#AAPMtips for a Stress-free Christmas and Sanicare Starry Bright Christmas Promo

Holiday rush is a common problem as Christmas approaches. Filipinos always love last minute preparations. Lahat ay punung-abala, aligaga, at natataranta because we belong to a nation who considers celebrating Christmas a big deal. Why is it always like this? Because bonuses or 13th month pay are usually given a few weeks before Christmas. One more thing, most Filipinos are not used to planning ahead of time at umaasa sa bonus sa Disyembre bago magsimulang magplano and they will end up spending too much until finally, wala ng natitira.

If you are going to ask me, these scenarios can be avoided. It's plain and simple. First and foremost, before making and preparing your Christmas menu, gifts and shopping list, the questions are, "How much is your budget?", "How much time can you spend preparing?", "Who will do the preparations?" If you answer these questions, make sure that they are SMART- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Time-bound. Don't just focus on the idea na "May darating namang bonus. Minsan lang naman ang pasko sa loob ng isang taon kaya itodo na ito!"

Well, that's the other side of the coin. Let's just say that you are capable of spending too much for the holidays. It is a family tradition that you always prepare of annually. If you want to spend your hard earned money to make memories, it's fine and it's your choice as long as you still have spare money to spend after the holidays. 

For those living on a budget and for those who have much to spend, one thing's for sure. Everyone wants to save, get huge discounts, get the best deals, and still get the best choices. If you have already planned for your working budget, prepared your gift list, made your shopping list for gifts, food, decors, and anything that you are going to use for Christmas celebration, here are some tips that work well based on experience.

1. Why wait for December when you can prepare your gift and shopping list as early as January? 

Yes, it is advisable to plan ahead so that you can refrain yourself from spending too much due to impulsive buying.

2. When you have planned ahead and prepared your list already, you can shop all-year round during mall, supermarket, or warehouse sale events. There you can score amazing deals, huge discounts, and unique finds that you can store as gift items during emergency occasions and of course, for Christmas. Always make it a habit to buy extra gift items just in case that you've missed someone on your list. Bulk food items that can be stored for months like canned fruits, sauces, snacks, chocolates, coffee, creamer, and other non-perishables if you plan to prepare Christmas baskets as gifts to each family of your relatives, they are best bought in the middle of the year as the "Ber Month" approaches, Most of the sale events happen during "Sweldo Day". What you can do is to spare a few amounts for your shopping intended for the holidays. By doing this little by little you're going to be surprised that in December, you are already prepared for the holidays. You will no longer need to spend your bonus to shop. You may invest it instead.

3. You can start wrapping your gifts as soon as you have bought them. You can do this on your spare time during weekends or if you want to do something to unwind after a busy day. Gift wrapping is therapeutic too and doing it without rushing can give you more time to be creative in making your gifts personalized. If you are not an artsy type, you can purchase pretty boxes, crates, bags, or jars to house your gifts. You can also save the environment in doing so because they can be reused too. 

4. After purchasing the things and gifts that you need for the holidays, do you have a room, cabinet, or storage area where you can place them neatly and orderly? Doing a quarterly general cleaning is a must to keep your house neat and orderly. It will save you from cramming as the holiday season approaches. If you have a lot of items not being used for six months and up, it is time for you to sell them through a garage sale. The money that you can earn can be used as part of your budget for Christmas, can be donated to charity, or save as emergency fund. If you don't want to sell those items, you may donate them to charity or give them to someone that you think can use them. If you don't have time to do a quarterly general cleaning, make it a habit to declutter or organize on a daily basis so that your home is ready for unexpected guests or relatives who will spend a day or two with you during the holidays. This will lessen your worries during the holidays.

5. As early as October, if you expect relatives to celebrate Christmas with your family, check the inventory of your China, glassware, flat ware, utensils, kitchen towels, table cloth, table napkins, biodegradable trash liners, and other kitchen aids. If the dinner or lunch is informal and if you don't want to have trouble in washing the dishes for a huge number of guests, there are biodegradable disposable plates, utensils, and napkins that are decorated intended for Christmas which you can use to beautify your table setting too while keeping your kitchen, dining table, and guests clean and neat.

