Christmas bells are ringing at Healthy Options, Bow & Wow, Wine Story and Planet Grapes this October.

“Christmas Gift Show,” launched Oct. 15 and 20 at Edsa Shangri-La and Makati Shangri-La hotels, respectively, welcomed the merry season of giving with special gift sets suited for the health nut, the pet lover, the wine connoisseur and the budding wine lover.

The holiday boxes feature the artworks and illustrations of the terminally ill children of Kythe Inc., a nonstock, nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life of hospitalized children with cancer and other chronic diseases.

Romy Sia, co-owner of Healthy Options, Bow & Wow, Wine Story and Planet Grapes, said he decided to throw a very early Christmas

party last Aug. 5 for the children upon learning about Kythe Inc. and its pediatric care.

As part of the party activities, children who wanted to draw were made to interpret their idea of Christmas through art.

The children’s illustrations now adorn the gift boxes of Healthy Options. In turn, the company will donate part of its proceeds to Kythe Inc.

This is not the first time Sia’s companies are donating to charities. Most of their activities have been done in support of nonprofit organizations.

“I don’t use their stories to pull people into buying my products. I wanted the children to draw pictures, which they love to do, and to tell the story of Kythe Inc. There’s no happy ending here. We know there’s going to be only one ending. But if we ignore the children, because it’s too dreary for Christmas, then we are denying they exist. People must know that in this world we have children who, through no fault of their own, have cancer. And they need help,” Sia said.

Organic

There’s Frosty’s Cool Christmas Box, containing healthy snacks best enjoyed for the cool December air (P2,995), that includes organic sparkling juice; Rudolf’s Favorites Christmas Box, perfect for the kid at heart (P2,995) with chips, cookies, dips and much more; Santa’s Snack Selection Christmas Box, with healthy granola bars, gluten-free chips, organic popcorn and more, meant to be shared (P3,395); and Angel’s Heavenly Feast Christmas Box, with all-natural, healthy ingredients for the cooking enthusiast to start whipping up the holiday feast (P3,395).

There’s a premium set, Three Kings’ Treasure Box, fitted with the finest items such as organic chocolates, gold coin wrappings, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic roasted garlic sauce

in tomato, organic coffee, cookies, chips and more (P6,995).

One can order a la carte, since each gift box comes with its list of substitute food or ingredients.

Bow & Wow does not offer gift sets, but it has grain-free, natural and organic food and treats. It also offers pet accessories, toys, shampoos, conditioners, toothbrush, toothpaste, bowls in many shapes and sizes, and even Christmas costumes.

The wine connoisseurs can get their fill at Wine Story. There are exclusive gift sets for discriminating tastes. Wine Story’s 2014 “Gold and Silver Christmas” includes sparkling wines and whites from Alsace, reds from Bordeaux and wines from Napa Valley in California.

Suited to the Filipino cuisine, and most Asian foods, is “A Touch of Alsace” (P4,285), a three-bottle wine set made from noble grapes, featuring whites that are excellent for pairing with fish, chicken, lechon, dim sum, sushi or barbecue, said Sophie Zoll, marketing manager of Wine Story. Reds come in “Alluring Bordeaux” (P5,385); New World wines from Napa Valley in “Full-Bodied Napa” (P8,485); and there’s “Sparkling White Christmas” (P8,585), a set of champagne from the finest wine-producing regions in Europe. Each gift set comes with three bottles of wine.

For the budding wine lover, try Planet Grapes’ gift sets named after all the planets in the solar system, from Mercury to Neptune.

It also comes with three bottles for each set, with prices ranging from P3,000 to P4,400. Mercury contains intense fruit, citrus, peaches and orange blossom, young wines with 2011 and 2013 vintages; Mars has spicy, peppery flavors; Venus has aromas of mandarin, melon, honeysuckle; Earth is characterized by tropical fruits, oak spice, blackberries and blueberries; Uranus has zesty lime, pear and apricots; Saturn is marked with vanilla and plum flavors; and Jupiter has spicy blackberries, plum, red currant and cherries.

Healthy Options, [email protected] or visit www.healthyoptions.com.ph; Bow & Wow, [email protected] or www.bowandwow.com.ph; Wine Story, [email protected] or www.winestory.com.ph; and Planet Grapes, [email protected] or www.planetgrapes.com.ph.

PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY DE LA CRUZ