the 12 ways of christmas (part 3)

And now for the third and final installment of our 12 Ways of Christmas entry. May these stories help make your holidays extra merry and bright...

#9 make merry with music One December many moons ago, some friends and I were goofing around and singing. We realized we actually sounded pretty good and came up with the brilliant idea of knocking on the neighbors' doors to see if they would let us carol, old school-style. I don't know if they were bored or if it was a more innocent time, but we were welcomed. We performed and were gratified to have given our audiences pleasure through our music. I still remember the feeling of gratitude at seeing the pleased responses, the warmth of experiencing this with dear friends, and the sheer joy of singing just because we loved to and wanted to share that love. In the last several years, Christmas caroling has become a more structured (but no less fun) endeavor. I rehearse with fellow theater performers and our engagements are booked in advance. My nearly-four-year-old son occasionally watches these rehearsals  and I am more than thrilled that he shares my love of music. Just last week, I cheered him on at his preschool's Christmas program where he sang out with gusto! Whether in a more formal setting or otherwise, music will always be a special and important part of my Christmas. – Teenee Chan

#10 welcome the Christ Child One of my family’s favorite traditions is actually an Advent tradition that helps us prepare for Christmas. It’s called The Jesse Tree Devotion. We love how this activity focuses on the true gift of togetherness, the gift of His word, the gift of family, and ultimately, the gift of Baby Jesus born into the world. Our whole family participates by hanging up beautiful, hand- made ornaments (from the Mano Amiga in Taguig). These ornaments represent Bible stories we read and reflect on. The Jesse Tree actually comes with a guidebook (in digital format!) and the kids love matching the images of the ornaments with the ones on the computer screen. As we pray and discuss things as a family, my husband and I get to know more about what our kids are feeling, and it’s also a great chance for us to teach them about certain values. Our kids actually scream with glee when it’s Jesse Tree time! And it's really such a golden moment when we listen to each other's answers to the reflection question of the day. Sometimes we laugh at the replies, but other times, my husband and I are simply awed and humbled by the simple truth and wisdom that comes from the mouths of babes. – Buding Aquino-Dee

#11 wax nostalgic Christmas in a non-Christian country like  Singapore can be rather commercialized and lacking in spirit. Sure they've got the season's decor in the malls, but in the heartlands where I live it’s business as usual. To feel that yuletide glow I go back—way back—to my roots. When he was alive, my father used to play old Christmas carols on the stereo. These were sung by old-timer stars like Sinatra, Crosby, Armstrong and Martin. I bumped into a "Christmas Crooners" CD some years ago, and was delighted to find these same songs in one album. Come December it’s what we play here at night (you can even hear the needle scratches from the original records they recorded). Mixed with a cool wind and the glow of twinkling lights, these tunes bring me back to those happy family reunions in the motherland. The effect is nostalgic—and to me, truly Christmassy :) – Lester Ledesma

#12 slip away While I do enjoy all the Yuletide festivities (from big bashes to the token round of ice skating), Christmas for me is also about stealing some pockets of time away from all the holiday madness. Whether it’s for a few hours or a long weekend, this quiet time is invaluable, helping me find perspective and appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. This year, before the holiday really kicked into gear, I hied off to Aruba for some yoga and relaxation. There, I had four days to reflect on the year and discover paddleboard yoga! How wonderful to experience what can only be found when you're not rushing to check one more thing off your Christmas to-do list. Then on an evening back in New York, I decided to walk home from a holiday gathering. It was snowing lightly, and late enough for the tourists to have retreated indoors. I noticed on the corner of 5th avenue and 54th street a saxophonist playing such stirring and soulful jazz music. Other than a couple rushing off, he was alone on that corner pouring his heart into his song. I don't think he even cared if anyone was listening. I stood back and watched from across the street for a good long while, grateful for that beautiful Christmas moment. – Ani Payumo

Thank you so much to Naynay, JJ, Michi, Dana, Cay, Mia, Chinggay, Garch, Teenee, Buding, Lester, and Ani for helping us make our three-part holiday entry truly special. If there's something we were more than happy to confirm, it's that there is no one way to celebrate the season. And it really all comes down to what brings the most joy and grace into the lives of you and your loved ones.

From our hearts to yours, Merry Christmas!!!

tata & anna

To view Parts 1 and 2 click here:

http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-1.html

http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-2.html

the 12 ways of christmas (part 2)

It's beginning to look a whole lot more like Christmas! Here's hoping these snippets will help you feel it a whole lot more, too. In other words, here's, Part 2 of our 12 Ways of Christmas entry...

