Tree’s company

I have this favorite line by Ernest Hemingway from his 88 Poems: "If my Valentine you won't be, I‘ll hang myself on your Christmas tree."

Well,  looking at most Christmas trees these days, they're so predictable  you'd feel like hanging yourself because they look the same every year. This year, we checked out the Christmas trees of famous dermatologist Dr. Vicki Belo, top retailers Anton Huang and Ben Chan, and  iconic beauty, Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez.

Vicki Belo's fashionable tree has mini dolls and bags reflecting her OOTD

Dr. Vicki Belo's Christmas tree is just like her — fashionable, interesting  and creative with many stories to tell, and gifted with a sense of humor. I think that I shall never see a Christmas tree as lovely as this.

“Every year, my Christmas tree has a story,” Vicki explains. “So the year I went to Russia, it had all things Russian.” This top beauty doctor has a sweet tooth and this year, she wanted to have a candy tree, “but the stuff for it didn't come on time.” This year, Vicki opted for a fashionable tree decorated with dolls which were handmade and handpainted  locally for export to Japan. Adele Cordova suggested dressing up the dolls a la Vicki and Cristalle, so you see a Doctora Belo on top of the tree wearing her white uniform, and other dolls wearing outfits copied from the real ensembles of Vicki and her daughter Cristalle. But wait, that's not complete — the dolls have matching bags as well! So you see miniature  Hermes, Valentino, Vuitton, Celine, Chanel and Givenchy bags hanging on the trees.

In her Instagram account, Vicki regularly puts out her OOTD and you see that these sometimes reflect the miniature Vicki dolls and bags on the tree. Oh, and Vicki said there was going to be a Quark Henares doll as well. Shucks, I missed it.

Anton Huang has a statement tree in his new lovely second home — Central Square

Anton Huang, president of  Stores Specialists Group Inc., stands beside the Christmas tree on this page, not in his home, but in what is surely these days his second home — the beautiful and elegant Central Square mall on 5th Avenue corner 30th Street  in Bonifacio Global City. 

The six-story Central Square is certainly the most beautiful and refreshing retail building right now, with its Christmas decor, I daresay, the most tasteful and classy. Anton visualized a look that would be a statement, veering away from the usual and predictable ones we see in malls, and directed his artistic designer Sunday to implement it. The Christmas tree trimmings are  purely in gold and silver, as are the rest of the decor in the building, mixed with modern black stylized lanterns on its high ceiling. The Central Square decor focuses on shooting stars and a big wreath. A world-class atmosphere for a building that houses some of the best brands in the world such as Hamleys, Pottery Barn, Cortefiel, Brooks Brothers, Michael Kors, Furla, Kate Spade, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Dyptique, Nars, Aeropostale, Vince Camuto, Marks & Spencer and C Wonder. Food places include TWG Tea, Starbucks Reserve, Family Tree, Baskin Robbins and the new Salad Stop, a franchise from Singapore. On the top floor is the Ayala BHS Cinema, the first with state-of-the-art 4DX, while at the basement is Rustan’s Marketplace for groceries and gourmet food.

The retail scene is becoming more and more exciting, and the SSI Group always provides that signature touch of class.

Ben Chan's tree carries objects found during travels

Ben Chan is a constant traveler — but of course, it’s always travel and work combined as he brings more global fashion and food brands to Manila — and it shows in the Christmas tree in his beautiful home.

The home of the Bench group of companies founder  is decorated with works by Filipino artists as well as great finds from countries like Africa, Japan, China, Indonesia, France  and Britain. You also know that he is a voracious reader, as books  dominate one huge area and a few more humongous books are in the living area.

“I always make sure I put up the Christmas tree early every year. It is a gentle reminder that I have to start preparing for the holiday season. The trimmings are collected through my trips. I make it a point to add rare finds every time I travel and check out the Christmas settings in whichever city my travel takes me,” Ben explains.

This year, Ben’s tree is decorated with silver, opaque and transparent balls with red tassels. Ben visited places like Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina this year, along with an interesting tour of the Mayan pyramids and the home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Mexico, so one wonders how his tree will look like next year.

Lucy Torres-Gomez has tender and happy memories with her tree

Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez is one person who does everything with all heart and soul. The same goes true with the Christmas tree in the Gomez residence which occupies the central spot in the lovely, cozy home. Underneath are gifts for movie icon Richard Gomez and their daughter Juliana, now a beauteous young lady at 14.

Lucy says: “I am very sentimental so I like our Christmas tree to be resonant of some tender or happy memory. The crystals are from my first year as a very new bride. I left the house one morning with Randy Ortiz and a few other friends and we went to a haven for Christmas decor and came home with a huge tree and all the trimmings it needed. Through the years, some balls have broken, but the crystals, delicate as they are, have survived beautifully. Regardless of theme, they are a constant in our Christmas tree. The red roses are from the lime green Christmas tree we had a few Christmases past. Back then, we had pink and red roses alongside the crystals. This year, our theme is red, white and green — via cherries and roses, the crystals and frosted twigs dripping with pearls, and of course the tree itself.”