A shopping mall in New Manila, Quezon City is gaining buzz after mallgoers have reported seeing lighted balls arranged to look like a Christmas tree outside its premises.
A Reddit user on Tuesday shared a picture of the structure with the caption: “Christmas season na raw.”
Some of the surrounding trees are also covered with Christmas lights.
According to the uploader, the picture was taken from Robinsons Magnolia “last night,” from the posting date.
“Kakaibang timeline naman iyan,” a Reddit user commented.
“Ba’t wala pa si Jose Marie Chan?” a different user quipped, referring to the country’s “Father of Christmas Music.”
“Ay wow!” exclaimed another Redditor in response to the picture.
It has also been noticed by Filipinos on Facebook before.
“Aga ng Pasko dito sa Robinsons Magnolia… may Christmas Tree na,” a Facebook user wrote last month with beaming face emojis.
Another Facebook user shared pictures of someone celebrating her birthday and posing across the Christmas tree.
“P.S. Bakit may Christmas tree? June pa lang e,” she commented.
The Philippines is known to celebrate what they call the “longest” Christmas celebration in the world since Yuletide-related aesthetics and happenings would appear as early as September.
The month is the first of the “-ber” months, which are also associated with cooler temperatures in the Philippines due to the northeast monsoon or “amihan.”
As early as September, houses and establishments would be decked with Christmas lights and festive decorations.
Commercial establishments would also start playing cheery jingles in public to evoke the holiday spirit.
Sociologist Bro. Clifford Sorita said that such a tradition “is not created by malls” and noted that they “only respond to people’s behaviors.”
“But it’s more than just a marketing stunt. Filipinos supported the extended observance of Christmas because we are really suckers for anything that will allow us to celebrate and spend more time with our loved ones,” he said in a 2017 interview.
“The most simple explanation for the Philippines’ long Christmas season is our psychological framework to count down the days to big celebrations,” Sorita added.
“By knowing exactly how much time we have remaining to complete a task, instead of stressing about it, we will be able to better allocate our time. In fact, a 100-day countdown also acts as a secondary motivator and reinforces us Filipinos to complete our Christmas tasks before the big day,” he continued.