#5 give special presents I’ve always loved giving gifts. Whether it was the local chocolate I'd get my mom from our neighborhood grocery store on Mother's Day, or the pair of Kashieca shoes my sister really wanted when I was in high school, I'd try to see what would make people happy, then go to great lengths to come up with a way (not to mention the money needed) to surprise them with it. These days with my company Great Ideas, I get to exercise so much more creativity in gift giving since I work with so many talented suppliers. One of this year's discoveries was engraving images onto inexpensive palo china wood (my first foray with it was a tote for a beach party). My kids have also become my little helpers in this exciting new stage in my life.  It brings me so much joy and I feel Christmas even more when I see them participating in my love of thoughtful gift giving. – Cay R. Araneta

#6 play up the mood It's the little, personal rituals I've created over  the years that make me feel the Christmas spirit. I love to listen to She & Him's Christmas album while wrapping my gifts early in December. There's nothing like seeing a bunch of boxes wrapped with pretty bows and tags to get me into the gift-giving mood! I also line up the movies come Christmas time. The days leading up to the 25th are never complete without a dose of "The Holiday," "Serendipity," and of course, "Love Actually." Christmas Eve and Christmas day itself are full of the usual family parties and traditions—it's funny how, as a kid, I always looked forward to opening gifts, but now that I've gotten older, I get my kicks from the yearly spread! I try not to binge at the buffet to make room for some rich, hot chocolate paired with Cunanan ensaymada. And for after-hours festivities, I take up an extra piece and an extra cup up to my room so I can enjoy one last warm fuzzy hurrah while listening to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" while looking at my pile of unwrapped presents ;). – Chinggay Labrador

#7 create christmas moments To take the focus away from gifts and materialism, my husband and I try our darnedest to make the holidays a time for special family traditions. To start with, there’s our nativity set—which is actually a playmobil—so our son and daughter are in charge of setting it up. Then we make it a point to put the tree up together.  Ours isn’t glam, but it’s filled with decorations that are meaningful to our family. Old favorite toys turn into décor, and every year, I have the kids paint an ornament. When they’re done, I write their name and the year on it. It’s really nice to look back and see how far they’ve come. We also hang photos of all our family members. I think this reminds my kids that Christmas is really about spending the season with our nearest and dearest. My kids love what we call the 12 Gifts of Christmas, which starts on December 12. The presents are usually super small (things they need like books, socks, or their favorite shampoo) but their simplicity doesn’t seem to dampen their spirits. For them, it’s really all about the anticipation, excitement, and appreciation that comes with the tradition. And last but not the least, we visit the animated display in Greenhills every year. This reminds me of my growing up years when my family would trek to C.O.D. to watch something similar. It’s almost like passing down the memories from one generation to the next.  – Mia Fausto Cruz

#8 change perspective Maybe it’s age, but as one gets older big, glitzy and expensive gifts matter less and less—though I’d never refuse a Deuter Futura Pro 34, a week-long stay in Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como, an Omega 2500 Caliber and a lesson on how to make the perfect martini. I’ve come to realize that Christmas is so much more than just a date. Corny as it may sound, it is a state of mind—and not about buying this year's gifts with next year’s money. 
– Mariano Garchitorena

Cheers!

tata & anna

To view Parts 1 and 3 click here:
http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-1.html
http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-3.html

the 12 ways of christmas (part 1)

While we really wish we had the Ellen Degeneres-type capability to shower you all with a bonanza of gifts we, well, don't. So instead, allow us to help you get into the spirit of the season by sharing the little traditions our friends turn to during the most wonderful time of the year. Here goes Part 1 of our 12 Ways of Christmas...

#1 celebrate in style  I love entertaining at home. There's something naturally cathartic about thinking of a color scheme, setting the table, getting the best cake possible and trying something new. Another reason why Christmas is special is that friends come home from abroad, which makes coming together even more poignant. I once hosted dinner for a best friend who had turned vegan. What others might see as difficult to pull off was actually fun—and I loved the food, too! I also finally got to use some gold lattice napkin holders from a home store in Singapore, new blue plates I discovered at my suki store, and an idea to use corks for place holders. I just love how everything, and everyone, comes together when I entertain for the holidays. – Naynay Montilla

#2 blend traditions  Since I got married, the one sure thing about Christmas in my place is on December 24th, when my wife’s family comes over for lunch. They bring tamales and broas from their hometown of Sariaya, Quezon and we enjoy them for merienda at around 5 pm  (after my home-cooked lunch) with coffee or tea. Being the only "outsider", I eat this with banana ketchup (it's a Yulo thing) and freak everyone out in the process. This year, I plan to buy some Caviteño tamales and stage a "showdown" just for fun. December, by the way, is the only time I ever see these treats so they’re now one of my markers for the season. – JJ Yulo, Pinoy Eats World 

