People around the world may think that Filipinos are kind of outlandish and are laying it on thick when it comes to playing Christmas songs over the radio once the "-ber" months kick in, but for me, this characteristic is genuinely a thing of the Philippine culture. I mean, where else in this blue planet can you find a spot wherein Christmas starts in September (sometimes even in late August!) and ends towards the first seven days of January the following year??!!! I may not have explored all continents inside and out, but from where I stood and what I've experienced a year ago, yes, it's only in the Philippines where one gets to feel the longest Christmas celebration ever. REALLY. You wouldn't even feel the passing of All Saints' and Souls' Days (i.e., in the west, it's called 'Halloween'; in the Philippines, it means Magandang Gabi Bayan's creepy ghost episodes) being another red-lettered event in our calendars, which comes before Christmas.
However, anticipating for this season is what actually gets me high and jumpy, and not specifically the day itself. I'd wish for clocks to stop at midnight of December 25th, or a minute before the 25th to be exact, and then inhale all the Christmas spirit I could snuffle for as much as I can, and wish for that moment to linger on. I also enjoy people-watching people caught up in the holiday hustle and bustle. Nakakatuwa!
Have you been to the malls lately? Last Saturday, I went malling around SM City (one popular chain of super malls in the country) with Vincent and Sharon (his officemate). Not surprisingly, besides finding an estimated 75% of the city's population trooping the halls of this department store, another thing that stood out were the Christmas ornaments being sold and showcased at the mall's home world department:
12-ft Christmas trees, plus things you hang up and around them. Okay, so who cares if these are plastic trees?! Real conifers don't come in red, white and yellow colors, do they? Not much excitement there.
What really fascinated me were the sets of miniature village collections (see below)! I was smiling ear-to-ear as I stood mesmerized in front of these collectibles (They pretty much don't fall under the toys category. They're more like mobile decorative stuffs) the first time I saw them two weeks ago. I'm a sucker for miniature model pieces! And so last Saturday, I elbowed aside a group of 3-year-olds enjoying the "village show" ('Parang awa mo na sa mga bata, Christine!', Vincent would plead) and took pictures of these. Much as I'd love to have them all, I'm not that cracked to purchase such expensive items (a piece costs P1,500 = around $30), thank you very much.
The Halloween village. I swear, I'd love to shrink into an inch and be able to walk around here. I liked this one more than the Christmas villages.
One of the Christmas villages. There's a cottage somewhere in there, which is supposed to be a toy factory. Ang cute-cute!!!
The other Christmas village. The carousel plus ice rink go well with the theme. Okay, forgive the nativity scene (which is kind of out of place), but what in the name of snow angel are those two cars on a dedicated "pavement" doing there?!?! Ha-ha-ha!!! Anyhow, it's clever.
Christmas in the Philippines is unparalleled!
However, anticipating for this season is what actually gets me high and jumpy, and not specifically the day itself. I'd wish for clocks to stop at midnight of December 25th, or a minute before the 25th to be exact, and then inhale all the Christmas spirit I could snuffle for as much as I can, and wish for that moment to linger on. I also enjoy people-watching people caught up in the holiday hustle and bustle. Nakakatuwa!
Have you been to the malls lately? Last Saturday, I went malling around SM City (one popular chain of super malls in the country) with Vincent and Sharon (his officemate). Not surprisingly, besides finding an estimated 75% of the city's population trooping the halls of this department store, another thing that stood out were the Christmas ornaments being sold and showcased at the mall's home world department:
12-ft Christmas trees, plus things you hang up and around them. Okay, so who cares if these are plastic trees?! Real conifers don't come in red, white and yellow colors, do they? Not much excitement there.
What really fascinated me were the sets of miniature village collections (see below)! I was smiling ear-to-ear as I stood mesmerized in front of these collectibles (They pretty much don't fall under the toys category. They're more like mobile decorative stuffs) the first time I saw them two weeks ago. I'm a sucker for miniature model pieces! And so last Saturday, I elbowed aside a group of 3-year-olds enjoying the "village show" ('Parang awa mo na sa mga bata, Christine!', Vincent would plead) and took pictures of these. Much as I'd love to have them all, I'm not that cracked to purchase such expensive items (a piece costs P1,500 = around $30), thank you very much.
The Halloween village. I swear, I'd love to shrink into an inch and be able to walk around here. I liked this one more than the Christmas villages.
One of the Christmas villages. There's a cottage somewhere in there, which is supposed to be a toy factory. Ang cute-cute!!!
The other Christmas village. The carousel plus ice rink go well with the theme. Okay, forgive the nativity scene (which is kind of out of place), but what in the name of snow angel are those two cars on a dedicated "pavement" doing there?!?! Ha-ha-ha!!! Anyhow, it's clever.
Christmas in the Philippines is unparalleled!
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