00:14okay so we're Christmas tree shopping because it's getting close to Christmas
00:20and Mandy told me that this is her Super Bowl
00:25I love Christmas so much and now that we have a baby I'm I'm not holding back sorry
00:30this is our first Christmas where it isn't just the two of us so it should be good but we
00:36need a tree
00:58okay Lila cracked it a little bit last night when we were setting up the tree um it was getting
01:05a bit
01:05late so I didn't finish yesterday so I'm gonna try and get it done today I just have so much
01:11to do
01:11like to get the house ready and stuff so I'm gonna try and get as much done as I can
01:16but this one
01:17really has been loving the contact naps so I'll see how she goes in the carrier right now but she's
01:23already been in it for a while today so I have a feeling that I might not have that long
01:29this is
01:29definitely my favorite Christmas tree I've ever had like it it's so beautiful really happy that
01:35we got it even though it doesn't really fit to here at nighttime I can pretend that we're somewhere snowy
01:42all right man he's just sent me to go and get some last minute things for Christmas dinner uh hopefully
01:48it's not going to be too busy down the shops which it probably will be this seems to happen every
01:52year
01:53we leave all of our shopping until the last minute but I thought I'd take a minute just to
01:57talk about this Christmas and why it's specifically different for us so Mandy and I have been together
02:04almost 10 years exactly and we've spent basically every Christmas alone just the two of us except
02:11for a couple uh and that's because we've been either traveling or we've just lived really far away
02:17from family and we've had to work and we didn't have the money to just fly home for a weekend
02:23or
02:23whatever and spend it with family for Christmas which is honestly kind of tough and not to get too
02:29serious or woe is me like we love this lifestyle we've chosen this lifestyle and we wouldn't change
02:37it for the world but it definitely gets lonely that's one of the things that I feel like it doesn't
02:41get talked about too much with like digital nomads and people who are living overseas as expats during
02:48the holiday season although it's a really fun cheerful time of year it can actually be really
02:52hard because you're away from family and friends and you're looking at social media and all their stories
02:58and their posts and everyone's enjoying themselves catching up with friends and family and you're having
03:05a good time too but you kind of have a bit of FOMO wishing you were at home now this
03:10probably doesn't
03:10apply to somebody who can afford to just jet home every time for Christmas but for others if you're
03:17trying to build something and you're trying to get ahead you may not be able to fly home you may
03:24not
03:24have parents who can fly you home or whatever you might not even have somewhere to go and stay but
03:29this Christmas I would have to say has been the easiest for us by far in a long time and
03:34that's
03:35probably mostly because of Lila our baby has made it feel like we're more of a family it's not just
03:42me
03:42and Mandy we've got Lila and Bear and we're literally just sitting at home today cooking food I'm watching
03:49some football and I couldn't be happier and I haven't felt this for a long time it's probably also
03:55because we've lived in this villa now for a little over a year and it's starting to feel like home
04:00here as
04:01well so this is the most settled I think we've ever felt plus we're actually really grateful that
04:07my mum and sister and my mum's partner came and visited us actually just left like a week ago and
04:15we got to spend some really good time with them before Christmas I took my mum to the local winery
04:22here guys there's a winery in Hua Hin if you guys haven't seen it it's called Monsoon Valley Winery
04:28highly recommend it it was an awesome trip we did the tour and everything and it cost like 600 baht
04:33per person we ate really good food and had some really good wine so highly recommend doing that
04:39if you're coming to Hua Hin but so even though it has been hard in the past one of the
04:44best ways we
04:45found to combat the loneliness especially during the holiday period when we're living overseas
04:50is regular like FaceTime calls and catch-ups with family and thanks to Olifly eSIM we're able to do
04:57that no matter where we are in the world at any time in case you've never heard of Olifly they
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05:08you're traveling in the world you can stay connected with loved ones without racking up those crazy roaming
05:13fees their data packages are super flexible ranging from 1 to 90 days with unlimited data options in
05:20over 160 destinations but personally what we love the most about Olifly eSIMs is their regional
05:26packages they include Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East
05:33so whether you're just visiting Thailand or you're traveling around all of Southeast Asia they've got
05:38you covered with their regional plans the Asia plan also gives you unlimited data in 16 destinations
05:44across Asia from Thailand to Japan Vietnam and beyond so whether you're hopping in between places
05:50or just staying in the one country you're going to be connected no matter what plus Olifly now
05:54offers hotspot capability in over 190 destinations including Thailand so if you need to share your
06:00connection with somebody or just tether your phone to your computer you can do it using Olifly eSIM
06:05if you're planning a trip and you want to stay connected to people back home then go and check out
06:10Olifly eSIMs we'll leave a link down below in the description and don't forget to use code Lloyd and Mandy
06:15for 5% off at checkout
06:16at the end of the video
06:17So let's look at the video
06:17Oh Christmas tree
06:19Oh Christmas tree
06:31Oh Christmas tree
06:34The leaves are so unchanging
06:40Oh Christmas tree
06:43Oh Christmas tree
06:46The leaves are so unchanging
06:58I tend to get a little bit homesick around Christmas not that being in
07:02Thailand isn't absolutely incredible for Christmas but nothing beats a Canadian
