The lights are finally up and twinkling, signifying the most wonderful time of the year. Even before Halloween was over, hotels and malls had scheduled tree-lighting ceremonies with the latest one held last Nov. 9 at SM By the Bay at Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Since 2007, Firefly LED has been in charge of lighting up the mall’s towering outdoor tree. Three years ago, the Filipino-owned brand came out with its own line of Christmas lights ranging from string lights to lavish, “night sky effect” curtain lights.

“This year is especially meaningful for us because it’s the first time we’ve taken on a celebrity endorser, Jose Mari Chan,” said Erik Riola, marketing director of Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp.

Symbol of Christmas

The well-loved crooner is considered by many Filipinos as a symbol of Christmas. One could say that when it comes to iconic Christmas songs, Chan’s “Christmas in Our Hearts” is in the same league as Mariah Carey’s instantly recognizable “All I Want for Christmas.”

“When we were planning for this year, we said why don’t we get a celebrity ambassador to help get the message across that we have Christmas lights in our product mix? Jose Mari Chan was top of mind; he’s practically synonymous to Christmas,” Riola said.

The marketing director said they did not have a hard time convincing Chan to come onboard because the company manufactures products the singer and businessman believes in. In fact, the Christmas tree in the Chan home is festooned with the brand’s Christmas lights.

“I am very honored to be Firefly LED’s first ambassador. Firefly LED makes Christmas even better because a safe Christmas is indeed a happy Christmas,” Chan said.

Firefly’s main line still consists of lights for many household needs. Its range of standard bulbs is certified by TUV-SUD, a world-renowned German testing institute. Riola said tests conducted included “parameters on how safe they were for the eyes, how safe they were against electrical shock or power surges.”

While there are some Christmas lights that use a cheaper type of conductor like aluminum, Firefly uses only high-grade materials like copper wire.

“Unlike copper wire, aluminum cannot withstand a lot of heat. Aluminum has a tendency to burn with continuous use. As a safety mechanism, we made sure to only use high-grade copper for our products,” Riola said.

Safe

“Our Christmas lights also have built-in safety fuses. This basically means iwas sunog,” he added. All Firefly Christmas lights are approved by the Department of Trade and Industry.

During the tree-lighting ceremony last weekend, Chan sang “Christmas in Our Hearts” as well as “Song of the Firefly.” The serendipitously named song is not commissioned by the brand but is actually one of the tracks from Chan’s 2012 album “Going Home to Christmas.”

The 75-ft tree at SM By the Bay twinkling with about 40,000 LED lighting points has a red and gold “Home for the Holidays” theme. It is adorned with gift boxes, candy canes, Christmas balls, angels and snowmen. Around it is a mini forest of lights consisting of 30 8-foot tall trees with synchronized lights.

Firefly’s other holiday lighting projects this year include the 75-ft “Frozen” theme Christmas tree at SM North Edsa, a parol-inspired tree in Ayala Cebu, an indoor tree at Robinsons Tagum, and lights installation at Aseana Bradco and Macapagal Avenue in partnership with DM Wenceslao.

“Firefly’s Christmas lights come in warm white, white and RGB (red, green and blue),” said Christine Reyes, assistant brand manager of Firefly LED.

Prices range from P439 for the six-meter, steady-on string lights with 90 LED bulbs to P2,499 for the curtain lights with 400 LED bulbs and a blinking night sky effect.

www.fireflyelectric.com, facebook.com/FireflyLightingPH