When it comes to Christmas, no one celebrates it better than the Filipinos. The Philippines is known for celebrating the longest Christmas season in the world.
Gift giving is vey common during the season. And speaking of gifts, Filipinos takes an another adaptation of Secret Santa into a fun-filled practice called “Monito Monita” or Kris Kringle.
This is a typical template of how it is usually done:
- Form a group from your class, family, neighborhood or office
- Write down your name in a small piece of paper and place it in a bowl or a box.
- Take turns in picking a piece of paper from the box. Never reveal your “Monito” or “Monita” until the last day of your Christmas party. For those who picked their own name, you can return your name in the box and pick another one.
- Decide on the schedule of your Monito Monita. You can make it on a daily basis, weekly basis or every other day.
- For daily or weekly Monito Monita, gifts usually given are at around 5 pesos to 50 pesos.
- The last Monito Monita is reserved for more expensive gifts.
- Choose a weekly theme for your exchange gift. Themes makes your monito monita exciting.
- Arrange where you would leave and pick up your Monito Monita gifts. The most logical suggestion is under your office’s or classroom’s Christmas Tree.