Ayala Malls spread the love & cheer this Christmas

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

Greenbelt’s Fashion Walk glitters with Christmas lights and stylized trees. Photos by WALTER BOLLOZOS

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.

(From left) A mannequin-shaped Christmas tree at the Fashion Walk; handcrafted products from Mangyan; and gift items from Greenbelt’s Christmas Station.

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.

A towering Christmas tree greets shoppers upon entering Greenbelt 3.

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

Market! Market!’s beloved fountains herald Christmas fun. Photos by WALTER BOLLOZOS

Market! Market! is as the name suggests all year round — and especially at Christmas — is a marketplace of all things you need. Market! Market! is a champion of regional specialties that you won’t find anywhere else under one roof. Whether you’re shopping for things to eat for your balikbayans or shopping for your own fresh flowers to decorate the house, you will find it at Fiesta Market. For fashion and bargain hunters, Market! Market! mall is a great place to spend a day as it combines bazaar and mall experience into one.

This Christmas season, Market! Market! hosts Chef’s Lane from Dec. 1 to 28, offering an array of marvelous creations and delectable artisanal pastries from exceptional chefs in the country, such as chefs Jac Laudico of Patisserie Filipino, Anna Chua of My Pink Wasabi, Arnold Bernardo of Deep Dips, and Miko Aspiras of Scout’s Honor.

Glorietta: All your favorite brands under one roof

Delightful lights and trimmings hang from the ceiling of Glorietta Activity Center. Photos by WALTER BOLLOZOS

Glorietta has always been a favorite of shoppers. Situated between the offices on Ayala Avenue and accessible by all manner of public transport — as well as having a massive underground network of parking for private vehicles  — Glorietta is the place to shop for people on the go, especially since you find most local brands’ flagship stores as well as foreign brands.

Glorietta has several on-going activities to delight the shoppers this holiday season. The Marketplace at Glorietta features new  food, fashion, home and  accessory  concepts from merchants such as Cinq, Le Petit Parisienne, Gaea, Wild to Mild and Oil Essentials to name a few. Shoppers can also expect to find Christmas lists of lifestyle personalities and members of the community including Martine Cajucom, Nicole and Camille Tantoco, Lori Baltazar, Xandra Rocha and  Grace Barbers Baja.

Glorietta features Marketplace in cute glass houses at the Activity Center, Palm Drive Lobby, until Dec. 31.

To delight the shoppers further is the Glorietta Christmas Station featuring a vignette designed by Randy Ortiz where they can have their photos taken with Santa, video call stations where they can connect with their loved ones abroad, gift-wrapping corner, make-up station and more. Definitely Glorietta, offers all you want for Christmas under one roof.

Fairview Terraces: An inviting, open space

Fairview Terraces lights up the Christmas of residents in Quezon City with its open courtyard featuring an old mango tree around which this open space was built. Photos by WALTER BOLLOZOS

Northern Metro Manilans welcomed Fairview Terraces with open arms — finally an Ayala Mall in this part of the metro. And what a great inviting mall it is! True to its name, Fairview Terraces is designed with an open layout in its upper floors with fountains, gardens and al fresco dining. 

This season poinsettias and cascades of lights give Fairview  Terraces cheer. Shoppers can look forward to its Christmas Corner on Dec.  15 to 18 where they can find holiday food treats, Christmas décor, home accessories and gift ideas.

TriNoma: A center for convenient shopping

TriNoma’s Activity Center features stylized snowflakes hanging from its vaulted ceiling. Photos by WALTER BOLLOZOS

Surrounded by some of the city’s biggest residential subdivisions and universities, TriNoma is a convenient center to meet friends, go on weekend shopping trips with your family, or even do your everyday shopping.

This season, TriNoma goes back to the past with its Victorian-inspired Christmas Village that shoppers can visit until Jan. 15. Shoppers will also be entertained by the Yuletide Rhythms: Concerts at the Park every Sunday throughout December at 7 p.m., which will be followed by fireworks at 8 p.m.

Alabang Town Center: Suburban shopping at its finest

Alabang Town Center welcomes shoppers with colorful Christmas trees planted in the Town Plaza.Photos by WALTER BOLLOZOS

Even with the busy season, Alabang Town Center remains a laid-back place to shop. People living south of Manila love this mall because they see it as an extension of their homes. Its wide hallways are lit up with bright lights that make shopping a pleasure and convenient.

Families come together at ATC and they have more reason to this month. On Dec. 12 to 18, ATC features Christmas Holiday Entertainment with Bungalow 300’s Marga Espiritu and Vernice Songco, who have put together a holiday home showcase featuring furniture from ATC stores, and pieces and gift ideas from their own collection. On Dec. 12 Tastes of Home by 25 Mushroom Kitchen will be held at Town Plaza. Watch for cooking classes for busy homemakers and their househelp (open class) by Sari Jorge, alongside an epicurean fair featuring momtrepreneurs from surrounding villages.