Wishing you a warm tropical Merry Christmas!

How are you spending your holidays?
Last year, my daughter Tifani, who grew up in Germany came home and stayed for a year. She got to experience her first real Filipino Christmas. My husband, Darwin grew his beard out long to play Santa for the kids. Christmas is huge here! The kids seriously loved having a real life Santa Claus.
In the previous years, Darwin told them he was Gandalf. He taught them all the Vulcan greeting of ‘live long and prosper’. In Morocco, everyone called him Ali Baba. Here in the Philippines he’s called Santa by strangers throughout the year. He prefers it to Ali Baba. Besides who am I to argue with Santa?

This year, Darwin’s become slightly more paranoid. He insists that children in the mall are stalking him with Christmas lists. Yesterday a little girl and her grandfather gave him a wish list. He couldn’t bare to disappoint the kid or her enormous 6 foot tall grandfather. The list simply read that she wanted a life sized statue of Santa.

Christmas Wishlist for Santa (Shorts)

This year Darwin’s Santa beard took a life of its own, but I’ll save those stories for another Holiday season.

The Filipino Christmas Experience
Let’s get back to talking about the approaching Holidays. As mentioned above, in the Philippines, the Christmas playlist start as early as September. Filipinos are unlike Americans. In the US, they’re supernaturally bred to stuff four month of consumerism into a few short weeks. We, on the other hand, are far more relaxed owing to our laid back island lifestyle. Christmas isn’t just about gifts and such; it’s about family and friends. Here the festivities begin with store decorations and Christmas jingles as early in September when you’re still wearing shorts and flip-flops because it feels like an endless summer. And as I’ll show in a short order, the Philippines loves the baby Jesus a little bit more than anyone else!So why’s a tropical Filipino Christmas so special?

1. Christmas Parols
Well, simply put, it’s beautiful! The cities, towns, and Barangays (villages) put in so much extra effort. Every decoration is it’s own act of love. Every corner twinkles more than the last with Christmas lights and glowing Parols, the name taken from the Spanish Farols, meaning Lanterns.
Christmas Parols are ornamental lanterns made of bamboo and Japanese paper or cellophane. They come in different shaped stars, some are very large and some are quite small. They commemorate the star of Bethlehem that guided the three kings to the manger where Jesus was born. For months, there are a galaxy of Parols that festoon neighborhoods throughout the Philippines. Originally, Parols were lit by candles, but owing to the many accidents they are now illuminated with Christmas lights. People hang these stars outside their houses or out on their balconies as early as November. Christmas Parols have evolved these days; many are constructed of local indigenous materials like Capiz Shells (Windowpane Oyster Shells). Competitions are held between towns, schools, and churches for the best Parol. Their beauty, creativity and original designs are amazing.

2. Christmas Trees

Wherever you live, you’ve gotta love Christmas trees! Wherever they are, they emit a psychedelic riot color. The key to remember is decorating the right kind of tree. Some lend themselves to decorating better than others. Palm trees should be avoided, they tend to look rather phallic when lit at night. Here in the Philippines there are competitions for the best Christmas Trees. Some are over the top. Each Barangay martials their resources to brighten up the town with Christmas cheers and holiday wishes. This creativity extends to using any and all the natural resources available to them. I once saw a Christmas tree made of Coke, Coke Zero, and Diet Coke cans. It was wonderfully festive. Of course, the malls light up amazing Christmas trees displays. They have the most money to spend on decorations.They become the focus of shopper selfies, social media postings, and general merriment. I guess it’s like that anywhere you go. My favorite tree is the one below; context is everything.It was a rescue operation saving lives and boosting morale after a natural catastrophe.
3. Nativity scenes

Another entry in the decorative extravaganzas are the Nativity scenes.This is especially important on my Island of Cebu. Santo Nino of Cebu is the Roman Catholic title for the venerated Christ-Child. Seeing little statues of the Santo Nino in homes and businesses is akin to seeing a Ganesha in India. Needless to say, the Nativity of Jesus is a super big deal here. There are reenactments, exhibitions, and awards for the best Nativity. The Nativity story are showcased in the local communities and town centers. Here they are visible for everyone to enjoy for months. It’s important to remind people of Jesus’ humble beginnings. Many forget he was a political refugee while he was still a helpless infant! This is a good change from the opulent trappings that sometimes surround people’s faith. Admittedly, many of our Nativity scenes are the very definition of opulence, but those I love.

