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. 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.

What has interestingly changed, in my opinion, is the increasing preference of families to patronize casino resorts/hotels. I recently attended two separate Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at opposite sites of the Metro and was impressed at the number of people and families who troop to the casino resort/hotels, enjoying the restaurant outlets, buffets, hotel amenities and for the adults--indulging in the very popular one-armed bandit slot machines and perhaps a brief round of card games for those with a little more to gamble away. It was a revelation to see the substantial number of patrons in the casino that actually started trickling in after dinner.

Solaire Resort North in Quezon City held its first Christmas tree lighting ceremony last Nov. 9 with no less than Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte helping switch on the lights with chief operating officer Gregory Hawkins and Bloomberry vice chairman for construction and regulatory affairs Donato Almeda and Rep. Arjo Atayde. Entertainment was provided by Martin Nievera and members of Ballet Philippines presented a snippet of the classic Nutcracker Suite.

As opposed to the sprawling Solaire Resort Entertainment City in Paranaque, which a couple of days earlier had lit up its Christmas tree, Solaire North is a more compact version that looks upward to reveal its charm and offerings. At a separate event a couple of days after the tree lighting event, I was able to experience and see the dazzling night view of Quezon City from the roof deck of the sophisticated Solaire Skybar following the 17th Asian Gaming Power 50 black tie dinner.

The food offerings of Solaire North has truly given residents of Quezon City a place to finally enjoy five-star cuisine from its Italian fine dining restaurant Finestra across the sophisticated Skybar which offers both an indoor and alfresco deck to enjoy after dinner drinks. I also heard that Solaire North’s Kapampangan restaurant aptly named Manyaman is always full as well aside from the hotel’s Japanese and Korean restaurants.

For families, the Fresh Buffet outlet on the sixth floor allows families, groups and other large gatherings to enjoy limitless lobster, steaks, barbecues, Asian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, pastas, salads, cold cuts , desserts and beverages--from sodas, beers and a selection of wines. I assure you, you will give up before Solaire North’s buffet runs out.

The hotel is also doing quite well with QC residents now able to enjoy a five-star hotel in their midst for staycations, especially with their wonderful pool at the sixth floor beside the Fresh buffet. At night, the pool area offers a romantic and cozy space for couples to enjoy the night time breeze.

Another Metro-based casino-resort that is attracting crowds of families and not just gamblers is the Paranaque-based Okada Manila which officially welcomed the holiday season on Nov. 15 with the grand lighting of its Christmas tree. The Forbes five-star rated integrated resort has been transformed into a winter wonderland for the holidays.

At a spectacular tree lighting event, Okada officials kicked off the event with a special winter presentation that featured the Okada Manila Entertainment Group (OMEG) with jugglers, acrobatic acts and performances as it also reopened its new water fountain nightly display. Of course, at the heart of the celebration was the lighting of its 34-foot Christmas tree adorned in elegant blue and white ornaments, embodying this year’s enchanting crystal winter theme.

A highlight of the event and another revelation to clueless P-Pop (Pinoy Pop to match the K-Pop or Korean POP groups to those in the dark) me was the special solo performance of Stell of SB19 whose loyal fan base trooped all the way to Okada to scream and cheer on their P-Pop idol. The young singer managed to captivate the crowd with his golden voice and festive classics repertoire. An a capella group, Acapellago and the Manila String Machine gave their own take on well-loved holiday carols.

With its sprawling indoor rotunda, Okada Manila also opened its enchanting Christmas village. The Crystal Pavilion was turned into a stretch of holiday-inspired immersive booths.The Christmas village is open to the public until Jan. 5 next year. The bazaar is the perfect place to buy gifts for friends and loved ones.

At the village, the hotel had its own Okada Green Heart (OGH) booth which showcases the property’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. The booth features local makers and sustainable businesses. The project will have its first run from Nov. 15 to Dec. 1, and will be back in the latter part of December.

What also surprised me about Okada was the fact that its enclosed rotunda is doing such brisk business, with all of the commercial food outlets full and with long lines of diners waiting to be seated. Even before the Christmas festivities were launched, Okada nightly saw a stream of visitors to watch the free light show.

According to Bea Rodriguez, Okada’s manager for public affairs, communications and sustainability, its commercial retail stores and food outlets contribute quite a substantial amount to the casino resort/hotel’s revenue even as gaming of course still contributes the lion’s share.

Santa Claus will also greet visitors of Okada Manila. Meet and Greet sessions with Santa will take place on select dates, giving kids a chance to share their holiday wishes in person.

Okada Manila, Rodriguez said, seamlessly blends unmatched hospitality, gaming and entertainment across 30 hectares. The hotel service combines the warmth of Filipino hospitality with the precision of Japanese excellence.