When one thinks of Christmas, one thinks of family. It’s that time of year when members – who at times are based in different parts of the country – get together to celebrate the joys of the season.
It’s also a time to highlight cherished family traditions – the Christmas reunion, the Noche Buena spread, and gift giving. While these have undergone some updates through the years, these are the ties that bind and bring so much happiness to family members. This year, The SM Store in Makati, Aura and Megamall celebrates the holidays with the #SMLoveYourFamily campaign.
Here, the Alunan family, style siblings Daryl and Andre Chang, fashion photographer BJ Pascual, and Eric and Bea Soriano-Dee share with us why Christmas is truly a time to love your family at SM.
The Alunan Family: Christmas is Creative
For marketing executive Rafa Alunan and his wife bag designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan Christmas is that time of the year to be together, create fun memories and be creative with their three children Lucas, Helena, and Diego. It’s also a time for wonderful family get-together with Rafa’s Dad Raffy, Mom Elizabeth, and the rest of the Alunan and Aranaz families.
As a designer, Amina loves to decorate not only bags but their home as well. Every Holiday season, Amina will think of a color theme for their home – and depending on the color, she’ll start to source out pieces from different place to complete the holiday theme she thought of. The SM Store is a part of her décor shopping as she considers SM as an all-in-one store.
Instead of the usual gifts, Rafa and Amina splurge on trips with their kids. The memories they get to create as a family are truly priceless, something they would remember for the rest of their lives.
Daryl and Andre Change: Home for Christmas
For stylish siblings Daryl and Andre Chang, holidays are spent in Cebu, the city where they grew up in and where their dad Leoncio is still based. Holidays are usually low-key, celebrated with a lauriat dinner on Christmas Eve and lechon for Christmas lunch.
Daryl and Andre take gift-giving very seriously, and pay painstaking attention to detail in whatever they do, from the choice of gifts down to the choice of wrapper. But more than being beautiful, the siblings agree that the perfect gift is something that a person would cherish long after the holidays are over.
This Christmas, Daryl will buy André five pairs of shoes from Milanos at The SM Store and something guitar-related for her dad. André, on the other hand, has items for the home in mind for Daryl and button-down shirts and pique polos for his Dad.
With their busy schedules, Daryl and Andre make sure they spend family time together either in Manila or in Cebu where their dad is based especially on Holidays. A visit to The SM Store Cebu has become a family tradition made more memorable as it’s spent with their dad.
BJ Pascual: Making it Special for Lolo and Lola
It’s a grand celebration for fashion photographer BJ Pascual, who spends Christmas with his Lolo and Lola. After all, BJ says they are his family, and he wouldn’t be where he is in the industry today without the unwavering support of his “wowo and wowa” which he fondly calls his lolo and lola.
With that, BJ sees to it that he does something special for them during the holidays. Every year, the Pascuals gather in their ancestral home in Cavite and celebrate in true Filipino fashion – with festive food and a lot of merry-making. Gift giving is also part of their holiday tradition. This year, BJ plans to get his “wowa” an overnight bag and a bomber jacket for his “wowo” from The SM Store.
Eric and Bea Dee: New Holiday Traditions>/h3>
A time to get together, no distraction and just family time is how successful entrepreneurs Eric and Bea Dee want to spend their Christmas every year with their son Braeden.
Now on their second Christmas as a family, the couple is now easing into new holiday traditions together, while still keeping a few ties that bind for their families. While they travel extensively, they make it a point to celebrate Christmas Eve in the Philippines with the family, where food is in abundance and family is present.
Bea made sure that holiday spirit is present in their home through the decors they bought from The SM Store. Gift giving is another tradition that the young couple enjoy, and they make sure they buy the right stuff that family members want and need. They even have their own wish lists – Bea hints that jewelry would be her ideal present, while Eric, a techie hopes for gadgets and a nice pair of shoes.
Celebrate the holiday with your family. Gift giving tradition always adds to the fun and excitement during this season that all members of the family awaits. Download The SM Store Gift Guide for well thought gift ideas at: https://goo.gl/ATXBGx. Follow @TheSMStore on Twitter and Instagram and visit www.thesmstore.com to shop for gifts online.
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