Not all gifts come in boxes and wrapped in a bow. If you’ve been busy all year and haven’t found time to finish your Christmas shopping, you are not alone! It’s definitely not too late to get your family and friends something special before the year ends and show them your love.
Since we’re all advised to stay home this holiday season, you don’t have to go out to get these items. Here are some gift ideas that are just a click away, and that you can order or make virtually and send to your loved ones before the year ends:
A special playlist
If you don’t want to spend money on a present but still want to make it extra special and personal, craft a special playlist for your friend that will make them remember the good times you’ve spent together.
You can also include newly discovered songs or videos that you think they’ll love, or add in a few that you know will crack them up! Don’t forget to label it with a playlist name that’s very specific, quirky, or witty and share it via YouTube or Spotify!
An iWantTFC premium subscription
The holiday break is the perfect time for binge-watching! If your loved one is on the hunt for new shows to follow or intends to catch up with their favorite ABS-CBN show, you should sign them up for a premium, ad-free access to the iWantTFC streaming service, the biggest library of Filipino content! With over 1,000 movies, live channels, full episodes of classic and currently airing ABS-CBN shows, Thai boys’ love shows, and originals, one will never run out of things to enjoy on iWantTFC! Plus, a premium subscription only costs P119 a month.
Treat your loved one and their family to a concert without them having to go out of the house! Let them enjoy great live music while helping others in need by buying them a ticket (P1,200) to the special benefit Christmas concert titled “Our Grown-Up Christmas List,” featuring musical theater royalties Gian Magdangal and Carla Guevarra-Laforteza who will sing songs about “home, love, family, and friendship.”
Access to the show is available for 48 hours from December 24 (8 PM) to December 26 (8 PM).
Your friend can also usher in the New Year on December 31 starting at 7 PM by watching Resorts World Manila’s “The Grand Countdown to 2021,” which will offer performances by Morissette, Jed Madela, Jona, and Jon Santos.
The general admission ticket costs P600 and gives the holder access to the show only, while the special ticket costs P1,200 and gives the holder access to the show and a chance to win exciting gifts.
Digital scrapbook
Instagram carousel posts are a good way to show your appreciation for someone, but why not make it more fun and unique by crafting a digital scrapbook of your favorite photos together? You can DIY your own design and layout using Photoshop or use free templates available online!
Cover of a song you want to dedicate to him/her
In the mood to sing your heart out? Pick up an instrument and give your loved one an intimate performance of their favorite song! If your group or family wants to surprise someone, you can also use a social karaoke singing app like Smule to let you all cover a song separately without sharing a microphone!
Unleash the performer in you and upload the video of your song cover on social media or just send it to your friend for their safekeeping.
Gaming skins or in-game goodies
Got a competitive friend who’s into Mobile Legends or League of Legends? The holiday season is the best time to spoil them by getting their gaming champions or their weapons a festive makeover, or by purchasing them event passes! If you’re not sure what to gift them, you can just send them over currencies in their favorite game.
A personalized video greeting from your loved one’s favorite Kapamilya star
If your goal is to make your loved one shocked or surprised by your gift, you should definitely go for a personalized video greeting from their favorites! Just head over to FanLove.ph, a new online video shoutout request platform that allows you to book a special video message or a song dedication from over 50 Kapamilya stars. You can also enjoy their special holiday promo if you book from 24 December 2020 to 07 January 2021.
Book a personalized video greeting from your favorite Kapamilya artists such as Elisse Joson, Belle Mariano, Loisa Andalio, LouDre, KiaNo, KarJon, FumiYam, and many more by visiting FanLove.ph! For updates, like www.facebook.com/fanlove.ph or follow @fanlove.ph on Instagram and @fanloveph on Twitter.
Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without gift-giving. It’s one of the easiest ways to share the love and spark some joy among family and friends. However, with all the challenges we faced this 2020, our priorities have become clearer. So, this Yuletide season, instead of the usual toys or trinkets, you can give your loved ones something useful and significant during these times.
As you prepare for a socially distanced Christmas celebration, AXA Philippines, one of the leading insurance companies in the country, offers some perfect gift ideas for your upcoming monito-monita.
Hobbies and passion kits.
Hobbies can help ease anxiety, beat stress, and give joy while helping one spend time in a creative way.
With community quarantines in place, you may know several people who have discovered a hidden talent or hobby during the lockdown. You can cheer on your family or friends as they take on this new skill or hobby by giving them tools or appliances that they may need to pursue their newfound passion.
Some great options include pans, pots, spatulas, or small appliances for the new baker, garden tools for plantitas, or paint sets and brushes for the late-bloomer artist.
