100 days before Christmas, Filipinos start buying holiday decor, ham

With 100 days left before Christmas, Filipinos have started preparing for the holiday season.

According to Mariz Umali’s “24 Oras” report on Thursday, many buyers have dropped by Dapitan Arcade to shop for Christmas décor such as lights and miniature toy villages.

“[Even in the simple things we do], we have to do this for our sanity and of course, Christianity as well. We have to make ourselves happy so we can share the happiness also,” said buyer Irene Dy.

“’Yung spirit ng Christmas, nandiyan pa rin kahit konting palamuti. Kung kaya naman, bumili pa rin kasi para mas makita ng mga bata, mas ramdam nila yung pasko,” added online seller April Antonio.

[The spirit of Christmas is still there even with just a few decorations. If you can, buy (decorations) for kids to see so they can feel it’s Christmas.]

Also being sold were figures of Santa Claus and the Holy Family of various designs and sizes.

Apart from ornaments, some Filipinos have also started grocery shopping for the food they will be preparing and giving away as gifts, which include the good ol’ Pinoy favorite Christmas ham.

“Aside sa naging traditional na, it symbolizes Christmas. Every house, kahit papaano, they make it a point na may ham. We need to really celebrate Christmas lalo na sa mga Katoliko,” said Marisol Buan.

[Aside from it being tradition, it symbolizes Christmas. Every household, somehow, they make it a point to have ham. We need to really celebrate Christmas, especially for Catholics.]

Of course, it is not Christmas in the Philippines without the parol.

Along Ortigas Extension, sellers lit up the highway with their colorful lanterns in various designs.

“Pagpasok ng ‘ber’ (month), lumalakas na ang bentahan. Minsan, sunod-sunod na ang bumibili rito. Pinapaganda pa namin ’yung mga parol para maraming bumili,” said Sato Laxa, one of the sellers. “Mahalaga ang mga parol ngayon para makalimutan natin ang pandemic.”

[When the “ber” months start, our sales go higher. Sometimes, buyers come in one after another. We make the parol beautiful so more customers will buy. Parols are important now so we can forget about the pandemic.]

The lanterns sold along Ortigas Extension in Quezon City range from PHP800 to PHP9,000 depending on the size and how intricate the designs are. Stores are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. – Franchesca Viernes/RC, GMA News