Christmas is the most anticipated holiday of the year especially in the Philippines. In fact we are the only country in the world that celebrates this holiday for months before the actual day which says a lot about how Filipinos enjoy religious festivities, and what is a Filipino Christmas celebration without a Noche Buena?
The Filipino Christmas Season
During the holidays people are more relaxed, in good spirits and more bent on planning a better year for themselves and their families so that they can finally realize their dream of having their own home and have the privilege of looking at houses and communities built by top property developers in the Philippines.
No Filipino Noche Buena is complete without Lechon!
Planning and preparing a Christmas feast in your own beautiful home, such as those South American-inspired houses in Georgia Club, Laguna, is the dream of many since there is nothing more wonderful than having friends and family over for a satisfying Christmas dinner.
If you will be hosting a Christmas dinner this holiday season for more than a dozen people, you need to realize that the same is not similar to having guests during any other night considering that expectations are usually higher as the Christmas Noche Buena is deemed to be the most special gathering of the year.
How to organize your family’s Noche Buena
● Make a headcount of all those attending including children and from there choose the best room to hold the meal in terms of room size. Although dinners are usually held in the dining room, you should consider first the number of people you have invited to eat. If the dining room is too small it is perfectly fine to transfer to a bigger space and you can just redo the set-up to look like a comfortable dining place.
● Avoid fitting in numerous chairs in an otherwise small table. Keep in mind that your guests are going to sit simultaneously and would need a certain amount of space to be able to dine and eat comfortably. Add more tables if there is a need and just add additional chairs for when you are circulating and entertaining.
● Keep the party as simple as possible so that dinnerware, utensils, and glassware would be minimal. Too many of these things would take too much space and make your gathering feel rigid or formal. Not a good idea if you want to encourage light banter and relaxed conversations over the table.
● Do not try too hard– like making sure dinner napkins are folded like swans. Fancy tablecloths and other accessories are not what make a Noche Buena a great success. A casual but interesting dinner will not make the occasion less special. Note that lovingly prepared food and good company with people that you love are the essential to a beautiful celebration.
A modern Noche Buena feast table
The tips above are just some of the most important yet often ignored factors in having a truly memorable Christmas feast. The list encourages you to visualize and plan ahead to ensure that you create a Christmas feast that would be the perfect backdrop to making great memories.
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Up Next: Decorating for a Country-styled Christmas
Christmas is the season of fun, family, and fantastic food. It is a time when people are more relaxed and in the mood to let go of their strict habits and regimen including diet; hence, sweet treats abound to satisfy every craving and sweet tooth. Sitting cozily and comfortably on the couch, looking at luxury house designs while dreaming of all the sumptuous holiday treats you’re going to enjoy on Christmas day is one of the best ways to set the holiday mood.
To make the moment even more interesting, try imagining that you finally have your own home like an Alessandro (Portofino Model Home), and enjoying the following tasty holiday treats for that little-girl-with-sweet tooth in you.
Here are some of Brittany’s favorite Holiday Treats:
● Peppermint Pretzel Candies – everybody loves peppermints, pretzels and candies on their own so how much more would they love these treats combined? Add some white chocolate in a slow cooker for that delicious candy that is not just empty sugar.
● White Chocolate and Almond Butter Balls – this is a dessert that looks and tastes like white heaven. Simply combine creamy almond butter and crispy rice cereal and drizzle it with melted white chocolate and you wouldn’t be able to get enough.
● Salted Caramel and Macadamia Pralines – this little crunch of heaven is so addictive it would be hard for you to stop eating. The combination of butter, vanilla, brown sugar, and whole milk mixed in lightly toasted macadamia nuts create an amazing bite-size treat.
● Milk chocolate with Marshmallows – this classic hot, comforting drink is best served during the cool holiday nights. The creamy chocolate mixed with melted marshmallows is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth for the night.
● Toffee Popcorn Bark – this treat gives a new sweet twist to ordinary toffee popcorn. Simply add melted chocolate to the toffee popcorn, cool in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens, break, serve, and enjoy.
● Nutty Chocolate Crunch – this crunchy and satisfying sweet is so easy to make, just break leftover biscuits and chop different kinds of nuts, pour melted chocolate with butter, cool in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours and cut into squares.
These are just some of the better sweet treats you can savor during the holidays and share with your family and friends. The best part about those included in the list is that you can make them yourself even if you’ve never done a lot of cooking since they are really simple and easy to make.
