" How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me. "
So goes the traditional German carol. A Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree. Since Iloilo is glued to a tropical country where there is a dearth of real evergreens, we have to make do with the artificial ones. Yes, the kind you buy in a store downtown or the mall. The one we place inside our homes and painstakingly decorate it with all the trinkets and love we can find. Well, all the money you can spare if you'd like it to look professionally done.
Outside of the house, Filipino ingenuity runs amok. You can see it along the streets of Iloilo, especially if the village (read: barangay!) is holding a contest. From colored ice-candy to soda cans; broken cds to silver painted slippers; imagination is the only limit! As I traverse the tricky holiday traffic, I only get to be aware of the "streetmas trees" when my juvenile passengers suddenly squeal with delight and command beg me to slow down so they can stare at the twinkling edifice of monstrous artistry. Some were worth a smile, few elicited a frown but most leave me perplexed. Still, it warms the heart that the Christmas tree has not lost its symbol of giving and sharing.
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| Gaily decorated mall Christmas trees. 4 star in the Happiness Meter |
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| Christmas circus diorama at another mall. Just 3 star. Kids got bored after 10 minutes. |
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| Christmas tree @ home. Underneath were presents with the kids' names on it. 5 star of course! |
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| Official Christmas family portrait. Hope you had a blessed Christmas too! |
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