It beginning to look like Christmas …. As the famous Christmas song says. It’s just less than 48 days to go before Christmas and the smell and look of Christmas is everywhere …. in the malls, the streets, the houses being decorated. Part of the Philippine Heritate of Christmas is the giant Christmas Tree at Araneta Center. This November 9, Friday, the giant tree will be officially lit with funfair! Program starts at 3 pm.
I remember during my childhood days, (decades ago), my parents always takes us to Araneta Center to see the giant Christmas Tree and see the COD Department Store Christmas displays to watch the animated mannequins. It was a Christmas tradition for us. Now, the COD display gone (actually resumed now in Greenhills), fortunately the Christmas tradition still continues with the giant Christmas Tree and the Holiday on Ice shows at the Big Dome.
I met a high school classmate recently who has now migrated to the US but here in the Philippines for a business trip. He was excited to see the Christmas displays everywhere here and was even taking photos of it to send to her wife in the US. How he envies the Christmas spirit here in our native land. He surely misses it!
Let’s enjoy the Christmas mood here in our country. Visit Araneta Center this Christmas Season along with the other great Christmas displays in the metro.
Here is a press release from Araneta Center about their Christmas activities.
ARANETA CENTER’S GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS UP NOVEMBER 9
The soul and symbol of Christmas in the metropolis shines on November 9 when Araneta Center lights its iconic giant Christmas tree in meaningful and festive rites. For 31 years since it was first installed, the Araneta Center’s giant Christmas tree signaled the official start of the holiday season in these environs. The tradition borne out of a wish by J. Amado Araneta to erect the country’s biggest Yuletide tree continues to extend Christmas cheer to as many Filipinos as possible.
This year, Araneta Center once again teams up with Coca-Cola in a tree lighting ceremony that continues the legacy of spreading holiday cheer through simple acts of happiness to Filipinos. Hosted by Megan Young and Robi Domingo, the Yule activities will involve a constellation of television and movie celebrities from different networks, Coca-Cola’s Happiness Ambassadors and Binibining Pilipinas beauty queens. Among the stars that are expected to grace the festivities on November 9 are Enrique Gil, Jessy Mendiola, PBB Myrtle Sarossa and Yves Flores, Alden Richards, Louise Delos Reyes, Thea Tolentino, Jeric Gonzales and X-Factor Grand Winner KZ Tandingan.
In line with the theme of promoting positivity via sharing simple acts of kindness and happiness, Coca-Cola, in partnership with the Araneta Center, remind the Filipinos that there are still more reasons to believe in happiness through the different activities this season.
Araneta Center’s Christmas Tree Lighting is just one of the many Yuletide activities lined up for the season. The Big Dome will once again be agog with concerts and special presentations that hype the holiday spirit. A British musical invasion of sorts comes to the Big Dome with back-to-back performances of musical icons Elton John (Dec.8) and Sting (Dec. 9). From Christmas Day until January 3 of the New Year, Disney on Ice presents Princesses and Heroes in yet another memorable ice spectacle.
The tree lighting likewise ushers in more holiday fanfare including the season’s bargains offered by the three malls – Gateway, Ali Mall and the New Farmers Plaza, restaurants and Farmers Market.
The Parolan display also lights up on November 16 near the Farmers Garden. Fireworks will light up the Christmas sky every Friday and Saturday from November 30 to January 3. There will also be chorale competitions and a magnificent showcase of gaily-lit floats depicting creatures from the sea at the Giant Christmas Tree parking lot.
With its gamut of Christmas activities including the much-anticipated Disney on Ice show, Araneta Center is a virtual paradise that nurtures the Christmas spirit and continues to touch the hearts of generations of Filipinos.
The activities of Araneta Center’s Giant Christmas Tree Lighting will start at 3pm at Quadrant C outside the Red Gate of the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Araneta Center!
Credits: Photos and Press Release by Araneta Center
