A decorative gift can can be reused for other purposes at home.
WITH Christmas just around the corner, holiday decorating and gift shopping can add up to one’s must-do list.
Nikki Serrano-Honasan, hands-on mother to five-year-old India, knows this all too well.
“Growing up my siblings and cousins would all spend it in our lola’s house in the province, gathered around the table for Noche Buena followed by the much awaited part of the evening, the gift giving. Now living in Boracay with a small family of my own, I find myself carrying this tradition with me while sharing it with my island family. We have Noche Buena and open gifts together,” said the yoga teacher.
As for decorating, Nikki’s home is quite open to the outdoors that she finds a little is all it needs. She has all these individual Christmas trees, handmade wooden and metallic ones, which she’s very fond of.
When shopping for gifts for family and loved ones, she prefers handmade items, as well as personally curated presents like a picnic basket with all the essentials included, from food to a picnic blanket.
Having a theme helps her narrow everything down. She believes one can never go wrong with a “food showcase.” Food is the wisest gift to give. It’s practical and leaves zero waste. But she makes sure it fits the recipient’s preference.
Here are five of Nikki’s Christmas shopping tips.
1. Keep it personal. Remembering random tidbits about the person and incorporating that in your gift add a
special touch. A coffee person will always love everything about coffee, chocolates for chocolate lovers, to mention a couple. M&S has Coffee Lovers’ Surprise, Chocolate Indulgence and Tea-Time Treats even a breakfast-themed Sunrise Bliss packed for you.
2. Instead of buying Christmas wrappers and bags, use what you already have at home and get creative. Or choose food presents in decorative hampers. They will find a use for a nice hamper. The M&S gold basket this year is quite elegant.
3. Whenever you can, support local makers and artisans. They make some of the most unique gifts. Wrap food hampers with inabel blankets, which can also give the present an element of surprise. This way they get to enjoy two gifts, both they can take to a picnic.
4. Hit the bookstore. Cookbooks and other books make great presents. For instance, incorporate a cookbook with an Italian selection. Pointers on new ways to cook pasta will always excite any home chef. Plus, red wine is always great company while cooking and dining.
5. Sometimes the best gifts aren’t material things, but experiences. Tickets to the museum, a yoga class, or a macramè workshop are sure to be appreciated. Shopping is an experience too, if not an art. Besides everybody needs retail therapy. A gift card from their favorite store can always excite, and if it’s from M&S, they get to choose their preferred apparel or fill their basket with the Christmas foodstuff they want to indulge on. (PR)
Fashion & food: M&S Collection and Christmas hampers are available
at the Marks & Spencer store
in Ayala Center Cebu
Photography: Wizbren Ang
Make-up & Styling: Otoy Mercado
Location: M&S store & T’nalak Home at Abreeza Mall