Christmas gifts are one of the things people look forward to the most during the Holiday Season. If you are living in one of the beautiful luxury homes in the country then you belong to the few who are fortunate enough to have the best in terms of conditions of living. And if you live in home like that of Alisson, one of the model homes in Georgia Club, Laguna. then you are indeed living with class and elegance. Considering the fact that Georgia Club is one of the best communities in the country today where living is beyond satisfying since you get to enjoy the best of both urban and tranquil living.
For truly blessed people like you, Christmas is a good time to give back and share your blessings, especially if you are the type who loves giving unique presents.
Here are some unique Christmas gifts for your family and friends
● Memory pillow – who does not love a good night’s sleep, right? This pillow molds to the neck and head perfectly, thus providing utmost comfort and in the long run improve your memory and other cerebral functions because it allows you to get the best out of sleep.
● Self-stirring mug – this is best given to people who love coffee or any drink that needs to be stirred. By a simple press of a switch the mug will start stirring, thus keeping your drink fresh as the flavor does not settle in the bottom.
● Remote control LED candles – candles are best for setting the mood especially during a romantic or elegant dinner but it needs constant attention as it can cause a fire when not properly attended to unlike these realistic but battery-powered LED candles. The light of this candle could even be adjusted using the remote to create the most suitable ambiance.
● Pizza scissors – for food lovers or those who love entertaining guests at home with good food this is the perfect gift. Slicing a pizza using a regular pizza wheel can be frustrating at times especially since you have to make an extra effort to ensure that it is sliced all the way through – this issue is addressed by the pizza scissors because it literally cuts into neat pizza slices.
The items mentioned above are just some of the not-so-common gifts that you can give this Christmas. However, in giving presents it is still best to ensure that your gift suits the personality, likes or interest of the person you are going to give it to. The gift loses its value if the same will not be used or appreciated by the one who received it. It is like giving a pearl necklace to a dog– it will play with it but it will not give the same happiness as say a couple of cheap dog biscuits.
Suggested Read: How to Make Your Own Luxury Graze Box | Brittany Corporation
If you were to survey people on the kinds of homes they would want to own assuming property costs were not an issue, who would not prefer to live in luxury homes? People like to look at photos of luxurious living, dream about living in luxury houses, and plan and work to acquire this lifestyle for themselves. Luxury homes for sale in the Philippines are not often seen in the market. Who would want to let go of masterpieces of design and luxury, homes that were built to house family memories, heirlooms to be passed from generation to generation? Who wouldn’t want to live in luxury when the term itself is associated with positive things — high quality, high standards, uniqueness, and privilege?
Living your own Luxury Lifestyle with Brittany
While there are currently numerous real estate developers who claim to build the most luxurious communities, none of them can compare to what Brittany homes have to offer. In terms of developing luxurious communities and properties, Brittany is the leader of the pack. With projects having a coveted location, beautiful architectural design, and stringent property management, Brittany is able to ensure that communities maintain fidelity to their theme, design, and quality. These are some of the factors that differentiate Brittany’s real estate projects and give investors great returns on their property investments.
Brittany brings the true meaning of luxury living south of Metro Manila with its various community creations such as Portofino in Alabang, Crosswinds in Tagaytay and Georgia Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The South is the ideal location for developing luxurious and sophisticated, themed communities considering the vast available space, relatively untouched nature, cooler climate compared to the capital, and the number of activities one can enjoy– be it involving nature or man-made recreations.
Travel the World with Brittany
Every project developed by Brittany is built according to world-class standards. Stepping inside a Brittany development is like stepping into a different part of the world particularly in Europe and North America. When you enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee in your yard in the morning you can imagine having coffee at your villa in Italy. The European or American theme is true to its inspiration, encompassing the entire community.
Spending most of your waking life in the office where tension and stress can get the better of you is the tragedy of modern life, especially in the greater part of the Metropolis where traffic, excessive pollution, and heat can sap your energy. On these hectic days, you will feel most blessed to have a luxury home in the south to recharge and give you time to regroup after a toxic day at the office. It would be absolute bliss to be able to come home to a place where you can forget the hustle and bustle of the day as you enter your community and are welcomed by your family into the home of your dreams.
Christmas is arguably the best time of the year for every person on Earth. For some reason, everybody feels happier and more grateful for all the blessings they are given. The holiday season is best celebrated with families and loved ones, especially if you live in one of the outstanding Brittany houses South of the Metro. Here’s how one can enjoy a Swiss Christmas in the comfort of their very own luxury home in Tagaytay.
Stepping inside this luxury community located in one of the best places in the country feels like stepping in another part of the world; in fact, after a few minutes of walking on the grounds, feeling the cold breeze and looking at the spectacular view of the mountains you would start wondering if you are still in the Philippines.
