Pre-pandemic, I tried as much as possible to avoid malls during Christmas season because of the "hindi-mahulugang karayom" crowd.
But I was compelled to do it this weekend because, of late, I had been beset by unfortunate online shopping experiences.
Laging mali ang size, and this happened four times.
And though most online shops have free shipping for returns, hassle pa rin, considering that processing of refund takes quite a while.
The unbeatable thing about mall-shopping is you see the actual size, you get to fit it, and you have more choices of stuff available in the physical store than online.
Besides, I am really impressed by the Christmas installations this year.
BEST CHRISTMAS SPOTS IN THE CITY
SM Aura outdoor park looks like a fairy land.
Shangri-La Plaza's Christmas tree is truly massive.
From afar, I thought it was a giant chandelier, while my daughter thought it was a multi-layered cake.
But up close, it's a breathtaking reminder that Christmas is gonna be brighter and more colorful than in the two previous years of the pandemic.
And in most malls, there's a tree where people can take selfies and kids can have a meet-and-greet opportunity with Santa.
SM Mall of Asia has this cool light displays plus the fireworks.
Ayala Malls The 30th in Pasig has this al-fresco area where everything you see is Instagram-worthy.
INTERACTIVE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
And if you happen to see this Santa leaping from the LED billboard of SM Megamall, it actually signifies a different kind of shopping experience.
Dubbed #ChristmasinMegaverse, it can be enjoyed every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
It actually integrates mobile game into shopping. And the game tokens can be used to redeem Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collectibles and enjoy discounts and many shopping perks.
Meanwhile, Pikachu, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly have been touring Robinsons Malls for meet-and-greet events, where you get the chance to win Pokémon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet video games after downloading the RMalls+ app.
Plus there have been mall shows featuring the melodious sounds of Christmas as well as contests for kids and even for pets.
Lastly, nothing beats having face-to-face reunions and meet-ups.
Once again, there's a long line in front of restaurants, and the traffic is so bad that EDSA looks like a parking lot,
But, I guess, for now, this is much, much better than a Christmas lockdown.