SM BILLIONAIRE HANS SY WOULD RATHER WEAR A FITBIT WATCH

Thank God for lunches like this one. During a Thanksgiving lunch hosted by SM Supermalls president Steven Tan at Conrad Hotel's popular China Blue resto, media guests were asked by Tessa Prieto what they were thankful for and what their Christmas wishes were.

- MILLET M. MANANQUIL

That's a day in the life—rather, a week in the life—of a lifestyle editor like? Truth to tell, my staffers, contributing writers and I try to cover as many events as we can in a week. But we can only attend so much. So here are my personal picks for the busy pre-Christmas week that was.

Did you know that the tradition of lighting Christmas trees began in medieval Germany? But it was in 1882 when the first electrically lit Christmas tree was created by the assistant of inventor Thomas Alva Edison.

In our country, where the Christmas season starts as early as September, tree-lighting events begin as soon as we pull down our Halloween decor. Almost every day in early December, there's a tree-lighting event held by a hotel or mall! I would get electrified and exhausted if I attended each one of them.

But there's one such event that I've not missed for two years now: the one hosted by President Bongbong Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos because it goes beyond tree-lighting. Last year they awarded the winners of a choral singing contest held among schools. This year, they announced the winners of their "Isang Bituin, Isang Mithiin" parol-making contest among public high schools.