Cebu’s fantastic Christmas trees

One of the most popular holiday traditions is decking the Christmas Tree at home with colorful streamers, tiny angels, glittery balls, miniature wreaths, ornamental candy canes, and dainty ribbons, Yuletide characters, the large centerpiece star, and an array of twinkling lights complete the dazzling displays.

What was once an abode-only custom has since expanded to include malls, hotels and offices. In fact, Christmas Tree Lighting events in Cebu have been getting more popular each year.
Here are three outstanding illuminated Cebuano evenings:

Seda Ayala Center Cebu captured the essence of Christmas for their Tree Lighting Ceremony, with Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp. president and CEO Javier Hernandez and general manager Gwen dela Cruz, doing the honors.

Serenaded by the merry tunes of the Celestial Voices Choire, the property partnered and pledged support to Smile Train, an international charity organization that focuses on providing free cleft surgery and care for those in need.

Marco Polo Plaza welcomed the holiday season by lighting the Tree of Hope. For the ceremony, Msgr. Roberto Alesna, Gelena Asis-Dimpas, Tourism Operations chief of DoT- 7, and GM Roel Constantino were joined by GMA Network AVP for local sales Ann Marie Tan, and Regional TV head Oliver Amoroso. GMA Network artists Julie Anne San Jose and Rayver Cruz captivated the audience.

Through the hotel's time-honored practice of sharing, well-wishers pinned hundreds of balls with monetary donations for health, education and disaster relief projects of the GMA Kapuso Foundation.

The newly-opened Sheraton Hotel by Marriott adopted the theme "Christmas, Light of the Community," by embellishing the tree with Mactan shell crafts which symbolize past challenges, working together and the light of the community. The Christmas tree was lit by guest of honor LapuLapu City Mayor Ahong Chan, the property owners of the AppleOne Mactan Inc. Ray and Venus Manigsaca, general manager Dottie Wurgler Cronin, and director of operations Danish Khan.

Invitees were serenaded by the renowned Canjulao Elementary School Rondalla Group.

While Christmas has evolved in different ways, it gives us a chance to truly take in the wonder and magic of the season, indeed ideal time for spiritual reflection.