It’s that time of year when we show gratitude to people who have made it awesome.

 

Thanksgiving is the season for food and family, and moments of sharing and professing gratitude.

 

Salcedo Auctions hosted an intimate, early Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate an eventful 2018 at its showroom. It was also to showcase its yearend auction, “Under the Tree: The Wish List.”

 

This auction will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 24 at Three Salcedo Place in Makati.

 

True to the spirit of the season, the sale is a veritable wish list for both experienced and budding collectors, with a lineup of fine art, jewelry and timepieces, vintage memorabilia and antique furniture.

 

For art lovers, the sale features a number of impressive works such as National Artist BenCab’s 2008 acrylic-on-canvas “Sabel,” Ang Kiukok’s 1970 oil-on-canvas “Blue Table” and Lao Lianben’s 2009 acrylic-on-canvas “Zen on My Head.”

 

All auction items are ready for viewing at Three Salcedo.

 

 

Furniture sale

 

“Under the Tree” will include furniture pieces. But if you fancy more contemporary furniture, check out the one-day anniversary sale of Bernhardt Furniture on Nov. 24 at its shop in Greenhills. There will be discounts of up to 50 percent on all items.

 

At the recent Red Charity Gala, Bernhardt Philippines was a key donor.

 

We are grateful to Eric Po for his support in putting up a Bernhardt bed set for auction, which was won by Alaine Chong, the beautiful wife of “Barangay 143” animé TV series executive producer Bernard Chong.

 

Expressing gratitude is a powerful tool to shift our attention away from what we don’t have, to that which we have. As the saying goes, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us. True gratitude comes from the heart.

 

I am truly grateful for the success of the Red Charity Gala 2018, especially for the annual support of Bench and the Bench family headed by CEO Ben Chan.

 

 

Generous friend

 

A truly generous friend and patron of the arts, Ben also sponsored Ternocon 2018, held Nov. 11 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

 

Ternocon 2018 was a terno-making convention and competition for regional designers.

 

It was the second phase of 2017’s “Fashioning the Terno” mentoring program for regional designers and cultural workers, held in Vigan, Bacolod and General Santos, and jointly implemented by the CCP through its Cultural Exchange Department working alongside Bench and Suyen Corp.

 

Gino Gonzales, artistic director of Ternocon, along with chief mentor Inno Sotto, Luzon mentor JC Buendia, Visayas mentor Cary Santiago and Mindanao mentor Len Cabili, imparted their respective philosophies and design processes to 30 participants.

 

At Ternocon, I proudly wore a terno with a bright orange tulle accent by Dennis Lustico, the first featured designer at the Red Charity Gala.

 

It was the perfect outfit to watch the presentation of the terno entries, followed by the terno collections of the three Ternocon mentors.

 

The show included performances by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric group and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

Judges for the Ternocon were Joey Samson, Myrza Sison, Felice Sta. Maria, Nick Tiongson and CCP chair Margie Moran-Floirendo.

 

 

Bazaar season

 

The holiday bazaar season is now in full swing. The Noel Bazaar series officially kicked off its 18th year on Nov. 15 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

 

The ribbon-cutting ceremonies included Mayose Gozon-Bautista, president of Cut Unlimited, and Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, president of the Inquirer.

 

Noel Bazaar is the largest and longest-running holiday bazaar in the metro, and is back for its biggest and brightest run yet with longer event days and a larger roster of carefully curated merchants.

 

The one-stop holiday shopping destination will be at the World Trade Center until Nov. 30, and will move to its next leg at The Filinvest Tent in Alabang Nov. 29-Dec. 2, Dec. 13-16, and Dec. 20-23. It will also be at the SMX Convention Center Dec. 14-23.

 

The Noel Bazaar Series is held in partnership with GMA Network and Philippine Daily Inquirer. This event is for the benefit of GMA Kapuso Foundation, Philippine Daily Inquirer Foundation, Gifts & Graces Foundation, Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, along with the Noel P. Gozon Medical Clinic and Lingkod Puso Foundation.

 

Tree lighting

 

As we get closer to December, there are many Christmas tree-lighting ceremonies.

 

City of Dreams Manila ushered in the Yuletide festivities with “Light Me Up,” a spectacular, synchronized holiday lights and sounds show at the lighting ceremony of its towering 32-foot Christmas tree and its surrounding Winter Wonderland-inspired décor replete with white ornaments, glimmering lights, soaring ice crystals, snowmen, small Christmas trees and a life-size Santa’s sleigh with reindeer at the resort’s main entrance.

 

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, Belle Corp. executive committee chair Willy Ocier and City of Dreams COO Kevin Benning led the lighting ceremony, and were joined by beauty queens Miss Eco International 2018 Cynthia Thomalla and Miss World 2018 First Princess Chanel Morales.

 

The dazzling lights and sounds show featured a festive production of about 10,000 multicolored lights dancing to jovial beats. The show will be on every Saturday and Sunday of December, including Christmas Day, on the first 15 minutes of the hour, from 1-5 p.m.

 

I am looking forward to seeing the show and posting some cool videos afterward.

 

More photos on Instagram at @seaprincess888