4. Christmas games

Here in the Philippines, one of our most popular Christmas games is ‘Manito and Manita’. During the first week of December, we drop our names into a hat to secretly exchange names to give gifts. A budget for the gifts is set. The names that you pick becomes your ‘Manita or Manito.’ Their identities get revealed during Christmas day. Gift exchanges ensure everyone goes home happy, with a gift, and no one gets left out. The Philippines, generally speaking, isn’t the wealthiest nation in the world. People take great pains to make Christmas sustainable and cost effective. Everyone gets encouraged to participate in the sweetness and joy of gift giving. In fact, some people recycle Christmas cards and even regift Christmas presents as a bit of whimsey.

5. Midnight Masses

Filipinos honor the tradition of Midnight Mass called Misa de Gallo, another practice, we inherited from our Spanish forbears. Gradually, I’ve become lazy and not as faithful to our customs and traditions. I look back with fondness on my childhood. It was an excuse to see friends and family. It was an opportunity to show off our nice new dresses and brand new holiday shoes. After Midnight Mass, Noche Buena followed. This custom is part of our Spanish heritage. It’s a cozy moment where families open up their homes for a lovely warm Christmas midnight meal. It’s no news too for anyone and anywhere, that the Christmas season is a marathon. Christmas Eve runs into Christmas Day morning, followed by lunch and gift giving. I recall with fondness as children we ate to our hearts content and with absolute utter abandon. The meals couldn’t be beat.

6. Christmas Meals

The most wonderful thing about the holidays are the meals during the holidays. In the Philippines, Lechon (roasted pig) is more common than Turkey, Goose or Trout. Lechon is always present the entire year round but especially during Christmas. We also get a seasoned honey baked hams and specialty cheese called ‘Queso De Bola’. And of course, our Christmas fruitcake drenched in rum and other special ingredients.The Philippines has the longest Christmas season especially for a Cebuano. After a marathon Christmas, we have New Years Eve, New Years Day, then January 6th, we celebrate Epiphany, known to the layman as ‘Three Kings Day’. And in the third week of that same exhausting month, we celebrate Sinulog.

It is our version of the Mardi Gras and the biggest festival of the Philippines. Sinulog is a dance ritual with its own beat. It is a celebration of our faith, reenacting the coming of the Spaniards and the conversions of Filipinos from Paganism to Christianity. Filipinos travel from all over the island and abroad to pay homage to Santo Nino, because he’s known to manifest miracles and bestow answers to fervent prayers made with burning hearts.Celebrating holidays in the Philippines is not for the faint of heart.

Finally, and at long last, the decorations come down. They aren’t seen again for 8 months and then the cycle begins anew. Yes, I can go on and on about the joys of a Filipino Christmas. Although these days, who has the energy and stamina to make it through every nuance of an entire holiday season?And as this Christmas season mercifully crawls to the halfway mark, I think of my last Christmas year of 2022. It was bittersweet. My daughter Tifani had just come home and stayed for an entire year. She was able to experience her first entire Christmas marathon in the Philippines which was extra special to me.Darwin grew his beard out to be our Santa who hands out gifts to all the kids in the family… not the one’s stalking him in the malls. That was the sweet part!
The bitter part of last year was that I lost my beloved puppy Zorro on Christmas Day.  I still can’t believe that my Yorkie, Zorro chose that day to say ‘goodbye’. He was a frail 15 years old, but he’ll always be a pup to me. Losing Zorro was such a sorrow, that Christmas Day will remain etched in my heart forever. We drove around all night looking for a emergency Vet that could take him on Christmas Eve; we finally found one. We knew we were losing him and we had to say ‘goodbye’, the following day. It was good to be with him at the beginning of his life when he was a puppy until the end of it. In my mind, it brought back all the happiness, and it was incredibly sad too. Thanks universe, because what is the Yin without the Yang?
Being together made it a really special season filled with wonderful memories. It’s essential that we appreciate the one’s here that we love and we never forget those, who we have loved and lost.Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

Photo credits:
Darwin and I took most of the photos ourselves but giving credit where it’s due.See below image sources for a picture I’ve absconded from the web. Christmas Parols –  How Do Asians Celebrate Christmas? |
Asian Inspirations (pinterest.com)
Christmas tree – Disaster Tech Lab
Back to Top