The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Man, I am a BAD blogger. :|

The last couple of weeks have been hellish, what with closing two issues for next year, and the last thing I wanted to do was write something I wasn't being paid for. Now that I'm on Holiday Mode though, spreading all the love and warmth and goodwill and all that jazz is starting to look pretty good. That, and my mom's been giving me The Look for working on this post for so long.

It's all Photobucket's fault, with their wonky programs. Swear.

So this is for you, Mom. Finally got it up. Merry Christmas!

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Filipinos are notorious for having an absolute mania for Christmas. Mall speakers start playing carols the minute the calendar turns to September, prices of quezo de bola and ham are suddenly much, much higher than they used to be, and relatives start pouring in from every corner of the world. What really gets a lot of people excited --or stressed, however you wish to look at it -- is the impending moment that dusty cartons of Christmas decorations can be pulled out of storage, and suddenly, houses are decked out in holly and tinsel and millions of lights and gyrating statues of Santa Clause and/or his herd of fluorescent-nosed reindeer.

Thankfully, my mother manages to control her domestic, Martha Stewart-esque urges long enough to start decorating in the latter weeks of November, or even, horror of horrors, December.

Some weeks ago, our house looked like this. As of the first of this month, it transformed into my mother's metallic holiday project.

(Shameless Plugging Time: If you are in any way interested in interior design, DIY projects, or pretty things in general, you should take a look at the blog 40 and Beyond by my mom's good friend, Tita Irene. She updates often, and is a much more responsible blogger than I am.)

[Disclaimer: I take crappy photos. Sorry.]



The image above is what I have been coming home to. I'd like to think the décor is subtle and tasteful, hinting at the holidays rather than screaming “HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! *BLINKING LIGHTS*”



Two wreaths within a six-foot distance of each other. We like the holidays at our house, obviously.



My mother's pride and joy, our tree is metallic, glowy and decked out in ornaments she's found mostly from this store in Makati that opens only in November and December, and has insanely low prices. We're talking sometimes Php 20 15 (!!!) a piece here. That's less than a candy bar.













So shiny.



Did I mention that, aside from two wreaths, we also have two trees? This is her “country” tree. I sigh. It's all I can do.



Little houses that light up are an endless source of amusement. If you have old Barbie dolls laying around, you can set up your own remake of “The Attack of the 50-Foot Woman.” I may or may not have had a misspent childhood.



This is adorable, admit it.



We keep the Santa figurines under control. Keeping the themed decorations together keeps the look whimsical, yet subtle.I've seen homes that looked like a retirement home for North Pole citizens. Not cool.



You know it's almost Christmas when my mom brings out her red candles.





The main features of her vignettes are still there, but given a holiday glamour treatment. (Typing that just killed me.)



Really, it's the tiny details that I love. I think I'll get Mom a plush Eiffel Tower, just to see whether the aesthetic/sentimental/Francophile conflict will make her head explode.

(I didn't mean that, Mom, really.)

Note: All photos were taken on November 25, 2010, which was weeks before the full force of the Christmas Spirit took over the household. What you have just seen is a mere drop in the tiny ocean of decorating fever. Consider it a favor.