Experience a Swiss Christmas in Deux Pointe
Brittany offers themed communities that not only inspire, but allow you to bask into the beauty of the natural surroundings, including the ever-changing skies.
Houses here such as Deux Pointe, (one of the Crosswinds, Tagaytay enclaves), are Swiss-inspired. Both the architectural structure and design of the houses as well as the ambiance of the surroundings are purposely made to make you feel like you are in Switzerland. Spending Christmas in your very own Crosswind luxury home therefore will, in a way, let you enjoy and experience a Swiss Christmas.
Being located in Tagaytay, Crosswinds residents enjoy the relaxing ambiance of being close to nature. The luxurious community is especially beautiful during the Christmas season. The already cool climate of this city, not to mention the outstanding view of luscious pine greens, flowers and mountains all around, are enough to set the mood for the holidays. Enjoy a good cup of steaming hot chocolate while you watch the sunrise, enjoy the cool breeze and savor the scent of pine trees.
You can start setting up your Christmas tree and let your kids decorate it with pine cones that they have collected outside, painted with different holiday colors and sprinkled with sparkling glitters. You can even wear matching sweaters, stroll around the neighborhood and admire the various Christmas decorations set up all around the community, including the Christmas Store and Santa’s House filled with lots of toys that kids can play with and enjoy.
The True Christmas Experience is in Traditions
Furthermore, you can also start new holiday traditions of preparing grand Christmas Eve feasts with family and friends just like what the Swiss do. You can prepare hearty dishes that will not only fill the tummies but warm the body and heart as well and start exchanging of presents when the clock strikes 12 midnight.
Christmas is a time to enjoy and celebrate God’s blessings to every member of the family. This year, make your Christmas even more special by gifting your family with a masterpiece that will last them many lifetimes, where they can build memories of beautiful experiences shared together, made more magical by the beauty of their Swiss-inspired home.
Christmas is the most anticipated holiday of the year because everybody gets the chance to give to and receive something from the people that they love. It is also a time where people tend to be in a more positive spirit and get another boost of motivation to reach for their dreams, like raising a family and having their own house. In fact merely looking at advertisement for a luxury house and lot for sale in the Philippines like that of Portofino, an Italian-inspired community of beautiful and charming houses, keeps one motivated in acquiring a dream home and spending Christmas in grand style. Here are some Christmas gift ideas for homebodies.
Christmas is also a time to show loved ones how much you value their presence in your life and this is best expressed by giving them well-thought of gifts that will delight them. One of the worst gifts that you can give (or receive) is a generic present that will at best will end up in storage or worst in the garbage bin, like photo frames or small figurines that speak nothing of the personality of the person receiving.
Thoughtful Gift Ideas are the best Gift Ideas
Rather than creating good will, generic gift ideas tells the recipient he or she was not worthy of a more thoughtful gift. This is the reason why you should spend some time to actually think of the perfect gifts to give based on the interest, personality, habits and lifestyle of those persons you give them to, because this will make them feel more loved and valued.
If you have friends who are homebodies or introverts in your life there are several things that you can give them to show your affection and gratitude. One such gift would be a memory pillow that will help them to be ultra-comfortable and prevent neck pain while sleeping or just lounging around.
Suggested Read: How to Make Your Own Luxury Graze Box | Brittany Corporation
Some personal gifts you can give
Another gift would be books written by their favorite authors or DVDs of their favorite movies. A scrapbooking kit would also be a good gift especially if the person you are going to give it to is a bit artsy and loves crafts. For a grand gesture (and if you can afford it), you can also try booking him or her in a hotel where he or she can lounge all day, watch TV, order room service, and enjoy the hotel amenities for the entire weekend.
People who enjoy staying indoors love tranquility and serenity; thus, giving them at least one of the gifts listed above will surely make them thrilled and happy. These presents are a kind gesture to assure them that you love and appreciate the person that they are.
There’s no place like a luxury home at Georgia Club, where luxury meets American Country home design. However, no luxury home is complete without a personalized and comfortable bedroom. Check out these darling kiddie bedrooms and grab these ideas for your own home.
Dream Kiddie Bedrooms for Girls
Here’s a girl’s dream bedroom. Your little girl or young lady will feel just like a princess with a charming bed piled with beautiful pink pillows in ruffled shams. Sweet pink stripes complement the whimsical pattern of the mint green wallpaper embellished with little robins and flowers.
