I have always loved the Christmas holidays since I was young. And if you are a Filipino, you will know why I love it. That's because we, in the Philippines, celebrate Christmas Holidays the longest! There's no place in the world where you can see a Christmas tree erected in the midst of September. It's only in the Philippines! Christmas songs start playing in shopping malls like SM as early as October (and I can see that the pretty wreaths and holly berries are all over SM, too)! Isn't it fun celebrating Christmas in the Philippines?
Christmas has always been the time to: (1) give (as many and as meaningful) gifts as we can to our loved ones or to the people we wanted to share our gifts; (2) to reunite with family; (3) and of course, to remember that Jesus Christ was born on earth. These essence of celebrating Christmas will always be the reasons I'll think about whenever I feel that Christmas is approaching.
Highlighting the spirit of "gifting", I have prepared my very own Christmas wish list, Christmas gift ideas for my loved ones and My plan on giving back to others on Christmas.
I have been writing my Christmas Wishlist every year ever since I started blogging (you can check them here, and here). I used to wish a lot for Christmas because my parents usually give them to me. But now that I am a little older, much more exposed to the reality of this world, I somehow feel selfish for asking something for myself. So, I end up spending all my Christmas money (from parents) on gifts to give to everyone I love. I might be broke after Christmas (bank accounts severely depleted!!!) but I am happy ;)
So here goes my "please-I'm-begging-you-give-
1. A Christmas-themed Family Portrait. It has been almost two years since we last had a Complete Family Portrait because my sister is away (and she will be back before this year ends!!!!). Can't wait to celebrate the holidays with my Family complete this time!
2. A set of Christmas Story Books for Children. (I'm sure I can find them in SM!) This one's for my little primary students. I teach children ages 4-7 years old on Sundays at church and they love stories (with lots of pictures and my animated voice with exaggerated actions). I will use the books to tell them christmas stories during our "sharing time" activity.
3. A Ticket to The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Theatre Play). I know, I know, this (again) is a little selfish of me to ask but the harry potter fan in me is so much longing to see the play. I'm a muggle who yearns to know why Albus Severus is the cursed child. Oh how I wish they could take Sirius Black and Dumbledore back to life in exchange of the Malfoys. And more Weasleys side story please!!! (I'm referring to Ron and Hermione) Sorry, too much fangirling right there. However, the tickets are already sold out *insert a howler here*. It's alright. I will still have to think of plane tickets and accommodation to get there. But, I'm still wishing for it anyway.
That ends my christmas wish list. I was trying not to add another wish (which is to have a selfie with YayaDub and Alden) but I think it could be the "optional" one on the list. Haha! Too much to ask!
Moving on to the Christmas Gift Ideas for my loved ones, I had thought of three for this year!
I always thought that the best gifts to give on Christmas are the ones that you had spent time personalizing or making. Although the very best gifts in life are priceless, I wanted to buy something for my loved ones and add a twist to it (with my personal touch) to make it more special and unique. So here goes my gift ideas for my loved ones and you can also use this as tips if you want to give your family something special this year.
1. A "Moments Of the Year" Scrapbook Christmas Gift. This gift consists of photos of memorable moments with your loved ones this year. It could be a photo that reminds you of that inside joke, the spur of the moment pics or even milestones with your loved ones. Add a caption on pictures, and end the scrapbook with a long cheesy message about him/her as your most precious Christmas gift. ;) #nailedIt (P.S. You can get all the materials at SM department Store Stationery Section).
2. A "Motivator" Christmas Gift. If you know someone who has a goal to achieve in the near future, give them a gift that they can use when they have achieved that goal. For example, give your sibling a nice smaller size dress if she's aiming to lose weight. Or give your aunt a nice scarf if she aims to travel in winter season someday. Or give your mum that pretty cake stand where she can put her first ever perfect melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake. Or a baby dress if your friend was wishing for a baby girl next time. These gifts will somehow keep them motivated to achieve their goals. Don't forget to finish gift-wrapping with a sweet note to motivate them more! (And I am sure you can find everything you need when you go around SM! "Here at SM, we GOT IT ALL FOR YOU!")
