Aquinos spend Xmas sans Cory's spaghetti, corned beef

Not on Times Street, not on a dining table with spaghetti and corned beef. The Aquinos decided to spend Christmas away from the place and without the dishes that would have made it hard for them to accept that their Mom was already gone. “Purposely, wala kaming spaghetti kasi ‘yun ang sa Mom talaga. Baka ma-sad lang kami habang kumakain ng spaghetti…Tapos walang fresh corned beef kasi ‘yun ang sa Mom talaga. So umiwas kami doon," said popular television host Kris Aquino, the youngest child of the late President Corazon Aquino. (Purposely, we didn’t have spaghetti because that’s Mom’s specialty. We may feel sad if we eat spaghetti. We also didn’t include fresh corned beef on our menu because that’s also our Mom’s specialty.) Last May, three months before her demise due to colon cancer, the 76-year-old Mrs. Aquino still managed to show the simple but loving ways of a homemaker. She prepared liver paté for her children, after her only son, Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino, cajoled her into cooking his favorite dishes. "Iba pa rin ang luto ng ina (Nothing beats mother’s cooking). I will miss her other specialties, spaghetti meatballs and sukiyaki," said Noynoy after his mother died. [See: Aquino’s Cabinet execs remember having a ‘Cory-pot’ boss]

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV The Aquino siblings have also decided not to celebrate Christmas Eve at their mother’s residence on Times Street in Quezon City. They spent their noche buena at Kris's house in Valle Verde in Pasig City. “Si Viel nag-volunteer na sana sa bahay na lang niya. Tapos sinabi ko na aalis na kami dito by middle of January so sabi ko last hurrah na lang dito," Kris said referring to Victoria Eliza Aquino Dee, Cory’s third daughter. (Viel volunteered to hold the Christmas dinner in her house. But we’re going to leave the Valle Verde house by middle of January, so I said this would be our last hurrah here)," Before the noche buena, the siblings, including Maria Elena “Ballsy" Aquino-Cruz and Aurora Corazon "Pinky" Aquino-Abellada, heard Mass at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City, which was led by Fr. Catalino Arevalo. During the siblings’ gift-giving, Noynoy played Santa Claus to Kris. He gave her a black traveling bag with touches of yellow, their mother’s trademark color. The senator said the traveling bag was timely because Kris was expected to be with him during the campaign period in February. - AIE BALAGTAS SEE, GMANews.TV