems. My dad on the other hand, can be picky at times, which makes buying his present tough. But, I'm gonna switch things up this year.  Photo: Nikita Adanna

Umm.. One year, I bought my mom a pair of Uggs for Christmas. She loved mine so much and thought it was comfy, so I got her, her own pair. And let me say she was not at all expecting me to get her a pair. But, she loved it! Photo: Nikita Adanna

Well... I am terrified of bugs, so you already know I'm not about that real tree life. Although getting a real tree has it's perks, like that piney aroma. However, if I was to get a real tree and it came with some friends inside of it, I would freak out, leave the house and I would not want to come back, true story lol. I definitely have to go with an artificial tree. No friends will be popping out to say hi! I won't have to worry about watering the tree, or any of the leaves dropping and having to clean up after the tree on a daily basis. Besides, with an artificial tree the set up is hella easy, just saying.  Photo: Nikita Adanna

My favorite Christmas book is The Polar Express. When I first moved to the United States, I actually moved to Delaware a few weeks before Christmas. I received this book as a Christmas present from a family friend, it's been my favorite ever since. 

Honestly, I hated wrapping presents until I started working as a Clinical Technician, because in my position I learned how to warp instruments the proper way and so I used the techniques in which I learned at work, at home and wrapping presents became much easier. Even though I disliked wrapping gifts, I always liked to receive my gifts wrapped. Photo:  Nikita Adanna

You know I don't have favorite Christmas tradition per se. Like I've said before, Christmas is my favorite holiday. And I just love every aspect of Christmas, as well as the holiday season. Do you guys have a favorite tradition?

I have so many different favorite holiday scents it's crazy, there's no way I would be able to pick just one, so here's a few of my favorite. Cornish Hens Macaroni Pie and Stuffing And my absolute favorite, Ham.  Photos: Nikita Adanna

The easiest person to buy for has got to be my mom. We have similar taste in almost everything, so if I see something and I like it, I know she will also like it. Growing up having a mother that knew what you liked was amazing, I didn't always have to be present when she went school shopping for me. And she could go with ease and without me worrying about whether or not I would like what she got for me.   Photo:  Nikita Adanna

Wishing Queen Barb a very Happy Birthday!! Nicki Minaj (Onika Miraj) celebrated her 32nd birthday today. The Trinidadian born rapper, took to her Instragram page to thank everyone for the birthday love as well as to give thanks for being able to celebrate her birthday doing what she loves, working. 

Each and every year there is this one house that goes all out with the Christmas decorations in Delaware. I took this picture a few years ago when I went and I wanted to share this with you guys, because not only did the camera capture the beauty of the house with the Christmas lights, it's also beautiful in person. The owners do accept donations, however they do not charge the general public to come in and check out the house close up and personal.  Photo: Nikita Adanna

My cousins and I. I was probably 5 or 6. Honestly, most of my memorable Christmas memories has got to be from my time living in the Trinidad. For the starters, it wasn't cold or snowy and there were always so much to do. I grew up going to catholic schools, so each year in December, my school hosted a bazaar. My cousins and I didn't go to the same schools, so they always came with my mom and I. My cousins, my mom and I before my school's bazaar.  My grandmother was a baker (she's retired now). She would always make homemade ice cream, spongecake, rum cake and a whole lot of other goodies. The house used to smell amazing!!! This is definitely the thing I miss the most about living in Trinidad. My mom and I. She would probably kill me for posting this picture lol. Photos: Nikita Adanna

                          I actually don't have a favorite ornament. I just enjoy putting up the Christmas tree, decorating it, plugging it in, taking off all the lights and just sitting by the tree with a glass of eggnog in hand, playing some soca parang and just admire the beautifully lit Christmas tree. Believe me when I say, it's an absolute feeling of joy that I just cannot describe. I just love the little things like this around this time of year! Photo:  Nikita Adanna

           I would not say that this was the best gift I ever received, but it was definitely one of my favorites; The MTV karaoke machine. I think I either received this as a Christmas present my freshman or sophomore year of high school. I'm not sure if I've ever shared this with you guys or not, but is absolutely love to sing. I think I can sing, after all I've been apart of chorus since I was in the fourth grade for crying out loud lol. Some people might disagree with me, but this does not stop me from randomly busting out into song.                                               The karaoke machine was one of my favorite gifts, because I begged my mom for it for months and she kept telling no! I ended up spending Christmas that year in New York, so when I returned to Delaware, it was waiting for me in my room. I was so hyped! I couldn't wait to use it! Believe me when I said that I was signing all the time, it got so bad that my mom banned me

I am what you call a Trini to di bone. Meaning, I love each and every aspect of my culture and I am very proud to be a Trinidadian. And while I love American Christmas carols, I absolutely love my soca parang as well. What is parang you ask? Parang is Christmas folk songs, it's a popular combination of soca, calypso, Latin and Venezuelan music.  Parang is also a huge part of my Trinidadian culture, as this is our version of Christmas carols.  So, for my ten favorite Christmas songs, I decided to split it with my five favorite Christmas carols as well as my five favorite parang songs. And believe me when I say that this was very tough! Five Favorite Parang songs 1. Soca Santa- Machel Montano 2. Trini Christmas- Susan Macio 3. Mamacita- Sharlene Boodram 4. Nikita- Scrunter 5. Bring Out De Ham- Marcia Miranda Five Favorite Christmas Carols 1. All I Want For Christmas- Mariah Carey 2. Rocking Around The Christmas Tree- B

I honestly don't have one. I'm just thankful for my life and family. You know I think it is, I'm at this point in my life where I don't really make a list and/ or drop hints about what I want my family to get for me. But, best believe my birthday is a whole different story lol. In my family, we focus more on the kids in the family. What are on you guys' Christmas list this year? Throwback from 2006 Some friends and I at the Madame Tussaud's museum in Times Square, NY

Well for one, growing up in Trinidad there is no way Santa, Rudolph and the rest of the reindeers would have been able to survive in the Caribbean climate to deliver gifts to all the boys and girls in the Caribbean. Secondly, we did not have a chimney, so how was Santa gonna get the presents under the tree that we did not have?  Photo: Trinidadian flag- Nikita Adanna

I just love what Christmas represents, the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To me, Christmas is about being thankful and appreciative for family and all the blessings in which god has bestowed upon us, unfortunately it's become all about presents and materialistic things. And I think with people being wrapped up with which stores have the latest sales, as well as people even becoming physical with each other over something materialistic, people often lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas and it is just sad.  Since Christmas is my favorite holiday, you already know I have a few favorite Christmas movies.  This Christmas has definitely taken the cake in my most recent favorite Christmas movie. I absolute love the cast as well as the story line. This was a movie that I was definitely able to relate to and the soundtrack was just the cherry on top.