As indoor plants continue to be a growing trend, your plantitos and plantitas would highly appreciate these greeneries as many of them find comfort in taking care of them.
Self-care products.
Many people have become anxious about the unprecedented health crisis. Try giving them self-care kits that can lighten the mood and make your loved ones forget their worries. A few therapeutic items you can put in the self-care kit include mandala coloring books, essential oils, chocolate bars, and skincare products.
Home office gadgets.
The pandemic has forced a lot of employees to adapt to a new working environment. This Christmas, you can help them achieve a comfortable workspace at home by giving them essential supplies as gifts. Gadgets, such as a laptop, tablet, or phone, are terrific options. For more affordable budget options, you can also give them computer accessories, file storage, a planner, seat cushion, or other items for their desks. These gifts would surely relieve some stress and increase their productivity at home.
Financial protection.
The pandemic has emphasized the importance of being prepared for life’s unforeseeable circumstances. With all the unexpected situations this year, it would be a great relief to know that there is a way to ensure protection for your future or that of your family. Insurance, for one, can help with this and offer peace of mind.
AXA Philippines recently launched MyLifeChoice, an investment plan that can be personalized to your needs and budget.
With AXA MyLifeChoice, not only are you protected for life’s unexpected events, but you also receive an investment fund, which you can use for your long-term goals or for your family. It may seem unusual, but the gift of security for your family, especially during these times, is something that is valuable even beyond the holiday season.
Anything sparkly, shiny, and bright has the ability to get one into a festive mood. Now that we are well into the Ber months with holidays fast approaching, we should allow ourselves to enjoy the season—even more so during these very trying times—while it lasts.
Blythe Cosmetics by Careline helps give you that boost to perk you up, give you confidence, or simply get you into the holiday spirit with these fun make-up hacks you can try using the Blythe Stardust Highlighter Palette (P275):
As an eye make-up
While highlighters are known to be applied on the high points of the face such as the cheeks, bridge, and tips of the nose, and cupid’s bow, it can also be used to make your eye make-up stand out even more! Apply your preferred Stardust Palette shade above and below the eyebrows to enhance the shape of the brows and accentuate the eyes and face. You can also dust on the corners of the eyes to open them up and make them appear bigger and brighter.
As a concealer
Did you know that you can also use highlighters to cover the dark circles of the eyes? To achieve this, go for the pearly white shade or pinkish tone in the palette and dab under the eyes; then apply your favorite concealer on top of it and blend into the skin to make it look seamless.
On the lips
On the days you get to expose your lips, be sure to make it stand out by dabbing it on before or after you apply your gloss or lipstick. Also, apply some on the cupid’s bow to give the illusion of a plumper lip.
On the skin
If you feel as if your skin looks dull and pale lately, a quick application of highlighter on the skin can easily make it look healthy and fresh. You can mix it with your favorite lotion or moisturizer or you can directly apply it on your collarbones, décolleté, shoulder, and arms. You’ll surely dazzle when the sun hits your skin!
Bring a sparkle into your life these ber months by trying these highlighter hacks using the Blythe Stardust Highlighter Palette available on Careline’s official Lazada page (bit.ly/BlytheLazada). To know more makeup tips, visit and like Blythe by Careline on Facebook (@blythebycareline) and Instagram (@blythecosmetics).
“Going back to school” is different this year as many schools shift to distance learning due to the pandemic. In addition to other responsibilities, most parents now need to take on their kids’ schooling and ensure that they really understand their online lessons.
If you’re already working from home, you may be thinking that you just don’t have enough time for your job, household chores, and helping your kids with school. Before you get overwhelmed, Solane, the leading supplier of LPG in the country, is here to offer some kitchen tips to make your new arrangement at home easier.
Set a schedule.
Preparing a meal, on top of everything else that needs to get done, can be time-consuming. Make sure you have a daily schedule that includes the time you will allot for cooking, uninterrupted work, your kids’ school hours, as well as your break time and mealtimes. Once you have your schedule, do your best to stick to it so you can manage your time better.
Plan meals in advance.
Save yourself from unnecessary stress by planning the meals you will cook for the family ahead of time. By doing this, you get to save some time by getting all the ingredients you need at the grocery in one trip during the quarantine. Just make sure to plan a variety of dishes that are easy to prepare, flavorful, and nutritious.
Get the kids involved.
If your kids aren’t too busy, you can ask them to help with some simple tasks in the kitchen like rinsing the vegetables or mixing ingredients. This can also be an opportunity to teach them about kitchen safety when it comes to things like peeling and chopping vegetables to avoid accidents. A few minutes before your meal, ask your kids to help by setting up the table. After eating, they can also help clear the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink. Not only will this help you, but this will also teach your kids responsibility and discipline.
