By Laura Sharman, CNN
(CNN) — Via Arboleda stepped back to admire the six-foot tree glittering in her living room.
Though the narra trees along Manila’s sidewalks had yet to shed their leaves, she was among many Filipinos already unpacking their Christmas decorations in eager anticipation of December 25.
In September, colorful ornaments began appearing along her commute, lifting her spirits beneath the dark sky of the rainy season.
“We believe the bigger the celebration, the better,” Arboleda, 27, an advertising professional from Manila, told CNN.
The Philippines has the longest Christmas period in the world, with festivities spanning from September to January.
As summer comes to a close, shopping malls are draped in decorations to mark the festive season. The scale of garniture is such that it warrants its own term – Bongga – meaning flamboyant, abundant, spectacular.
But there is no chance of Western-style festive snowfall, with December temperatures averaging 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) in Manila, according to the country’s weather agency Pagasa.
As families gear up for their annual holiday reunions, relatives start coordinating potluck dishes and printing personalized T-shirts for the occasion. Arboleda’s will read “Arboleda Family Reunion 2025.”
For many, the gathering is particularly special. Almost 10 percent of the Philippines’ workforce is employed abroad, drawn by higher salaries and better benefits, according to the International Labour Organization.
These workers send remittances that bolster their families back home, contributing to nine percent of the country’s GDP.
“Some relatives return home once a year for Christmas but for others, it might be once a decade,” Arboleda said. “It’s a big deal, so we get ready to feast and celebrate until our pants won’t fit anymore.”
Typical dishes include caldereta – goat stew with potatoes, carrots, olives and peas – and Filipino spaghetti, an adaptation of Italian Bolognese featuring a tomato sauce that’s sweetened with banana ketchup and brown sugar, then topped with hot dogs.
“Rice will definitely be on the table and dessert is often fruit salad with condensed milk and cream,” Arboleda said.
Karaoke machines are hired for Christmas singalongs.
“Filipinos love to sing,” Arboleda said. “Even aunts and uncles take the microphone after a drink, and younger ones perform for the grandparents and are gifted with money in envelopes.”
Supermarkets and public spaces also play music, particularly Jose Mari Chan’s “Christmas in Our Hearts,” which serves as the nation’s answer to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
By November, Manila’s upscale BGC district puts on a weekly firework display drawing families from across the city to watch the sky light up.
Major brands join the revelry with signature Christmas trees, from Tiffany & Co.’s elegant Tiffany Blue conifer to Surf washing detergent’s cheery pink creation.
Even Pantone finds its way into some family reunions, where all relatives pledge to wear the company’s Color of the Year – for 2025, it’s the indulgent Mocha Mousse.
And at the SM Mall of Asia, the country’s largest shopping center, the celebrations turn theatrical.
This year’s theme is inspired by the recent cinema release of “Wicked: For Good,” with walkways awash in Glinda’s pink, Elphaba’s green and an Emerald City-inspired Christmas tree.
These themed malls are a defining childhood memory for Michelle Neri, 26, who grew up attending school in Manila, her parents’ hometown.
Neri outdoes Arboleda’s early start to the season, keeping her Christmas tree