Mon Confiado with his tree: “The pandemic has been hard on everyone. But decorating the tree is a way for us to cope.”

Christmas decorations make actor Mon Confiado happy. This is why he sees to it that he puts something up every year to celebrate the holiday season.

“As soon as the ’ber months start, we also start decorating our house,” he said in Filipino. “Decorating is an outlet for creativity. It’s a way of saying that you won’t be defeated by sadness, that you will have Christmas despite the pandemic.”

The seasoned character actor is known to many for portraying Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in “Heneral Luna.” He also plays Sonny in “Arisaka.”

While he is often pegged for villain roles, Confiado is very friendly and polite. He patiently explained to children in the Inquirer Read-Along why they shouldn’t be too quick to judge the country’s first president. He also lights up when he talks about his Christmas decorations.

Confiado said they start decorating his home from the gate and work their way in. The Christmas tree is the last thing they decorate. “Dressing up the tree takes the longest because you have to check the state of the tree. Sometimes they get broken while in storage or a piece gets lost. Sometimes you have to sort through your past decorations,” he said. He tries to make the tree special every year. He changes themes regularly so no tree is exactly like the last.

Gold motif

His tree is simpler this year, with decorations bought from Dapitan..

Confiado’s family followed a gold motif and covered their tree with white and gold ornaments this year. It has white doves and berries. He joked that their tree keeps a secret. It is heavily decorated with golden foliage that you hardly notice its sparse branches.

The tree also reflects their current lifestyle. In the past they would have over-the-top trees, but they kept it simple this year. They bought their decorations from Dapitan.

They also used last year’s leftovers that fit the current motif. “Pero maganda siya, ha,” he proudly said. “The pandemic has been hard on everyone. But decorating the tree is a way for us to cope.” Christmas is for family and friends, said Confiado.

White doves and berries find a place in Confiado’s tree.

He is grateful that quarantine restrictions are easing up, and that people can finally meet up. It’s what he looks forward to the most—seeing his friends and loved ones and being greeted by them personally.

“In the past, I’ve been doing Christmas on my own. I led a bachelor’s life. I lived in a condo and put up a very simple tree. Sometimes, I didn’t at all. I went to Eastwood and enjoyed the mall’s Christmas tree,” he said, laughing. It’s different this year. Their family business in Cebu suffered because of the pandemic.

However, it also brought their family together. “I am very lucky. Our business is down, but my family will spend Christmas with me.

I think bringing families together is the one good thing this pandemic brought about,” he said.