You haven’t been through childhood if you’ve never liked a double decker bed! This one looks straight out of a child’s fantasy. Deep blue walls are the perfect foil for simple white double decker beds. By using bold colors for the furniture in kiddie bedrooms, your child’s imagination is sure to be inspired.. Your child is sure to love this.
Dream Bedrooms for Boys
Create even more space in your child’s room with this clever solution. A charming bed with a study desk below turns this room into a girl’s dream domain. Your daughter will be the envy of her friends!
The bold cobalt blue resembles a cloudless sky on a perfect day. This bedroom has got “cheerful” written all over it. Apple green lamp shades and pillows and playful stripes complement this wonderful country-style bed for the young little man in your life.
This room inspires dreams of sleeping among fluffy white clouds surrounded by little angels! A color scheme that’s beautiful no matter your child’s age. The restful ambience of this room is sure to give your kids the quality sleep they need to be the best versions of themselves.
When people think of the term, “Upscale Living”, the usual thought that comes to mind is having a sophisticated home set in a beautiful landscape with complete amenities. Just by looking at the house, one would already sense that its residents enjoy a high level of style and comfort. For some, this lifestyle is only possible overseas. But a growing number of people have seen La Posada Homes in Sucat and have made it their peg.
It is no longer necessary to spend millions for an uppity home nestled in a well-designed neighborhood. No need for the stressful and time-consuming effort of going through the ads.
A modest investment in La Posada is enough to give you the home and life that you deserve. A quick scan of houses for sale in Sucat, Muntinlupa would immediately give the house hunter or first-time homebuyer a feeling of wanting to shout, “Eureka!”, which means, “I have found it.” This Brittany project is simply a place where you will find everything you need and more.
Upscale Living in Houses for Sale near Alabang
La Posada Homes are nothing short of a rare gem in the real estate industry. The sheer number of housing projects in the market surely pales in comparison when one considers the design, quality of materials, floor space, and other amenities offered by Britanny’s “Diamond of the South”.
Living is safe and secure with 24/7 security service, perimeter fence, and roving watchmen. The exclusivity of the neighborhood is kept at all times since only bonafide residents and authorized guests will be allowed entry.
Inside the neighborhood, one will feel instant ease given the relaxed atmosphere, cool bay breeze, and calming greenery. Indeed, owning a house in La Posada is more than just having property ownership, it is about gaining prestige and pride because of the quality of one’s home.
Suggested Read: Celebrate Christmas in La Posada | Brittany Corporation
Everything For Everyone in La Posada
The luxury homes at La Posada may be simple, but they offer the comfort and the functionality any family needs while still remaining accessible to the hustle and bustle of the metro.
The community’s clubhouse promises to provide satisfying relief from the midday sun once you dip into the wide pool. The inviting trees around the village sway as one walks through the clean streets that welcome walkers, bikers, runners, and other residents who enjoy exercise and the outdoors. Young and not-so-young alike will enjoy the quality of life and community that vibrantly makes La Posada their “little heaven on earth”.
Strategically Located Luxury Homes for Sale in Sucat
The Quadrille luxury house model in La Posada is located in a delightful San Francisco-inspired community suited for growing families or homeowners looking for a luxury modern home that suits the area’s cool breezy environment.
Not to be forgotten is the basic requirement of location. Nowhere else can you find a more strategically located housing project than La Posada. Perched near Laguna de Bay, the Victorian-style homes have been so well-designed that you would almost think you lived along the famed streets of San Francisco, USA. The pastel colors, intricate panels, and American architecture combines into a feast for the homebuyers’ eyes.
Just a few meters away is the Southern Luzon Expressway. A few minutes by car or by commute, one can go to the Makati Central Business District for work or play. Getting much-deserved entertainment or going on a shopping spree in Alabang is also easy. For the weekend warriors, driving to the nearest resorts, mountain biking trails, and other outdoor sports in the nearby southern provinces is also possible.
La Posada is truly a refuge for body and soul and a delight for those who want to stand apart. It is upscale living at its finest.
Brittany, the Philippines’ leading luxury real estate developer, is a division of Vista Land & Lifescapes, the Philippines’ largest and most successful homebuilder and a pioneer in themed real estate development. Brittany develops masterpieces of premium living for sophisticated home purchasers with a love for beautiful living with its Old World European and American-themed projects. Portofino in Alabang, Georgia Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, La Posada in Sucat, and Crosswinds in Tagaytay are among the several home designs available in Brittany.
This Christmas, aside from decorating the interior of your home, why not put in the extra effort to make your outdoor decorations a little more magical than usual? During the Christmas season, it’s really nice to see houses all lit up with bright Christmas lights and lanterns, and adorned with wreaths and all kinds of ornaments.