3. A "Goals-filled Mason Jar". People would say that when you write your goals, it gives you an idea that you will achieve it. So, give your loved one a mason jar of your choice and a colorful notepad (I got the mason jar at SM Department Store Home, Storage Section). Before having it wrapped at the gift-wrapping section of SM, put a note inside the jar instructing him/her to write her goals for 2016 in the notepad and place all the goals inside the mason jar. He/she has to check those goals every quarter of the year just to check if they are inching towards those goals. A book designed for a 365-day challenge might also help in writing their goals.
These Christmas gift ideas can still be more personalized according to your preferences, but I'm pretty sure that I will strive hard to have those kinds of gifts prepared for Christmas.
Lastly, I want to share to you my plans of giving back to others on Christmas and I prepared 3 ways. Here they go:
1. SM CARES BEARS OF JOY! Isn't the most important thing to do on Christmas is to give and not to expect something in return? This is why I'm planning to buy SM CARES Bears this Christmas but (for some twist), I will give the bears to my primary students that I teach every Sunday. They have been telling me that they wanted to get something for themselves for Christmas because last year, chocolates and candies were my gifts to them. (I would probably buy more SM CARES BEARs if I'm lucky enough this coming holidays). This SM Cares campaign is an ideal thing to consider for giving back this Christmas. You buy a bear and donate a bear at the same time! For more information about SM CARES BEARS OF JOY, click here.
2. "Give back" Christmas Caroling. This is a thing for me along with my church friends because we do annual Christmas caroling not to ask for money from families we sing to, but to give them gifts instead. The SM GIFT BASKETS would be perfect to give to families this year! You can get the baskets at any SM Supermarket. Sing-a-long and give them gifts!
3. 100 Christmas Cupcakes. I have a passion for baking (and a lot more for eating) and this year, I wanted to share to people the product of my passion. I will bake 100 Christmas-themed cupcakes and give it away at our Church's Christmas Party this coming December. It's time that I let them taste the cupcakes I'm so busy fuzzing about. I might just add more if I have more savings when Christmas holidays come. (Of course, SM Supermarket has everything I need to bake cupcakes!)
Just by writing this post, I can already feel the Christmas ambiance. So, don't forget to write your own Christmas wishlist and SM Santa might just grant those wishes. Visit The SM Store nearest your place to get the best deals for your Christmas shopping! MERRY SM CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! For more information about their biggest discounts, see the details below.
Just by writing this post, I can already feel the Christmas ambiance. So, don't forget to write your own Christmas wishlist and SM Santa might just grant those wishes. Visit The SM Store nearest your place to get the best deals for your Christmas shopping! MERRY SM CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! For more information about their biggest discounts, see the details below.
“For more updates about this year’s “Merry SM Christmas” campaign, visit SM’s official Christmas microsite (https://www.smsupermalls.com/merrysmchristmas2015) and follow its official social media accounts at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls), Twitter (https://twitter.com/smsupermalls), and Instagram (https://instagram.com/smsupermalls/); and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through Viber (http://chats.viber.com/SMsupermalls). Shoppers can actively share their holiday merriments inside the SM Supermalls by posting their photos on social media and adding the hashtag #MerrySMChristmas2015.”
Disclaimer: I am not paid to advertise The SM Store. This is an entry to a blog contest that I'm very glad to be part of. All the pictures that I've used are mine, only some of the items pictures for my list are googled images.
xx,
T
P.S It took me a few days to conceptualize this post hahaha. It is extremely difficult (for me) to do photo staging and I'm somehow accepting it as my weakness. haha. It has been a very long time since I last processed a photo using photoshop and I suck at it now. Merry SM Christmas! love youz!
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