Invitations came our way to attend many a Christmas tree lighting over the years — an affair that used to be exclusively for sterling hotels and massive supermalls. But one specifically stood out among the rest, bar none. While most focused on the bounties of the earth and heavenly depictions of holiday solidarity — Pico de Loro instead chose to dive deep underwater.

Situated within the Hamilo Coast, the exclusive enclave consists of a 40-hectare beachfront residential resort village outfitted with the latest recreational facilities above and below water where many a vacationer found their new home — temporary or otherwise — away from home.

The highlight of the evening, dubbed Joys of the Sea, consists of not one, but two Christmas Trees — indoor and outdoor — with similar motifs.

The grander, 30 feet tall, was situated on the open space was a conical shape covered with banig — specifically artistically hand painted in various shades of blue to indicate the sea and its different depths.
"Pico de Loro has stopped using plastic materials for some time now. Even our drinking water comes in tetra packs," said Cheryline de la Cruz, Housekeeping Manager of the Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club.

"If we ever use aluminum cans for sodas, once empty, we religiously collect and immediately surrender them to a third-party partner for recycling," added Supervisor Florencio Garcia.

However, guests unavoidably bring in plastics. Instead, Pico de Loro sorts waste after disposal for repurposing — otherwise, they have a fear that these will somehow end up discarded into the ocean.
And so, for this year, the property has focused on one Yuletide mission — to incorporate marine life protection into their ornaments by solely using recycled materials for their Christmas Trees.

Some highlights include jellyfish, which used reshaped containers for its head and tentacles from cut-up plastic strips. Bottles were likewise flattened to resemble the shape of fish and masterfully snipped to recreate the mouth and the tail, while paint took take of the details on the fins.
More bottles of plastic were flipped upside-down and bore holes to resemble bubbles undernearth the sea. Starfish were constructed out of paper and cardboard, while the caps were resourcefully turned into their recognizable mounds and spines.