Celebrate a Bright Christmas with your Luxury Home’s Facade
Why not decorate yours in such a way that all who pass by will be inspired and reminded of the beauty and meaning of the season? It’s really breathtaking to go out for a walk at night in a neighborhood where houses are beautifully adorned with lights and lovely Christmas display, and you can’t help but feel the Christmas spirit. In your Portofino Alabang house and lot, transform your home exteriors into a whimsical display of Christmas warmth and cheer with the help of these wonderful outdoor Christmas lighting ideas.
If you have palm trees outside your home in Portofino Alabang, covering them up with lights from the trunk up to their leaves would look amazing, or you could also just cover the trunks if you find difficulty in reaching the leaves. The leaves all lit up also look like fireworks in a way, making it more magical. Any other type of tree, or even your bushes, would also look great all decked out in lights. Make sure to place the lights on them real well to pull off that well-covered look, or you could also just let the lights hang on them vertically.
Use Lanterns and other Christmas Lights
Aside from Christmas lights, you could also use lanterns to decorate the exteriors of your Portofino Alabang home. There are many different kinds of lanterns you could use, such as snow flake lanterns, or electric Philippine Christmas lanterns, otherwise known as the “parol”, which are so colorful and festive that if you place several of them together on the facade of your home, it would seem like they’re screaming, “Joy to the world!” all on their own.
Your trees, bushes or other plants are not the only ones you can light up, of course. Place those lights on the edges of your roof, on your gate, on your windows, or even cover up the whole house if you want! The chance to do so only comes around at this time of the year, anyway. No matter how much lights you decorate your Portofino Alabang house and lot with, what matters is that it is done tastefully, with the objective of spreading joy, hope and love during this most wonderful time of the year. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Decorating Your Home in Brittany Alabang for Christmas
For your luxurious house and lot in Alabang, nothing but the finest furniture and decorations will do. For this holiday season, that includes your Christmas decorations, and nothing but the the most excellent ones deserve to be put on display. When it comes to the best, we’re not just talking about physical appearance but also about quality and durability. It’s easy to look expensive without actually being worth much, but the discerning eye will be able distinguish the genuine article from what is just pretending to be one. The real test also comes when harmful elements, wear and time threaten a product’s life.
There are times when investing in something more expensive can actually turn out to be cheaper in the long run. Though it requires a much greater level of sacrifice or commitment on your part when it comes to the money you would have to shell out, the returns or rewards are infinitely better. Aside from lasting for a long time, if not forever, such investments also offer you the best version of the product there is. One great example of this, of course, is a house and lot in Brittany Alabang, where the finest homes in the country can be found and are definitely worth your investment.
This Christmas season, let’s take a look at some of the most outrageously expensive Christmas decorations there are, and get to know just what makes them worth so much.
Decorations Fit For Your House in Brittany Alabang.
This tree was made in 2007 out of solid 18-karat gold. It features diamonds as ornaments, and a star made out of platinum with a 45.2 karat diamond on it, which can be detached and used as a pendant.
This bauble may very well be the bauble of all baubles. Created by Embee Jewels of London along with Hallmark Jewelers in 2010, its sphere is made of white gold encrusted with a total of 1,578 diamonds, and surrounded by two rings encrusted with 188 rubies. This bauble is said to be valued at $130,000.
Apparently, women aren’t the only ones who can wear designer skirts, so can your tree! Made out of gold velvet and gold silk thread, this Arabasque Christmas tree skirt is designed by Jay Strongwater. With its design hand-embroidered and embellished with Swarovski crystals, one will be able to purchase this for their tree for $1,650.
For those looking for the perfect nativity set, this one by Bergdorf Goodman features the blessed family painted in gold and draped in Swarovski crystals. For sale at a price of $3,400, it would make for the ultimate Christmas display in your house and lot in Alabang.
You may not want to hang this wreath just anywhere, especially outside your house, as this wreath only happens to hold 17.49 karat rubies and carries 3.03 karat yellow diamonds. Valued at an obscenely high amount of $4.6 million, it comes as no surprise that it is dubbed “the most expensive Christmas wreath in the world”. The only thing is, with this wreath being worth more than your house and all that you have, it would be quite difficult to leave it hanging anywhere at all!
When one thinks about the figures indicating how much each of these Christmas decorations is worth, it would definitely seem absurd as to why anyone would even be willing to spend that much for something so trivial. But for those who know the real reasons behind an items’ value or worth, and the returns they expect to receive from their investment, the price to be paid is surely worth it.