Prima ballerina wows them all. Bears of Joy are placed on a Christmas tree by Macuja-Elizalde, Gov. Pineda, BM Fritzie David-Dizon and mall manager Erroba while SM Regional Operations Chief Nipas looks on.
Photos by Ric Gonzales
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – It’s Christmas time at the SM supermalls.
Against a backdrop of Disneyland’s Glitter Avenue – in replica, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and her corps de ballet from Ballet Manila did their pirouettes and arabesques in a rendition of The Nutcracker Suite – to the oohs and aahs of guests led by Gov. Lilia G. Pineda and hundreds of shoppers.
The first ever foreign soloist of the Kirov Ballet bringing high culture to mass level at SM City Pampanga’s launch of its Christmas season on Friday. Indeed, roundly applauded, highly appreciated.
At the SM City Clark on Saturday, the tradition of the symbols of Christmas in gigantic rendition continued with Giant Candyland as theme for this year’s celebration. Santa, the Gingerbread Man, Frosty the Snowman, among others had had their turns in SM City Clark’s Christmases past.
The Angeles University Concert Chorus enlivened the occasion with Christmas carols while Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and SM Clark mall manager Anna Datu led the guests in opening the display of titanic lollipops, candies and ice cream to the sheer delight of children.
Cosplay icon Alodia Gosiengfiao and sister Ashley adding to the fun with their costumed confederates in the world of comics and anime.
Today, a concert featuring Jaya shall serve as SM City San Fernando Downtown’s Christmas season launch.
Not all glamour and glitter is the Christmas season at SM though.
For what is Christmas without the essence of giving? Asked the corporate message of SM Prime Holdings, read by the respective mall managers at each launch.
Gift-giving and the spirit of sharing, finding manifest in SM’s “Bears of Joy” project where shoppers get to buy two cuddly teddy bears for only P100, one to keep and the other to pin on a Christmas tree to be collected after the holidays and shared with less fortunate children.
The P100 going to different advocacies and foundations supported by SM.
“Even as we want our shoppers to get early that feeling of Christmas, we also would impact in this launch our way of sharing the joys of the season,” SM City Pampanga mall manager Lana Erroba said.
SM Regional Operations Manager Rheybie Nipas, who joined the launch at SM City Pampanga, said they are benefitting from the progress in the province and “good purchasing attitude” of the local residents.
Nipas said there was an average of some 50,000 daily customers when SM City Pampanga opened in 2000 which has doubled to 100,000 now.
SM City Clark, which started in 2006, is now catering to between 50,000 and 70,000 customers daily on peak days.
SM City San Fernando-Downtown, which opened last July at the heart of the capital city, is peaking up in customers and sales with some 20,000 customers daily.
Spectacular fireworks display capped the launches in both malls.
– With Joey Pavia
