Rico Tantoco and wife Nena hosted a special thanksgiving dinner to honor the tight-knit Sta. Elena Golf and Country Estate community in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, which will celebrate its silver anniversary. You see, dahlings, the Tantocos wanted to show their gratitude to the residents who inspire them to continuously develop this warm and wonderful sanctuary.

What a grand evening it was, palangga—filled with fine food, fun games for kids and kids at heart, a magic show, and live music by The Bloomfields.

Guests also joined a special succulents-arranging session where they creatively arranged their own pots of plants, which they took home as gifts.

In his message to the community, Rico said: “I believe that all of us in Sta. Elena share common values, such as caring deeply about our families, the environment, and living a life of distinguished quality… As we mark our silver anniversary, we pause to thank you. You are our inspiration for striving harder and continuously improving our home.”

There’s still much to look forward to, palangga, as Sta. Elena continues to develop more villages within the estate, expand existing ones, and add more world-class amenities.

Prestige

There’s a lot of prestige that comes with owning vintage items that tell stories of years past. Especially if these items once belonged to families and individuals who once wielded power and influence in Europe.

“This is something that more collectors are realizing,” said Angelique Lhuillier, owner of Casa de Memoria, an auction house in Bel-Air, Makati. “Beautiful old things that hold memories, there’s something very special about them. It’s like owning a piece of history.”

Casa de Memoria recently held its fourth auction, where a majority of the lots sold once belonged to prominent European families—including a vintage Chesterfield seat, a Russian malachite perfume burner set, an Underwood typewriter, a Haviland Limoges porcelain service set, a 100-year-old Vista Alegre crystal service set from Portugal, and an 18-karat gold Italian charm bracelet whose provenance dates back to the early 20th century.

The bracelet’s charms carry the form of the Kingdom of Italy’s crown emblem, as well as oval figures with filigree embellishments.

“After our fourth auction, we realized there are local collectors who find European antiquities and heirlooms so interesting that they keep coming back to purchase items across different art disciplines, with special historical significance,” Lhuillier added.

Casa de Memoria is on Jupiter St. cor. Comet St., Bel-Air, Makati.

Visit CasaDeMemoria.com; follow @CasaDeMemoria on Instagram.

Excellent-quality eyewear

A message from Farrah Rodriguez, marketing head of Eye Society, a top eyewear boutique and house of high-end brands: “The holiday season is splurge season for most of us. We treat ourselves to a new bag, a new hairstyle, sometimes even an entire new look. For a nearsighted person like me, a new pair of excellent-quality, stylish eyeglasses is the best gift for Christmas. It’s my most prized accessory that I wear on my face almost 24/7 and, in a way, a part of how people know me—my identity.”

Eye Society’s portfolio of international eyewear brands consists of Ray-Ban, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, among many others. It also exclusively offers the world’s thinnest lenses from Tokai—take note, dahlings, the pioneering “Lutina lenses that reduce damage and save our eye’s lutein, and Shamir’s intelligent and freeform progressive lenses.”

The Holiday Splurge campaign is in partnership with the Belo Medical Group, in which Eye Society customers with a minimum single-receipt purchase worth P15,000 get free Belo services.

Customers may choose between the Belo Multivitamin Infusion that boosts the immune system, increases energy and aids cellular regeneration, or the IV Glutathione, a dose of potent antioxidants that provides extra protection from free-radical damage, improves immune system response, as well as its famous skin lightening benefit.

Eye Society, House of Brands has outlets at 3/F, SM Aura Premier; 32nd and 5th Ave., Bonifacio Global City; G/F, Phase 2, UP Town Center; 2/F, Padre Faura Wing, Robinsons Place Manila; UG/F, Mall Expansion,

SM Iloilo; G/F, SM Southmall; G/F, Robinsons Galleria Cebu; and UG/F, SM Seaside Cebu.

Visit eyesociety.com.ph; follow on Facebook and Instagram @EyeSocietyPH.

Happy New Year to all of you, dahlings! Don’t forget to thank the Almighty God for the blessings that have come your way this year and the coming year, in whatever manner or form. Palangga, gid ko kamong tanan.