In line with this, one of my most trusted brands for my kitchen is Sanicare, a local brand that is also famous for its tissues and other hygiene products such as cotton, wipes, underpants, and toilet seat cover. Whenever I purchase kitchen towels, my first choice is always Sanicare. Sanicare Kitchen Towels are composed of moisture locking technology that makes them super absorbent, perfect in absorbing excess oil, water, and other liquids. They are also durable and stays intact while being used. I've been using them for years and I highly recommend them. To add class to the table setting, I recommend Sanicare Mood Dinner Napkins that are known to be luxuriously strong but very soft, making meals extraordinarily special. It comes in two colors, white and black, but I prefer the former than the latter.

Sanicare Mood Dinner Napkins in White is my favorite! So neat and clean!

Since it's Christmas preparation that I am talking about, what makes me excited is that Sanicare has launched again its very festive Kitchen Towel Christmas Edition as it usually does annually.

Nothing beats the absorbing power of Sanicare Kitchen Towels due to their moisture locking technology.

This year, Sanicare  Kitchen Towel Christmas Edition also goes hand in hand with the launch of a specially designed holiday facial tissue boxes called Liwanag Christmas Edition Boxes. This year, the boxes were designed by the very talented artist, Alex Eduque, founder of MovEd.

Sanicare Liwanag Christmas Edition Facial Tissues in white, red, blue, and green boxes

As you can see, Liwanag Christmas Edition Boxes are inspired by a world-class Filipino talent, promoting hope and happiness amidst all odds. Alex has chosen parols (lanterns) and stars as the center of her amazing designs. She believes that parols or lanterns are symbolic representation that expresses unification and a nation of promise while stars remind us that every person in the world share the same sky and despite our differences, conditions, and circumstances, each of us has a star shining brightly from within. The overall design speaks of equality among social classes that symbolically lights up all Filipino homes.

Those parols (lanters) and stars printed in every Sanicare Liwanag Christmas Edition Facial Tisue Boxes literally shine brightly! I love the way they are printed in gold foil.

Like our family this Christmas season, Sanicare would also like you to try its Christmas Edition Kitchen Towels and Facial Tissue Liwanag Series Boxes. By doing so, you don't just make your home and festivities to have "Christmas feels" but you can also have a chance to win awesome prizes by joining Starry Bright Christmas Promo.

To join this promo, here are the simple mechanics.

1. Interested participants need to post a creative photo on their Facebook account featuring the Sanicare Facial Tissue Liwanag Series Box.

2. The creative photo must include a caption that starts with a phrase, "My Christmas is extra bright this year because _______________!" and must tag three (3) other friends. Entries also should include the mandatory hashtags #SanicareLiwanagSeries #Sanicare #SCPA.

3. Once the photo was posted, the participant must go back to the Sanicare PH Facebook promo post and click the link provided in order to submit the entry.

They are so easy, aren't they?

The promo will run from November 22, 2017 to January 1, 2018. Deadline of submission is on  January 1 at 6:00 PM. Winners will be announced on January 15, 2018 on Sanicare PH Facebook Page. 

Luck winners will get the following prizes:

The grand prize winner will be given four (4) all day passes to Dream Play and Lunch Buffet for four (4) at The Cafe at the Hyatt City of Dreams Manila.

10 consolation prize winners will also be chosen and each will receive a Php2,000 Sodexo Gift Certificate from Sanicare.

For more details and updates about the promo, you may visit and like Sanicare PH Facebook Page. Starry Bright Christmas Promo is under DTI Permit No. 18311 Series of 2017. You may also follow @sanicare_ph on Instagram as well.

Join Sanicare Starry Bright Christmas Promo and get the chance to win awesome prizes!

Have a stress-free Christmas! I hope that you can join and win the promo too!