With only six weeks to the start of Midnight Masses in the Philippines, many Filipinos, particularly those in the metropolis and some urban centers of this predominantly Christian country, have geared up to the hardly controllable rush for some Yuletide shopping.
Fact is, even before November hit the calendar, many were already preparing to cash in on the low-priced gift items available in modish malls and the usual department stores not far from the capital’s skyline.
Some, particularly the millennials—men and women aged between 18 and 35—have started their shopping online, arguing this was the best to beat the terrible traffic and poor public transport system that have hounded the capital where nearly 13 million people work and live for nearly a decade now.
Many say they can order from shops that sell stuff online, which would be as good, if not better, as those bought in heavily crowded malls and other stores through ghastly traffic and hours on the city’s boulevards and avenues.
Shopping in the urban centers like Metro Manila began as early as September, although the bulk of purchases was restrained then.
The image, of course, is utterly different in the countryside, where Filipinos go shopping at even slower than cruising speed.
Given the Filipino culture of doing things on a rush, the heaviest shopping month would still be December—up to before Christmas Eve when “Jingle Bells” and “Joy To The World” continue to be blasted from variety stores including gated subdivisions.
With the cold winds starting to blow from the Mongolian steppes, which have whipped this country as early as September, not to mention the ruthless typhoons that stormed into the country, we join others in praying for those who have lost kin and property from natural disasters.