Christmas means different things to different people. Some celebrate it with big parties, while others prefer more quiet gatherings. Some take the holidays as an opportunity to go on out-of-town adventures, while others opt to stay home and enjoy the solemnity of the season. After talking to these 11 women about how they choose to spend their Christmases, one thing is evident: no matter how you celebrate it, the most important thing about Christmas is being near to those dear to our hearts.

Tis the Season

Crickette Tantoco

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

A festive affair marked by a flurry of activities. The setting up of the Christmas decor signals the start of the season. Christmas music often wafts through our home; presents are delivered and received; and tons of get-togethers with family and friends take place. Most importantly, we remember all the blessings that we have received throughout the year, including the greatest blessing of the season: the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Bonding with friends and family in a joyful atmosphere. Most people are more cheerful, more generous, and more compassionate during the Christmas season. I also look forward to our family out-of-town trip and the midnight tombola. 

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

When we were children, we would always re-enact the nativity scene for my maternal grandparents. All the cousins would be assigned roles and we would rehearse for days. On Christmas Eve, we would perform, and sing Christmas carols. Now that I am a parent, it warms my heart that my children have continued this tradition of preparing a holiday programme for their parents and grandparents.

What’s on your wishlist?

I wish someone would volunteer to shop and deliver all the Christmas presents for me this year.

What made 2015 special for you?

This is the year when I felt that my children are beginning to really come into their own. My son went abroad for college. My daughters began working and thriving in their respective jobs. This year is special because I feel as if I am passing on the baton to the next generation. It’s their turn to make their mark in the world. From what I have seen so far, they are on their way to becoming responsible, productive, and purpose-driven members of society.

Marianne Po

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

The decorations go up in early November. Christmas music and movies are also a must, especially when friends and family come over. We usually alternate between spending Christmas here in the Philippines and abroad. Because it is my eldest son’s first year studying abroad, he has requested that we stay here for the holidays.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Being with family, especially those that live abroad. I love listening to Christmas music and getting into the spirit of the season. We have a nativity scene displayed in our home to remind us that Christmas the celebration of Christ’s birth. This year I hope to complete Simbang Gabi as there are many miracles that I wish to celebrate. Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the commercialism of the season, but I always try to step back for some quiet time and reflection.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

One of our most special Christmases was spent in Whistler, Canada. Our family rented two neighbouring homes and my siblings and our children enjoyed playing in the snow. Some went skiing and some just enjoyed the log cabin and the beautiful scenery. Just being away from the traffic and busyness of Manila is a nice memory in itself. Another favourite Christmas memory and tradition is going to the Manila Peninsula and listening to the Christmas carollers and having a meal with bibingka and puto bumbong in the lobby.

What’s on your wishlist?

I prefer to call it my prayer list. This year the most precious thing on my list is my own and my family’s good health. When someone you love goes through a health crisis, everything else takes the backseat. You realise that people and relationships are more important than anything that comes in a box. It just completely changes your perspective on life and makes you realise that every day is a blessing in itself.

What made 2015 special for you?

2015 has been a year of challenges and lessons but even more blessings. A health crisis in my family brought me to my knees and I experienced such an incredible boost to my faith. The love and prayers from family and friends made the journey very special. My family experienced many answered prayers and fulfilled hopes and dreams. I couldn’t ask for more.

Marilu Toda-Batchelor

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

Festive, colourful, exciting, and filled with family and friends! 

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Being reunited with family, especially those coming from abroad.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

I grew up in Australia but we always spent Christmas back home in the Philippines. We would spend Christmas Eve at my grandmother abuela Elisa’s home, which really embodied the magic of the season for me, with its beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the table filled with traditional Christmas dishes, and the laughter and cheer of family and friends. After dinner, my cousins and I would run to the park next door and look at the sky to find a star which we all would agree was Santa Claus and his reindeer on their way down to us. And then sure enough, Santa would always appear (usually one of my brothers, as I discovered when I was older) to hand out the gifts. Our whole family would then attend midnight mass together. 

What’s on your wishlist?

My life is centred around family so my biggest wish is simple: to have my whole family together this Christmas!

What made 2015 special for you?

Happiness, good health, great friendships, peace, and Zumba—for the great exercise and the positive energy it brings!

Deck the Halls

Marissa Concepcion

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

Christmas at home is festive and busy with preparations and get-togethers.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

The true spirit of hope, love, and joy. And the reunions; Christmas is a reason to reunite and reconnect.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

Our annual midnight mass and Christmas programmes. Just by simply being together with family and good friends always brings a special happiness.

What’s on your wishlist?

Good health, so that we are able to give love, hope, and joy to all we meet. 

What made 2015 special for you?

There is not one specific event in the year 2015 as there have been countless reasons to be grateful.

Lizette Cojuangco

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

We gather together the whole family. Our schedules are full from the 24th until the evening of the 25th.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Spending the season with the whole family, savouring the company of our elderly relatives, and being reunited with family members who return from their studies overseas. It is also the time when we would spend time with other families on an out-of-town trip.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

I love those days when I had to be very creative and clever in ways of delivering Santa’s gift to the house. Luckily, the kids—no matter how hard they tried—never caught Santa distributing the gifts. This went on for years, so all my kids believed in Santa till they were 9 years old—or so they made me believe.

What’s on your wishlist?

