MANILA, Philippines - You know Christmas is just around the corner when Ayala Malls put up their decorations and everything seems brighter, more cheerful, magical and happier. This year is no different.
Christmas is all about you — the customers — at the Ayala Malls. It’s about every mom, dad, child, sibling, friend, office worker and shopper. The activities and decorations for each of their malls in Metro Manila and outside are tailored for them: Glorietta, Greenbelt, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Market! Market!, Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio High Street, Marquee Mall in Angeles City, Ayala Center Cebu, Centrio Mall in Cagayan de Oro, Abreeza Mall in Davao City, and Harbor Point in Subic.
Christmas is about gift giving to family and friends, and it’s also about helping out strangers. Last year, 2014, in the wake of typhoon Yolanda, all the malls’ activities had fund-raising components to help people devastated by the typhoon.
This year, you can still help out with Ayala Malls’ Share Your Blessings initiative. It’s an easy way to spread the love while you shop, making giving easier and convenient so that, as you shop and bond with your family and friends, you are helping others to enjoy the season as well. For every P5 donation to the chosen charities of Ayala Malls and a minimum spend of P1,000, every customer gets a shopping bag, exclusively designed by Francis Libiran, Randy Ortiz and Cary Santiago. A small donation made at the entrance of select Ayala Malls shows serve as an access pass to these Christmas performances.
The Ayala Malls’ activity centers sparkle, while nostalgic symphonies fill the air in a spectacle of graceful dance and classic hits. The Steps Dance Project turns to the eternal hits of Frank Sinatra in making the holidays more cheerful, in a song and dance concert that features the finest creative talents in the country. Headed by Steps Dance Studio director and Steps Dance Project founder Sofia Zobel-Elizalde, directed by James Laforteza, and choreographed by Jeffrey Espejo, Jun Saagundo, and Xernan Alfonso, the aptly titled “Frankly Speaking” musical concert is staged at Ayala Malls all throughout the holidays.
Featuring the finest scholars of Steps Dance Project’s roster of gifted scholars, students, and alumni sharing the stage with the talented New York dancer, musician and entertainer Omar Edwards, the brightest primetime stars Piolo Pascual, Xian Lim and Sam Milby, and guest singers George Schulze and JC Santos with the special participation of Mel Villena and his AMP Band, the “Frankly Speaking concert debuted at the Glorietta Activity Center on Nov. 7, Alabang Town Center on Nov. 15 and 16, TriNoma on Nov. 22 and 23, Fairview Terraces on Nov. 29 and 30, and Market! Market! on Dec. 5 and 6, and will be held at Ayala Center Cebu on Dec. 13 and 14.
To bring in the Christmas mood, Ayala Malls are adorned with traditional Christmas décor, which never fails to delight customers who feel the familiar warmth of the season with things that they have always loved. Some common design elements run through all the Ayala Malls’ decorations this year, with Zenas Pineda as design consultant, while giving each mall room to be unique and catering to their specific markets. For their malls outside Metro Manila, the Ayala Malls utilized designers from local communities with materials sourced locally.
With the decorations now adorning the hallways, entrances and activity centers of the malls, the holiday season really is in full swing! It’s made even more cheerful with the Christmas Corners in Ayala Malls. The Christmas Corner setups make going through your holiday checklist fun and easy, as they range from gift packs to gourmet spreads to add to your Christmas tables. They also include gift-wrapping stations and pampering offers to ease off the rush of the holidays.
Ayala Malls offer a wide array of stores to choose from and dining options where you can meet your friends and bond with the family. Plus you have Christmas activities that make Christmas less of a chore and more of season to look forward to and actually enjoy!
Greenbelt: Luxury shopping & bonding moments
Nothing quite tells you that you are in for some great Christmas shopping experience as the Christmas Stations of Greenbelt found in Greenbelt 3, which will be up until Dec. 30. The Greenbelt Christmas Station features gift ideas, food, beauty and apparel with merchants including Café Mary Grace, Celestina, Zentiments, Mangyan Products and Ylocos Heritage Arts and Crafts.
The Christmas celebration was launched on Nov. 19 with a silent auction, ongoing until Dec. 7, so you can still make a bid for items which include fresh Christmas trees decorated by local designers and premier retailers, artworks from renowned artists, and exclusive items from popular Greenbelt merchants. Proceeds of the silent auction will go to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity, CENTEX and the Sibaltan Women of El Nido.
Inside Greenbelt 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 — oh and what diverse choices for shopping and dining you get, from super luxury brand Hermes at Greenbelt 4 to books from National Book Store at Greenbelt 1, choice fashion and home finds at Greenbelt 3 and 5, and special meals at Greenbelt 2 — you feel the season’s cheer with Christmas décor cascading from trees up to the ceilings and down to the floors.
Market! Market!: A marketplace for regional food & bargain finds