07:08Christmas if you've had one you'll know what I'm talking about obviously being
07:12in the snow or at this time of year is usually more ideal as well okay okay
07:19Christmas was a really special time when I was when I was a kid like a lot of
07:26people and my grandma on my dad's side was just such a good homemaker and really
07:34really good at making Christmas feel magical as a kid and I really have
07:39decided I want to take that on and okay she's dreaming I want to take that on
07:48and give that to my kids as well because it just so many good memories and it was
07:53always just about the food and the baking so I'm trying to get better out obviously
07:58you know that I used to simple things but I think doing simple well goes a long way
08:04and people don't forget those memories from when they're a kid they hold them
08:09forever and yeah I just think it's important and to start traditions now
08:14even though she's not gonna remember it her nervous system well Lila's been a
08:18trooper she's still sleeping just about to wake up Lloyd's almost done his work for
08:25the day and we've got dinner all ready and then tomorrow I think we're just
08:29having like a pool day outside which is going to be awesome
08:50okay I'm first just making tuna melts which aren't Christmasy at all but I made them the other day and
08:56Lloyd really liked them so I'm gonna make them again it's really simple
08:59but I'm putting them on the homemade bagels that I've made in every other vlog home
09:06vlog that I've done I'll leave that recipe down below again if you're interested in
09:10it and I don't really have recipe for the tuna I kind of just throw whatever I
09:15have in the fridge together usually just like mustard or mayo sometimes I'll put
09:18pickles in there I actually have pickles today so I'm going to do that
09:30can you open this
09:38okay so for tonight I'm making a charcuterie board so we're just going to like have snacks and things
09:44that's what my family used to do when I was a kid um we used to just like play games
09:49and stuff I don't
09:50know what Lloyd and I will do we'll probably just listen to music and hang out with Lila and then
09:53I'm
09:54going to make homemade eggnog as well which I haven't ever done but it looks really simple
09:58um I didn't see any at the shops here either so we'll see how homemade goes and I'm making it
10:04with coconut
10:04milk instead of regular milk as well and then Lloyd's requested sugar cookies which I haven't made
10:11in ages either but I used to make them when I was a kid all the time and they look
10:14simple too so
10:15I'm making a couple things I don't usually make could go completely wrong but um I've got time and
10:22room for making up for my mistakes if I have to
10:32okay I also bought this loaf of bread I'm going to cut a hole in it and I'm going to
10:36put brie
10:37in it and then I'm going to bake the whole thing together saw it on Pinterest hopefully it works
11:00okay had to get some footage of us in our matching oh almost matching Christmas pajamas I couldn't find
11:06any um that were her size and my size that were matching um but they're close enough we went with
11:12um pink this year and I want to get some footage before if she spits up on it just in
11:19case so fun
11:21I didn't think I'd ever want to do something like this but being a girl mom's made me feel so
11:25much more
11:25girly and just want to do all these really memorable new traditions so I think new pajamas for Christmas
11:31every year is going to be a thing it's so fun and they're so comfy. Hey!
11:43so
11:49so
11:50so
11:50so
12:08Good morning Lala, Merry Christmas, hi, good morning.
12:22Good morning Lala, Merry Christmas, I had to sleep, me too, you're going to start waking
12:31us up early for presents I think, maybe not next year, maybe the year after, I don't
12:37know.
12:40It's crazy, woohoo, it's noisy, it's a teddy bear.
13:17It's crazy.
13:20It's so nice in here.
13:22This feels like Canada.
13:25Yeah, so we just came for some lunch at the Chom Cafe, which is something we've seen on
13:30Instagram a lot and have been meaning to come out here.
13:33It's pretty busy because it's a couple days after Christmas, they still got all the decorations
13:39up and everything.
13:40It's mostly locals, it feels like.
13:42This is kind of like a hidden gem here in Thailand.
13:45They don't have a big social media presence or anything, but it feels like all the locals
13:52know about it and it's a bit of a tourist attraction.
14:23I like that we've been in Hwa Hinn for almost a year and we're still finding all these new
14:28places.
14:28There's just so many cafes and restaurants.
14:33We don't have time to find them all.
14:35If you guys have any recommendations, leave them down below in the comments and we'll go
14:41and check them out.
14:44There really is no shortage of really cool cafes in Hwa Hinn and bakeries and just places you
14:51can come hang out like this.
14:52It's so nice.
14:53There's so much effort that's gone into this place.
14:55It's crazy.
14:56Yeah.
14:56It's like a literal rainforest just in the back of this cafe, which like it isn't out in
15:04the middle of nowhere.
15:06It's right in the middle of the city here, which you would not expect when you're walking
15:10up to the entrance.
15:20Okay.
15:21So as usual, we ordered our food and there was an awkward moment.
15:27I don't really understand what happened.
15:29We asked for two chicken sardes and she seemed really taken aback.
15:33Like that was a crazy order to order one each.
15:37What do you think happened there?
15:39I don't know, but it made me pretty self-conscious about how much food we were ordering.
15:45Yeah.
15:46She was like gobsmacked.
15:49I was like, yeah, one for me, one for my wife.
15:52I don't think that's too much food.
16:16I think I'll get it now.
16:18They're huge.
16:18That's why.
16:19Okay.
16:19It's usually like a share fight thing probably, hey?
16:23Ah well.
16:24And everything seems, is there some place for safety I could go?
16:32Run away, run away, run away into your escape.
16:37Run away, run away, run away.
16:40You're never too far to run.
16:43Run away, run away, run away.
16:45You don't want to go.
16:45New life!
16:45Rob Facebook.
16:45I'm coming back!
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