The Best Things to Buy This Feisty October

This October can be a great time for you to start buying Christmas items for so many good reasons. For one, there won’t be long lines yet in the malls or stores that you are eyeing. And two, the earlier you buy, the more chances you will have at snagging the best discounted items while there are still fewer shoppers to compete with.

First on your shopping list should be the good old parol or Christmas lantern. Dating back from our Spanish roots, parol has become a traditional Filipino symbol for Christmas. Local neighborhoods would light up while the colorful lanterns hang by the entrance or window of every house.

Places like Quiapo Ilalim and Dapitan Arcade are some of the best places to buy quality Christmas decors at the cheapest prices. They have the parol in bigger sizes and with more intricate designs, using Capiz shells as the main materials. But they also have other items like Santa Claus dolls and various Christmas ornaments.

Read: Christmas is Coming! Are You Ready?

As soon as you feel like it’s Christmas, you’ll find bibingka available on pop-up food stalls along the streets of Metro Manila and many other places in the country. This rice cake made of galapong (glutinous sweet rice dough) and coconut milk is truly a stand-out every holiday season. Once cooked, the bibingka is topped with margarine and sugar while still hot—and this part is very important because the margarine should melt and blend with the sugar.

If you want to satisfy your craving for bibingka now and don’t find it in food stalls in your area just yet, Café Via Mare is one restaurant you can go to. Their bibingka is known to be amongst the best in the city, and they serve it whole year round.

Another thing to consider doing this October is booking your flight for the holidays. Aside from the sparkling lights and delectable food, Christmas is also time for people in the city to go back to their hometowns. Many members of the Filipino workforce leave their families in the provinces to get a job in the city or overseas so they can provide for their needs.

And Christmas wouldn’t be complete if not shared with loved ones. October is a great time to book those flights and surprise your loved ones. Fares are cheaper and more dates are available since you are booking in advance. Low cost carriers like Cebu Pacific and Air Asia are always a good option for your transportation needs.

Before we go straight to Christmas, Halloween is, of course, not to be missed. You must have at least one favorite show that has a Halloween special! And aside from the horror stories, Halloween is also a time to dress up and have fun with kids in your family.

For kids’ costumes, the all-time favorites are the little princesses, fairies, and super heroes. Toy Kingdom offers a great selection of costumes for the little ones—including both the heroes and the villains so the kids are free to choose which ones to portray. They also sell scary props and decorations for your home if you want to throw a Halloween party.

And of course, a trick or treat event wouldn’t be complete without candies. Aside from the usual sweets that we know and love, you may want to grab some personalized candies for a special treat for the kids. Made in Candy’s is one store you may want to check out for that.

For adults, dressing up for the Halloween doesn’t always mean wearing spooky costumes. A black ensemble paired with fierce makeup can be enough to make you stand out. Nichido and Maybelline offer affordable cosmetics that you can play with and use after the party as regular makeup. Create bloody red lips for a vampire look or smoldering black eyes for that cat woman effect.

World Teachers’ Day is happening on October 5. Could you think of at least one teacher that has influenced you to become the person that you are today? The teacher you have the greatest respect for? Or maybe the one who simply made you smile today because of the new learning that you experienced? There’s no denying that teachers, in one way or another, have helped mold us into who we are today. The World Teachers’ Day is a good time to show your respect and appreciation for what they do. Sometimes, a little gesture—a small token—can mean a lot to a person who has dedicated their life to our education in school.

Papemelroti and Blue Magic have plenty of gift ideas for teachers. From simple cards to plaques of appreciation to simple motivational quotes, these items will make any teacher’s day a little bit brighter. Imagine the stress our teachers go through every day with hundreds of children they teach day in and day out—one day free of stress and full of appreciation is surely welcome.

Meanwhile, National Book Store (NBS) will never run out of school supplies and your teachers will never have enough. You better take that hint! Aside from the usual pen and papers, NBS also has colorful racks and mini trays that your teacher can use. They also have a section where you could grab a greeting card or stationery to write your message of appreciation onto.