Do the chores immediately.
Try to get the chores done right away. Small stressors, like unfinished kitchen chores, only add up and affect your overall well-being. If tasks are left undone, you may feel more stressed, especially while working or tutoring your kids. Start small. After eating, you can wash your kitchen tools and tableware, wipe the counters, and throw out the trash immediately. If you don’t feel up to it, don’t think of it as, “I need to clean the kitchen.” Instead, look at it this way: Do you want a clean kitchen? Then, get cleaning.
Invest in the right kitchen equipment.
Invest in kitchen tools that can help you save time and cook faster, such as convection ovens, food processors, and instant pots. Also consider kitchen appliances that don’t need too much attention while cooking, like slow cookers. Just put your ingredients in them and they will take care of the cooking process.
This will give you more time to focus on your work and kids’ lessons. In addition, opt for an LPG brand that is made for fast and safe cooking, like Solane. With the help of Solane, you can easily prepare your meals without the hassle or any worries.
For more information, visit www.solane.com.ph or follow @solane.ph on Facebook.
These times are extra difficult to deal with, especially when it comes to finding a balance between our work and personal lives. Just imagine how a regular day unfolds for a working millennial mom, who tries to hustle while caring for her family, and herself. It may seem like a tough job really, but some of them turned to meditative journaling, also known as mindful writing, as a healing method to get through the day. But how?
It makes them start and learn something new.
For working moms who are mostly busy with their responsibilities, there’s this sense of hunger for new discoveries and tasks but they need to be light, rewarding, and easy to maintain, too. The habit of regular writing itself is already a form of a new process – something that is not usually part of our daily lives. But it gives one the freedom to express emotions and create something as they feel it. No pressure. It’s just that joyful connection between the self and those blank pages – the kind of beginning that is comforting than intimidating.
It makes them become more open.
Working millennial moms usually feel anxious, unheard, and unseen. It is a struggle to share their sentiments with other people because of the fear that they may not understand it, or simply because they don’t know how to articulate what they’re going through.
For the times that they couldn’t catch up with their friends, journals serve as their perfect outlet. The beauty of writing an entry is that there are no rules or boundaries. They can acknowledge their feelings, rant, or even sketch what they feel. At the end of the day, it’s all about taking a pause, seeking comfort, and finding their light.
It makes them remember more things.
Juggling multiple responsibilities at the same time can really make us forget a lot. Meditative journaling can help us find our center and remember all the important things, the little wins, and even our failures.
It’s like the flow and reminder they need every day. By turning various moments into written tangible experiences, they’re able to keep track of time, pay more attention to details, and regain this sense of control.
It makes them respond to their needs quickly.
Narrating your feelings and daily experiences is not only a form of expression but more importantly, it gives you more signs and ideas on how to care for yourself. If you have noticed how the past few weeks have been consecutively rough, maybe it’s time to realign and change your routine or perspective.
If you’ve noticed changes when it comes to your body, maybe it’s time to ask if you’re still okay, happy, or healthy, and make adjustments that are comfortable for you. Listening to yourself is an important element of meditative journaling.
It relaxes them and rewards them at the same time.
Mindful writing is like a me-time that is easy to squeeze in every working woman’s hectic schedule. The key to rewarding mediative journaling is to set a particular time for it and treat it not as an additional assignment, but a form of self-care. Write based on your observations, feelings, reflections, and needs. It’s like talking to yourself – and choosing to be kind to yourself.
Whether you want to keep a journal for growth, self-love, reconnecting with yourself, finding your light, or simply capturing your thoughts and feelings through words, Viviamo offers different styles and formats that could match any undertaking.
Belle de Jour (BDJ) Power Planner’s Earth theme inspires you to acknowledge your existence, struggles, and victories, through beautiful, motivational graphics and quotes.
Everything Is Possible design encourages you to take little steps towards your goal, while NAVI’s Lighthouse theme embraces the wanderlust in you.
FOCUS planner reflects ambitions and bold dreams through its geometric designs, while Essentials and Petit collections remain perfect for those on the minimalist, sleek, and elegant side.
15 years ago, Viviamo! Inc. which means “WE LIVE” started out as Belle de Jour Power Planner” and has since expanded products and services beyond planners.
Today, Viviamo! Inc. is a growing custom publishing, marketing, and e-commerce company, with an active community of 100,000+ fans, a purpose-driven line of paper products available in retail and online, and collaborations between the country’s top brands and creative talents. Through it all, we seek to empower people to dream, plan, and dare to live their best lives.
