Christmas Nights Out: Places to Visit and Food to Try Out with the Family

Families can best enjoy the spirit of the season at night—the air feels cooler, streets are illuminated by the warm glow of parols, and cheerful Christmas carolers can be heard almost everywhere. So, make an exception to your kids’ regular curfew by letting them stay up a bit later than usual this Christmas time, and visit the following must-see nighttime family spots.


1. Moving Mannequin Show
On its fourth run this year at the Greenhills Shopping Center, the revived COD Christmas display still amuses children and grown-ups alike. This memorable 47-year-old tradition was originally displayed at the COD Department Store façade in Cubao, Quezon City, until the mall closed shop in December 2002.

The theme for this year’s dazzling mechanical entertainment is dubbed “Celebration of Christianization of the Philippines.” With bamboo huts sprawled along the stage, the mannequin show will feature a colorful historical account of how the country was Christianized.

The show runs every 30 minutes from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the Greenhills Shopping Center’s Parking 1. Food and shopping stalls, tables, and seats are also located at the parking lot, so bargain shoppers can enjoy a show while taking a break from their hectic shopping.


2. Christmas Tree Gazing
The towering 85-foot Christmas tree located along General Roxas Street in Araneta Center, Cubao, started drawing crowds in 1981. The lighting of this tree is the first and oldest Christmas tree- lighting ceremony in the country. The tree weighs 5,000 kilograms and is decked with over 10,000 multicolored bulbs, 800 sparkling balls, and 50 ornamental stars.

Since the tree is right along a busy road, it might be best to admire it from inside the car or from a nearby café or restaurant. Take a short drive-by or park the car inside Araneta Center’s outdoor parking lot, which has a direct view of the oversized tree. Order some take-out and have a picnic (or plop yourselves on the hood) while admiring the view.

 

Click here to see more places to visit and food to try out during Christmas nights out with the family.

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Read on to see more places to visit and food to try out during Christmas nights out with the family.

 

3. Street Lighting

After trimming your Christmas tree, bring your kids to Policarpio Street in Mandaluyong City, where they can walk about and marvel at the houses that are gaily decorated with Santas and elves, Nativity scenes, and rows of twinkling fairy lights.

The residents of Policarpio Street, which is located at Barangay New Zaniga, have been putting up their displays every holiday season since 1995 and drawing in throngs of admiring crowds since then. The Department of Tourism declared Policarpio an official tourist destination in 2000.

Strolling along the vibrantly lit 200-meter stretch, one will also find several tiangge stalls where residents take the opportunity to sell assorted food like puto bumbong and bibingka. At the corner of Policarpio and Lopez streets is a warehouse bazaar that sells Christmas gifts and household items. Visitors only have to pay a minimal but consumable fee of P10 to enter.

The lights will be switched on from 6 p.m. to midnight throughout December. Electricity bills almost double (even triple!), but homeowners say money is not a problem. For them, what is more important is bringing happiness to people when they need it the most.


4. Pagkaing Pamasko
Some basic facts on popular holiday culinary staples

After the simbang gabi service, queue up at the stalls located at the church courtyard to let your kids sample authentic puto bumbong and bibingka. These seasonal favorites have been offered to dawn churchgoers even during the Spanish era, and not much has changed in the way they are prepared.

 

Puto Bumbong is a violet, cylindrical-shaped roll made of pirurutong (black rice flour) and malagkit rice. It owes its chewy texture and odd color to the fact that it is cooked by steam in bamboo poles. The treat is usually served on a banana leaf and topped with melted margarine, panucha, and grated coconut.

 

Bibingka is a flat round cake made of rice flour and is cooked over and under charcoal. There are many variations to this treat, but it is usually topped with kesong puti, melted butter or margarine, and salted duck’s eggs. Bibingka tastes best if consumed right after cooking, says Heritage Hotel sous chef Joselito Carbon. However, he adds, “You can store bibingka for a week in the freezer and just reheat it in the oven.” Microwaving bibingka is a no-no, however, since it will toughen the texture of this fluffy pastry.

 

The traditional beverages that go with these early morning goodies are salabat (hot ginger ale) and thick, piping-hot tsokolate. While salabat is still given for free at some food stalls, tsokolate is more popular among kids. The old-fashioned way of preparing native hot chocolate is to use a batirol or wooden stirrer to mix milk, sugar, and a paste made from chocolate and peanuts into a creamy, frothy drink. Nowadays, you can simply simmer chocolate powder and milk to produce something akin to what generations of simbang gabi goers have enjoyed throughout the decades.


Food photography by Jun Pinzon; location photography by Nelson Rivera (places). Food Styled by Kristine Tabada. Special thanks to Heritage Hote.