#3 dress the part    Though we don't have any formal traditions when it comes to dressing for the holidays, we are making new ones as we go. Lately I like dressing my family in thematic (but not identical!) outfits since the coordinated clothes look great in photos. This snapshot was taken on Christmas Eve. At the time, I was designing the outfits for my high school reunion. We had a back and white color scheme—and I decided to go with the same idea for my family.  In fact, the bolero of my youngest daughter was just made from retaso! – Michi Calica Sotto, fashion designer

#4 remember those you love  My husband, two sons, and I have been living away for a total of eight years. Though it would be ideal if we came home each year to celebrate, there have been times where we've spent Christmas in our host country instead. While we miss the warmth of getting together with extended family, we've enjoyed having to make new traditions for ourselves, and we also relish the quiet and the chance to spend time with friends that have become family to us. The first time we spent Christmas away from Manila we decorated our tree with Christmas balls. Each ball had the name of a family member or friend that we would have surely seen were we in Manila that year. We called it the "family and friends tree" and it’s since become a tradition of sorts. After years of living in different places, it now it feels like we take a part of where we’ve been with us, and everywhere we celebrate Christmas is home. – Dana Coscio-Mercado

Cheers!

tata & anna

To view Parts 2 and 3:
http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-2.html
http://thegrosgrainribbon.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-12-ways-of-christmas-part-3.html

work in progress

When I was a kid, my favorite Childcraft volume was #11 Make and Do.  It was a source of many wonderful craft, costume, and play ideas. My brothers and I poured over the pages on almost every free day we had.  So it was such a pleasant surprise when I found out my husband shared the same intense passion for the whole Childcraft series, which now has a special place among our treasured collections for our kids to enjoy.

By the time I was in the 5^th grade, I got into the habit of making things that I knew weren’t readily available in stores.  It taught me to work patiently, respect procedures, and to simply enjoy quiet and focused activities at home.  I also learned to become a little obsessive about getting exactly the look I wanted, and to not settle for things so quickly. Because with a little patience, concentration, and creativity, I knew I could make something that was uniquely my own.

In college, I discovered Martha Stewart on a local cable channel.  I began collecting her magazines, taping her shows on VHS (!), and basing every crafting decision I made on her style and advice.

Those invaluable lessons certainly helped me cope when I married and moved to the province with my husband.  When there was nothing to do, I painted the walls of our house, re-upholstered accent chairs, etc. I would get completely absorbed in crafting that I hardly felt the scarcity of materials and resources. I was caught up in an endless cycle of sourcing possible materials, “making” the things I couldn’t find, and  finishing the actual projects.

Back in Manila and nursing a new baby, I suddenly got a call from an old friend, Tata Mapa.  I had previously worked for her as contributing stylist during her days as Seventeen magazine’s managing and associate editor.  Her newest gig was editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines! (cue: angel choir singing)  She asked if I wanted to do some work for her on the magazine and I was thrilled and nervous at the same time.  I asked my husband for advice. He simply said, “You love Martha Stewart! And now the opportunity to work for her comes to you, here in the Philippines! What were the chances of that?  I think you know you should do it.” 

we went for an "element of surprise" concept
for this cover and asked aranaz to make a bag
that looked like a bouquet!
photo by at maculangan

Even if I was just going to be a contributing stylist, Tata wanted me to learn some things as though I was a staff member. So I would first have to train for my assignments along with the tight team of managing editor, Paulynn Chang-Afable, and section editor, Charisse Katigbak.  The shoots were incredible, intense, uber-detailed and beautiful.  We poured so much of ourselves into our work  since we had to send everything to New York for approval.  New York! So close yet so far.  I would imagine Martha Stewart looking at our styled work and would get such a thrill that I was somehow connected to her.

this tower of favors (by peachy juban of shortcrust)
made for an extra-challenging project.
photo by at maculangan

Through all this, it was great to find in Tata, a style-sister! At Martha, we had to make magic happen with simple resources. Which was a lot like what I had to do as a homemaker in Bacolod. Tata knew about colors and had a knack for mixing and matching things, just the way I liked them, too.  And just as I loved my Childcraft moments, she had always been a natural when it came to subjects like Home Ec and English, so it was no surprise she ended up as editor of a magazine like Martha Stewart Weddings. 

