The long hours we spent sitting in traffic, the day we walked around the mall and got the worst leg pain ever, and the snaking queues at the check-out lines we endured suddenly feel worth it.
While the tradition of gift-giving on Christmas day traces its roots back to several centuries past, the pleasure and excitement of giving and receiving gifts are ever-present. We love to give them and we love to receive them.
We Filipinos are innately generous, even the late world-renowned chef and host Anthony Bourdain attested to it. “Filipinos are, for reasons I have yet to figure out, probably the most giving of all people on the planet,” he said in an episode of Parts Unknown.
We fly abroad to work just so we can make money and improve the lives of our families. We deal with homesickness and we just bite our lip and carry on, because that’s nothing compared to the good life we could give to the people we love. And come Christmas, these OFWs fill huge balikbayan boxes to the brim with imported canned goods, chocolates, toys, and shoes for their loved ones back home.
We always share our blessings, especially when there’s a little extra; we share our food with our neighbors and we give pasalubong to people close to us.
And yes, we go the extra mile on Christmas.
You see, it’s not what’s inside the box that matters—it does, of course, but it’s only a part of it—it’s the thought and love that’s been put into the gift.
Tradition aside, what makes holiday gift-giving more special is because people during this merry season are kinder and more generous.
So to help those looking for presents to give to their parents, siblings, cousins, friends, and colleagues, we present, in the last of our two-part holiday supplement series, a gift guide featuring a wide range of items and where to find them.
Want to give your boss or a favorite aunt something special? Read our short list of sweet treats, from cakes to chocolates, that you can give to them or, better yet, enjoy for yourself.
Also, learn how to handle an awkward gift-giving situation, a.k.a. when you receive something you already have or don’t need or give to the person who’s giving it back to you (unknowingly or otherwise). And give your friends the gift of a fun Christmas party by learning how to throw one.
Finally, on behalf of the Manila Standard, we would like to thank those who helped us unwrap this year’s Christmas supplements.
Have a wonderful Christmas!