2020 was a year of uncertainty and consecutive challenges. We spent most of our days in isolation that we’ve almost lost track of time. As we try to regain some balance and slowly recover from how the lockdown has affected our lives, we turn to building good habits that can help us cope and emerge stronger than before. One of them is through journaling.
Medical experts and psychologists have reminded us that keeping a journal may actually help us boost our mental health by helping us gain control of our emotions and plans. Here, we have listed down five more things that you can do better when you have a journal.
It helps you acknowledge and process your feelings better.
We are coming from a time of emotional rollercoaster and situations that we are not really built for. Close interactions now scare us. We feel fear the moment we envision what the future holds for us. Some days, we feel grateful and moved by the possibility of caring from a distance. We miss the beach, we long for get-togethers.
It may sound like a lot of feelings, but there’s actually more – and it’s okay to admit that they’re quite difficult to absorb. Wring short notes per day can help you acknowledge and embrace those emotions as they come. Somehow, we don’t get too overwhelmed when we have a personal avenue to express ourselves, giving us more time to reflect and breathe.
We love how the Belle De Jour Power Planner Earth concept and empowering designs remind us that we’re in the process of being whole again. It’s perfect for those who are still learning more about themselves and eager to thrive amidst the chaos.
It helps you live in the present.
A lot of thoughts and experiences from the past consume us, and sometimes they make us feel drained than inspired. Writing about your daily plans or stories allows you to live your life consciously, and Everything Is Possible planner’s breakthrough theme for the coming year goes well with this purpose.
It inspires you to think about what you can do now, instead of what you could have done. It can help lighten the burden on your shoulders and prepare you for what’s ahead. In the process of living in the moment, you can discover new skills, abilities, interests, and goals, too.
Journaling helps you keep track of your responsibilities and needs.
The majority of our tasks are now done online. Whether your company has decided to extend the work-from-home setup, or you’re attending online classes, this virtual transition is quite hard to deal with. It’s more difficult to keep track of time, projects, and goals, and further envision how they would unfold in real life. But this is the part where planners can make the management of our day-to-day tasks easier.
We can quickly identify significant dates and update our progress from time to time.
Our days can be quite full, so it is really nice to have a journal that leaves ample space for you to jot down ideas just like the Focus planner. Its pages are decorated with the sacred geometry of Icosahedron, a three-dimensional figure that is made of 20 triangle-shaped sides, to represent change, movement, and flow.
Those on the minimalist side may appreciate the elegance of the Essentials planner’s Art Deco-inspired designs, too.
It helps you reconnect with people.
Keeping a journal is not just about how you can hustle or manage your own life. It’s personal, and a huge part of our existence depends on people, relationships. Living more consciously means assessing our connections with our loved ones every now and then.
Maybe it’s time to catch-up with your friends or colleagues? Or maybe it’s time to schedule that talk with your boss? If you’re the type of person who keeps on forgetting the exact dates of your friends’ birthdays, then advanced journal entries can serve as your little reminders, too.
The minimalist, portable Petit planner is just what we need for this purpose so we can see what matters in one glance. Now that we have fewer physical interactions or brunch dates, it’s important to find new ways to maintain our relationships.
Journaling makes you care for yourself even more.
What many people don’t realize is that journals help you give yourself the complete care that it needs. Doctors emphasize that it is now more vital to monitor physical conditions on our own. You can maximize those blank pages by writing down how you’re feeling (a symptom tracker, maybe?), so you can also respond to what your body needs.
This also applies to our emotional and mental wellbeing. Expressing your emotions or sharing some experiences can help you identify the kind of self-care that works for you. The lighthouse-themed NAVI journal reminds us that we’re still trying to navigate this life, but eventually, we will find the path that is meant for us.
Whether you want to keep a journal for growth, self-love, reconnecting with yourself, finding your light, or simply capturing your thoughts and feelings through words, Viviamo offers different styles and formats that could match any undertaking.
Choose from their Belle de Jour Power Planner collection, NAVI, Everything Is Possible, Focus, Essentials, and Petit planners. Go to https://go.crazyaboutpaper.com/viviamoplanners to view their products, and power through 2021.
If you don’t want to spend money on a present but still want to make it extra special and personal, craft a special playlist for your friend that will make them remember the good times you’ve spent together.
Treat your loved one and their family to a concert without them having to go out of the house! Let them enjoy great live music while helping others in need by buying them a ticket (P1,200) to the special benefit Christmas concert titled “Our Grown-Up Christmas List,” featuring musical theater royalties Gian Magdangal and Carla Guevarra-Laforteza who will sing songs about “home, love, family, and friendship.”