Fast forward to 2010. Tata whispered to me, saying that she was leaving the magazine. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that. I mean, leave Martha Stewart? Why?! She calmly explained that she had reached her goals and was ready for something new.  She seemed so at ease and happy with her decision that I could see that she had made the right one—even if I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.

the whole team pulled out all the stops for this cover. boxes from tie me up buttercup, tiffany chairs (in wenge finish) by banquet ensemble, event styling by jo claravall. photo by at maculangan.

But now that we’re enjoying ourselves with this blog, and our other projects, I’m starting to understand what Tata meant. In many ways, I still get that old “Martha Stewart” feeling as we share our thoughts, project ideas, and excitement about ribbons and nice paper. But it’s also very different because now, we are doing something that is more closely connected to who we are. Together we are gathering our life experiences and insights, and are sharing and creating something from our innermost hearts. It’s almost like our “magazine” title now is tata & anna. This time around, we are the project, the materials, and the process. And each new entry is part of who we are: a work in progress.

Thanks for being here as we grow,

anna

P.S. Here's a shout out to Cleone, Loren, Tara, Nat and all the other wonderful and talented individuals we worked with on the magazine!

sacred space

illustration by Rina Albert-Llamas
https://www.facebook.com/rinadesignmanila

Growing up, the notion of privacy was totally lost on me. I had a brood of siblings, plus a clan of cousins, so the idea of personal space—not to mention individuality— wasn’t even a blip in my universe. In that rumble tumble hoard of people the values of sharing, togetherness, and getting along were prized over everything else. I was so used to having others as a constant in my life, it was almost like I didn’t know where my thoughts started, and someone else’s began. This actually made for some of the most amazing memories and life experiences, but it also made coming into my own a little more difficult. Eventually, the carving out of the personal space for my own things, ideas, and self did start to happen. But because this development was something I had to work at, it’s something I’m still hyper aware of today. And it also comes with some pretty quirky manifestations.

  

from www.centsationalgirl.com

Manifestation #1:

I’m obsessed with home offices and boudoirs. Any time I visit a site on interior decoration, I click on the tabs that will lead me to the wonderful world of personal spaces. I’m especially thrilled when I come across ingenious designs that make use of often overlooked spots. For me, it’s the visual equivalent of an a-ha! moment, and a testament to the fact that yes, people do need people, but we also need to allow ourselves some breathing room where we can express and listen to ourselves, and do what we need to get done. 

Manifestation #2:

Every time I’m given the grand tour of a friend’s home, the back of my mind seems to automatically scan the area for evidence of my friend’s personal space, or a nook where I would put my own little hideaway if I lived there. Sometimes the sanctuary is just a chair, or a quiet corner behind a pile of toys—but it’s there. And that’s what matters. 

  

Manifestation #3:  

illustration by Rina Albert-Llamas

My heart breathes a sigh of happy relief when busy friends share their “my space” confessions. For one stay-at-home mom of four in the States, it’s the third Wednesday night of each month. Her husband makes dinner and takes care of the kids while she goes off to see a movie, or attend an art show. Some nights she even just locks the bathroom door and soaks in the tub. The kids might knock and bang but as long as everyone outside is still breathing, that door stays shut. Another friend seeks refuge in her dressing room. Yet another has a favorite seat at the end of her terrace. Some find their space in their daily yoga practice, or the prayer room of their church. Virginia Woolf once wrote that “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” I think this goes for all of us, whether we’re writers, accountants, mothers, or any number of hyphenated positions in life. If we are to fulfill our chosen vocation, we need the time and place to recharge, regroup, and just be who we are when no one else is around.

tata

P.S. I’m so happy for Anna and her latest project! Presenting her aha! moment:

Four years ago we moved back to our hometown and left behind a dream house that had special spaces made just for us–a toy collection room for my husband and a craft room for me.

I was a little lost as I tried to nest and settle in our new home.  One thing I really wanted to recreate was a craft room/home office setup. I would start toying with the idea of using one room or another, but always cut things short because they were already being used for something else. Eventually I got stuck on believing there was just no room. 

Then one weekend, inspiration struck.  The hallway on our second floor, right outside all our bedrooms, had some space.  I quickly rearranged a few pieces of furniture (something I get such a kick out of doing), bought a shelf, a small round table and two chairs (that were on sale!!), filled all the pieces with only the things I needed for purposes of craft work and play.  After just one weekend’s worth of work, I was surprised that I got exactly what I needed: A new home office!

“Bloom where you’re planted!” I love this saying.  I live by it.  Some say it’s making do, but I think it’s the making and doing that gives results.  And the attitude you have when you face new challenges can make all the difference.  The solution might just be right in front of you–or right outside your door ;) ;)

 anna