“Taking Gifting to the Next Level”

As time passes and the kids grown, gift giving during Christmas has taken on a new meaning.  Gone are the days of  frantic shopping and excited faces while unwrapping gifts. It is quite hard to look for gifts for my loved ones, because basically, they do not have a lack of things.  And so, with only 42 more days till Christmas, I still do not have the slightest idea on what gifts to give, that is until I read the SM Christmas Bears of Joy Campaign, where for just Php 200, I can keep one bear to give as a gift, and donate the other to children of various orphanages and charitable institutions through the SM Cares Program. What a great idea! It is taking gifting to the next level!  I can just imagine how happy a child will be getting this soft and cuddly bear to hug and to hold.  But lest we forget, Christmas is not just about the gift we get, but more so about the love that comes with it. Each Christmas bear I plan to give, will come with a message of love that tells the receiver, that somewhere out there it has a brother bear that is giving joy to another child. 

As for myself,  my greatest Christmas wish is that peace on earth happens in my lifetime.  Of course, that probably wouldn't happen, so my second greatest wish is that love, understanding, kindness and tolerance grow in the hearts of men, so that yes, someday there will be peace on earth.

Okay, so maybe my two greatest wishes for Christmas are not much different from each other, but what material thing can I wish for that I do not already have?  I love to shop (my SM Prestige card is a proof of this) and frankly, if I want something and I can afford it, I go ahead and get it.  Perhaps because of this "reality", my Christmas wish is for something deeper, something intangible, something only God can give.  

On the other hand, there is this song that says, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me...".  I realize that wishing and hoping is totally not the same as doing.  There are many things I can do within my own environment that would promote greater peace and understanding among ourselves.  I begin by having more patience towards our househelp, spending more time with my aging relatives, and being kinder to all people I deal with and so much more.  Would that not bring the world closer to peace?

Lastly, Christmas is also a time to be grateful for all the good things that happened to me and my family the past year, and more especially, to give back to those who made it so.  But, there are those who do not need material gifts, and for them I will offer prayer cards or gift donations in their name to worthwhile charities or even create good Christmas memories with them, while there are those who are my equally important others, who do enjoy and indeed look forward to getting gifts. This is where SM Supermalls and The SM Store come in really handy. They make gift-giving so easy, living up to their theme "We've got it all for you".  They have many wonderful and useful things that I can get for my daughter's teachers, my household helpers, office staff, drivers and all the rest who make my life easier and less stressful. Now if only I had unlimited budget, I would take them all shopping at SM with me! 

SM Supermalls understands that everyone has a budget and comes to the rescue for sensible buyers like me. They have launched the Merry SM Christmas campaign where shoppers can take advantage of gift sets, gift baskets and big discounts in their stores which began in October. Indeed, Thank You SM Supermalls for taking gifting to the next level.

“For more updates about this year’s “Merry SM Christmas” campaign, visit SM’s official Christmas microsite (https://www.smsupermalls.com/merrysmchristmas2015) and follow its official social media accounts at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls), Twitter (https://twitter.com/smsupermalls), and Instagram (https://instagram.com/smsupermalls/); and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through Viber (http://chats.viber.com/SMsupermalls). Shoppers can actively share their holiday merriments inside the SM Supermalls by posting their photos on social media and adding the hashtag #MerrySMChristmas2015.”

Let's Celebrate Christmas At SM!