Your friend can also usher in the New Year on December 31 starting at 7 PM by watching Resorts World Manila’s “The Grand Countdown to 2021,” which will offer performances by Morissette, Jed Madela, Jona, and Jon Santos.
If your goal is to make your loved one shocked or surprised by your gift, you should definitely go for a personalized video greeting from their favorites! Just head over to FanLove.ph, a new online video shoutout request platform that allows you to book a special video message or a song dedication from over 50 Kapamilya stars. You can also enjoy their special holiday promo if you book from 24 December 2020 to 07 January 2021.
Some great options include pans, pots, spatulas, or small appliances for the new baker, garden tools for plantitas, or paint sets and brushes for the late-bloomer artist.
AXA Philippines recently launched MyLifeChoice, an investment plan that can be personalized to your needs and budget.
While highlighters are known to be applied on the high points of the face such as the cheeks, bridge, and tips of the nose, and cupid’s bow, it can also be used to make your eye make-up stand out even more! Apply your preferred Stardust Palette shade above and below the eyebrows to enhance the shape of the brows and accentuate the eyes and face. You can also dust on the corners of the eyes to open them up and make them appear bigger and brighter.
On the days you get to expose your lips, be sure to make it stand out by dabbing it on before or after you apply your gloss or lipstick. Also, apply some on the cupid’s bow to give the illusion of a plumper lip.
Preparing a meal, on top of everything else that needs to get done, can be time-consuming. Make sure you have a daily schedule that includes the time you will allot for cooking, uninterrupted work, your kids’ school hours, as well as your break time and mealtimes. Once you have your schedule, do your best to stick to it so you can manage your time better.
Save yourself from unnecessary stress by planning the meals you will cook for the family ahead of time. By doing this, you get to save some time by getting all the ingredients you need at the grocery in one trip during the quarantine. Just make sure to plan a variety of dishes that are easy to prepare, flavorful, and nutritious.
If your kids aren’t too busy, you can ask them to help with some simple tasks in the kitchen like rinsing the vegetables or mixing ingredients. This can also be an opportunity to teach them about kitchen safety when it comes to things like peeling and chopping vegetables to avoid accidents. A few minutes before your meal, ask your kids to help by setting up the table. After eating, they can also help clear the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink. Not only will this help you, but this will also teach your kids responsibility and discipline.
Try to get the chores done right away. Small stressors, like unfinished kitchen chores, only add up and affect your overall well-being. If tasks are left undone, you may feel more stressed, especially while working or tutoring your kids. Start small. After eating, you can wash your kitchen tools and tableware, wipe the counters, and throw out the trash immediately. If you don’t feel up to it, don’t think of it as, “I need to clean the kitchen.” Instead, look at it this way: Do you want a clean kitchen? Then, get cleaning.
Invest in kitchen tools that can help you save time and cook faster, such as convection ovens, food processors, and instant pots. Also consider kitchen appliances that don’t need too much attention while cooking, like slow cookers. Just put your ingredients in them and they will take care of the cooking process.
Working millennial moms usually feel anxious, unheard, and unseen. It is a struggle to share their sentiments with other people because of the fear that they may not understand it, or simply because they don’t know how to articulate what they’re going through.
Juggling multiple responsibilities at the same time can really make us forget a lot. Meditative journaling can help us find our center and remember all the important things, the little wins, and even our failures.
Belle de Jour (BDJ) Power Planner’s Earth theme inspires you to acknowledge your existence, struggles, and victories, through beautiful, motivational graphics and quotes.
15 years ago, Viviamo! Inc. which means “WE LIVE” started out as Belle de Jour Power Planner” and has since expanded products and services beyond planners.
We are coming from a time of emotional rollercoaster and situations that we are not really built for. Close interactions now scare us. We feel fear the moment we envision what the future holds for us. Some days, we feel grateful and moved by the possibility of caring from a distance. We miss the beach, we long for get-togethers.
A lot of thoughts and experiences from the past consume us, and sometimes they make us feel drained than inspired. Writing about your daily plans or stories allows you to live your life consciously, and Everything Is Possible planner’s breakthrough theme for the coming year goes well with this purpose.
We can quickly identify significant dates and update our progress from time to time.
Maybe it’s time to catch-up with your friends or colleagues? Or maybe it’s time to schedule that talk with your boss? If you’re the type of person who keeps on forgetting the exact dates of your friends’ birthdays, then advanced journal entries can serve as your little reminders, too.
This also applies to our emotional and mental wellbeing. Expressing your emotions or sharing some experiences can help you identify the kind of self-care that works for you. The lighthouse-themed NAVI journal reminds us that we’re still trying to navigate this life, but eventually, we will find the path that is meant for us.
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