Christmas trees are lit up

Our country has already been recognized as having one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world, with Christmas decors appearing as soon as the "ber" months roll in.

- Marianne Go

Shopping malls, of course, are the first to roll out the season, festooning their facades with a myriad of twinkling lights to whet shoppers' anticipation of the all-important gift-giving tradition on Dec. 25 which recreates the bearing of gifts for the child Christ.

By October, the malls slowly start putting up their seasonal, thematic decor, wrapping up even their escalators with lights and floral arrangements to entice shoppers to explore the different floors offering gift ideas for everyone in the family. Mall entrances also start taking on a more welcoming appearance with garlands of Christmas decors.

The SM Mall near my residence put on a posh air by reconstructing the red and gold awning of the Waldorf Astoria complete with a rotund Santa Claus and replica red gaslight post!

As soon as the Halloween events end by the end of October, the explosion of Christmas decorations begin with streetlights getting the annual spruce up of lights and new decor each local government dreams up for the year's annual Christmas theme, with parols or Filipino Christmas lanterns blinking away through the night!

Hotels, on the other hand, take on the more traditional approach, with most choosing to start putting up their Christmas decor following the Halloween mayhem and then holding their traditional Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and introducing their Christmas offering that will likely extend up to the observance of the Chinese New Year celebrations the following year, with a few tweaks to replace some Christmas decors with Chinese lanterns, characters and the upcoming animal symbol for the new year.