A white Christmas, perhaps with family and friends!

What made 2015 special for you?

My two older kids are done with college which means they will be coming home for good.

Bea Lhuillier

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

Christmas is usually in the US, with lots of family meals and endless chats.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

I look forward to watching the kids ski, drinking hot chocolate, and roasting marshmallows. Ultimately, I love seeing all these wonderful family memories being made!

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

One Christmas season, there was a snow storm and the electricity went out, so we had to make a fire to keep warm. All the kids ended up playing board games beside the fire in the living room the whole night.

What’s on your wishlist?

For my husband and kids’ continued health and safety. An energy pill wouldn’t hurt either—keeping up with four kids and an active husband is no joke!

What made 2015 special for you?

Seeing my children continue to flourish in their respective passions and become the people God created them to be.

Exchange Gift

Patty Chilip

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

Wrapping presents, eating jamon, ensaymada, and hot chocolate for breakfast, and my husband and I opening gifts with my kids.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

The cool weather, the poinsettias, and the catching up with old friends and relatives who I only see around Christmas.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

My mum’s family always had a Christmas party where all the kids had to sing, dance, or tell jokes. The good jokes would get P50 and they always cracked us up. This would go on till the wee hours of the night. 

What’s on your wishlist?

World peace, homes for orphans, and the end of poverty.

What made 2015 special for you?

2015 was special because I feel like I renewed my spiritual life. It’s nice because I feel the presence of God in the everyday things. This is what I wish for everyone—that they always feel God is near.

Tootsy Angara

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

We usually spend Christmas away from home to spend quality time with our three kids and our parents.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Being with family; time is a luxury to both Sonny and I, so we really cherish bonding time with the kids.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

The memory of last Christmas lasts the whole year until the next one. Hanging out with the family is so precious.

What’s on your wishlist?

Unity in the country and a positive outlook for all citizens so they are willing to do their part. What made 2015 special for you? This year I made a choice to stress less and value what I have, to count my blessings and have a grateful heart.

Winter Wonderland

Rose Anne Belmonte

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

When we wake up on Christmas morning, we gather around the Christmas tree and open gifts, then enjoy a Filipino breakfast with music from the Vienna Boys’ Choir or Vivaldi, talking about the year that passed. After mass at Santuario San Antonio, we have a nice dinner at home with my side of the family. 

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

It is a time of gathering. It is a time to reconnect with friends and family, and to celebrate the year’s milestones. Just being together makes me happy. 

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

When my kids were small, we would have an advent walk around the garden. We would create a circular path with sticks and leaves, and at dusk on the first day of December, we would walk with candles around the path, celebrating the solemnity of Christmas. We would also have an advent wreath, and light the advent candles at every meal, heightening the anticipation for Christmas day. We had beautiful, fresh pine trees and used to hang oranges on them; the scent is unforgettable.

What’s on your wishlist?

For my two sons, Ethan and Kirby, who live abroad, to continue to be safe and happy. For Basti, my youngest, to continue to enjoy my company, as we join The Mealenium feeding project (which feeds children below 8 years old) and other fun things together. A shared wish for Kevin and I is the continued growth of Philstar.com. I also wish to meet all the IPTL stars personally, like Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, this December. 

What made 2015 special for you?

2015 was a special year for me and the family. We enjoyed a family summer vacation in Eastern Europe, the last before Kirby went off to Brown, a break for Ethan who started work in Singapore, and a break from school for Basti. A work milestone for Kevin and I was the 15th anniversary of Philstar.com.

Tina Ocampo

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

A big bright Christmas tree sets the tone of our family Christmas. Wrapping activities start at the end of November and all gifts are sent, at the latest, on the second week of December. All gifts we receive from friends and family are stored under our Christmas tree, and are only opened after our breakfast on Christmas Day. 

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Our family’s exchange gift. It’s so much fun! We normally give a budget for each child to buy their presents for one another. We also do a special Kris Kringle and like to tease each other from day one about who’s the Secret Santa of who.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

When they were two and four years old, my firstand second-born were wishing for new bikes. Since they had a habit of secretly tearing the Christmas wrappers of their presents right after it appears under the Christmas tree, Ricco and I decided to change the original boxes of the bikes to electric fan boxes. The scene was hilarious!

What’s on your wishlist?

A family trip where we can just chill. No cell sites!

What made 2015 special for you?

2015 wasn’t a good year for our family, but we were blessed to have a second chance in life. God is good!

Sharmila Hiranand

What’s Christmas usually like in your home?

My siblings all live abroad, so the kids don’t have all their cousins here. We usually have a quiet celebration at home.

What do you look forward to each Christmas?

Funnily, for it to be over! With all the responsibilities that come with the season, it’s a lot of work. Having to think of so many people and all the gifts I need to give takes so much of my time and energy that I am more relaxed after the holidays. I also look forward to the traffic and chaos settling down after the holidays.

Can you share a favourite Christmas memory?

Having my family from all over the world spend Christmas here in the Philippines. 

What’s on your wishlist?

For my kids to grow closer to God, to be able to reach their goals, to be always happy and content.

What made 2015 special for you?

My kids are all back home from the US and I am so happy to have them all under one roof. Even if they stress me out at times, they are my happiness.

Photography: Edric Chen | Words: Cristina Morales | Location: Rustan’s Department Store Makati