“Christmas will always be, as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.”—Dr. Seuss

It is what it is! Learning to trust the journey, sometimes we never expect or understand what we can and cannot control, but we must always keep turning the papers of the chapters of our life. We can control the way we respond to every disappointment and frustration, so we should choose to be mindful and fully embrace the lessons learned from the life experience.

Regaining my balance at this crossroad that I am in, I chose to channel my energies into where my mind, body and soul are aligned. Because I felt my new life was going to cost me my old me, I decided to take a break and reclaim my footing to make more sound choices.

Because of all the soul searching keeping me busy, my Christmas list has not moved! Hitting two birds with one stone, I went shopping after the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newest branch of Wilcon Depot in Brgy. Sabang, Tuy, Batangas.

As a trusted building partner, Wilcon Depot remains steadfast in its commitment to redefine the landscape of the retail industry. The Big Box retailer capped off the year with the successful opening of its 90th store and the sixth branch in Batangas.

After the traditional Lion Dance and blessing, Wilcon Depot opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Tuy Mayor Jose Jecerell Cerrado and Vice Mayor Armando Afable. Wilcon Depot senior executive vice president and COO Rosemarie Bosch-Ong and Wilcon Depot president and CEO Lorraine Belo-Cincochan shared welcoming remarks via video.

Shopping for gifts

Wilcon My Home Goals 2.0 anniversary raffle picked lucky winners that afternoon. At the end of the program, I was able to shop and find gifts for almost all in my list.

For my special girlfriends, I shopped at the Opulence Design Concept (ODC) event. Elevating the holiday tradition, ODC launched the Fornasetti x Opulence x Heart Collection. This is a first for renowned luxury brand Fornasetti to collaborate with a Filipino company and with Heart Evangelista, a Filipino artist and a style icon.

ODC owners Gerry Sy and Jinky Tobiano Sy proudly said, “Fornasetti is known for its luxurious hand-painted decorative porcelain pieces, and Heart happens to be an artist and an epitome of luxury. While having dinner in Paris, we pitched the idea to Andrea Nannoni, the CEO of Fornasetti, of Heart’s dream project of designing a Fornasetti plate. Heart’s natural charm made Andrea simply fall in love with her at first sight. He just said, ‘Yes! Let’s do it!’”

Another milestone in art history was made with the now celebrated design being selected from the 13,000 design archives of Barnaba Fornasetti.

The pieces from the Fornasetti x Opulence x Heart collection proudly showcased a mosaic of gold hearts that, when looked at from a distance, forms a bigger heart with the iconic face of Lina Cavalieri silhouetted on the plate. The signature heart shapes are also synonymous with Heart.

The exclusive collection features a curated selection of homeware pieces: a beautifully designed plate, a charming coaster, a delicate teacup and saucer and a delightful round box, all adorned with Heart’s personal design alongside Fornasetti’s iconic motifs.

To amplify the genuine spirit of giving at the event, a special moment unfolded as signed Fornasetti x Heart pieces took center stage in an auction. Heart Evangelista, with her characteristic generosity, personally chose a worthy charity organization to be the beneficiary of the event’s fundraising efforts.

The chosen organization was Child Health in Life Development Foundation Inc., an institution dedicated to raising funds for the pediatric department at the Philippine General Hospital. Generous individuals supported the worthy cause, which raised a staggering amount of more than P500 million. Kim Abellar and Tommany Tan of iFern, who donated P400,000, and Jinnie Uy of Avita/Celergen, who donated P150,000, were the night’s champions as they upped the bids for the cause.

Christmas on display

To help brighten the Christmas spirit this year, check out Manila COD’s much loved Christmas On Display located at CABS Cabuyao, Laguna. The animated display has a lively soundtrack and colorful set with themes of candy land and Wonka details.

The COD animated display had its humble beginnings from the family owned and operated department store. After the department store closed it doors in 2002, their father, through the encouragement of COO Rex Drilon, brought the display to a new home at the Greenhills Shopping Center. It became a partnership between two brothers.

Later on, the brothers parted ways to form their own companies to cater to the growing need of animated displays. Their father, Jose Rosario, incorporated Manila COD Animated Displays and Events Inc., where third generation member Maria Isabel “Maris” Rosario and fourth generation member Jose Rosario teamed up with a new crew of young and innovative individuals. Using the latest technology in animation, their show now has state-of-the-art lights and sounds to bring a theater experience to the outdoors.

The place, CABS Bagong Cabuyao, incorporates a fiesta carnival of rides and gaming booths. One will be thrilled to see this wholesome family entertainment. Shows are nightly from 6 p.m. to midnight daily up to Jan. 6, 2024.

December wedding

May the true meaning of Christmas bring the blessings of love, peace and happiness. May this go deep in our soul, and remain there forever. May the season bring warm feelings of joy and romance.

December weddings are also so romantic. Dec. 5 was the best day ever for lawyers Francis Alcantara and Nikki Carandang, who celebrated their wedding at St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Church in Magallanes, Makati City. The newlyweds were blockmates from the Ateneo Law School, and they finally tied the knot after being together for 10 years! It was a day full of love and laughter.

The ceremony was followed by a fun and memorable reception at Manila Ballroom, Manila Marriott Hotel. The couple celebrated their love in front of their parents, engineer Victorio and Valentina Alcantara and Vicente and Nena Carandang, friends and loved ones. Congratulations and best wishes!

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