Taking Gifting to the Next Level

It's November! And it's our last chance to do "advanced Christmas-shopping" and be considered responsible enough and prevent to be panicky and stressed when December enters.

I have to admit that I am a perennial last-minute shopper. If I buy way in advance, chances are I find something better for a loved one closer to Christmas! Though I think for this year, I have a good strategy in place :)

Sam and I agreed to gift the family with a game console. No individual gifts for husband and wife! We're leaning towards an X-box One with Kinect. Though we've been hearing about PS4 and the PlayStation Camera. As first time console-buyers, we are basically stumped. Which do you think is a better buy? Last time I touched PlayStation was way back in college - with Tekken, Sonic, etc...

Eenie-meenie-minie-mo

For Tonyo, his acceptable "wish list" includes (1) Jake and the Neverland Pirates Lego (Duplo) or (2) a Lego Duplo Truck set, or (3) any Lego kit that has animals in it. (Oh, in case you were wondering, his "non-acceptable" wish list includes a trip to Japan, or to Italy... maybe next time, anak!)

Our little vet wants animal Lego sets

For "worthy" friends and loved ones, I have photobook vouchers on-hand and ready for layout! Photobook printing is a really nifty online service where you layout your own photos and they will print them out, coffee table book-quality! I plan to go on a photobook and layout frenzy in the coming month to produce albums and personalized notebooks. (watch out for my post on photobooks soon! FYI, I order from www.photobookphilippines.com.)

Physical books are better than photos saved in hard drives

Christmas is also time for us to give thanks to God for the blessings that he continues to give to the family. It is also the perfect time to share those blessings! From my family to yours, here are some ideas to spread some cheer this season, and take gifting to the next level!

• Pack "Noche Buena" gift packs for distribution to selected families. You can opt to choose families closer to your home, or maybe link with a church or an NGO to determine recipients. Last year, our family "raffled off" packs that had spaghetti, spaghetti sauce/  fruit cocktail, cream, condensed milk/ 2 kilos rice/ cookie cans!
• You can also make little snack packs (water/ juice, cookies/ crackers, maybe a small face towel) and bring these in the car for distribution to anyone who might need them, such as kids knocking on car windows, traffic aides, or (my favorite) toll personnel. 
• Pledge a gift to your favorite charity. This can be a one time donation, or you can commit to a monthly commitment. Check out the following organizations :
• http://www.caritasmanila.org.ph/  - you can give a cash donation or you can also donate old but still useful stuff for their Segunda Mana campaign, where they can sell your goods in their second hand shop. 
• Sponsor a child through https://www.worldvision.org.ph and help change his life

Or, you can also hit "two bears" with one stone ;) by checking out the SM Cares Bears of Joy campaign and learn how you can take part in the season of "gift-ing" (http://smcares.com.ph/newsevents/?p=993) 

For Php 200, you get to keep one bear, and donate another one to children from various orphanages and other institutions through the SM Cares Program 

For sure, my family will be spending a lot of time at SM Sta. Rosa or SM Aura Premier this season for other holiday needs. We always take advantage of the sales and promos. Not to mention soaking up the holiday vibe with all the fun events that they come up with:-)

 Let the holiday shopping and responsible gift-ing BEGIN!

For more updates about this year’s “Merry SM Christmas” campaign, visit SM’s official Christmas microsite (https://www.smsupermalls.com/merrysmchristmas2015) and follow its official social media accounts at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls), Twitter (https://twitter.com/smsupermalls), and Instagram (https://instagram.com/smsupermalls/); and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through Viber (http://chats.viber.com/SMsupermalls). Shoppers can actively share their holiday merriments inside the SM Supermalls by posting their photos on social media and adding the hashtag #MerrySMChristmas2015.