(Photos by Bong Lacson)
IT HAS not only begun to look, but really feels now like Christmas as SM City malls in Central Luzon ushered in the season of good tidings and great joy over the weekend with their traditional centerpieces on the Yuletide celebration.
Without the least forgetting the reason for the season – the sharing of blessings, SM, in this wise, the children in need.
A “Spectacular Christmas” of circus tents and magic mirrors, ice cream and cookie carts, with a 30-foot-tall Christmas Tree opened Friday at SM City Clark with Mabalacat City Mayor Cris Garbo leading local government executives doing the launching, along with SM regional VP Junias Eusebio and mall manager Andrea Madlambayan. Christmas carols performed by the AUF Concert Chorus enlivened the event.
Twenty wards of the Tulay Foundation were the beneficiaries of SM’s Christmas Bears of Joy project.
Earlier Friday, SM City Telabastagan lighted its 20-foot Ice Cream Tree to the delight of 20 kids from Blossomforth School, the beneficiaries of the mall’s gift giving. At the opening were VP Eusebio and mall manager Bong Garcia.
On Saturday, the country’s longest shopping mall – SM City Pampanga – did its turn of uncovering its “Tea-rrific Christmas” with an English tea party theme and its own 30-foot Yule tree as centerpiece.
Thirty kids under the care of the Autism Society of the Philippines- Pampanga Chapter received gifts from the mall handed by Mexico Mayor Teddy C. Tumang and SM’s VP Eusebio and mall manager Aaron Montenegro.
Giant multi-colored Christmas balls arranged in the form of tree is the centerpiece display at SM San Fernando-Downtown opened last Sunday by city Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin, Sto. Tomas Mayor John Sambo and SM VP Eusebio and mall manager Lana Erroba.
Daycare kids from Barangay San Pedro Cutud received bags of goodies from the mall while being entertained by Santa and Peter Pan.
In their brief messages, the local government executives found common ground in hailing SM for its “gift-giving grace” not only at Christmas to children, but also throughout the year with socio-economic benefits accruing with the malls’ presence in their localities throughout the year.
