WHEN THE FIRST hints emerge in early September--the ubiquitous jingles begin emanating from hidden speakers in many stores--there's no stopping the world's longest countdown to Christmas. As the weeks roll one into another, from September all through December, more and more telling signs dot the cityscape: thousands of tiny blinking lights, parols (lanterns of all shapes, sizes and designs), and of course, the edible merchandise that fill supermarket racks and street hawkers stalls but once a year-- tumbles of
quezo de bola (cheese balls wrapped in wax), vacuum-sealed portions of ham, vats of chestnuts.But perhaps the biggest evidence that Christmas is fast approaching, albeit over a protracted three full months, is also the most intangible: it's simply in the air. It's when Filipinos, already wired with happiness chips--something that has landed us on the top spot of international happy people surveys--become extra jovial and highly social. Case in point: Relatives you never see during the year become fixtures in your home, and you in theirs, during the endless family gatherings.
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