every december, for as long as i can remember, a giant christmas tree pops up in fuente osmeña circle. annually sponsored by M Lhuillier, the trees vary in design and material each year.

and each year, i tell myself i’m going to take a picture of the tree. except that i never did.

until last night.

it’s a very beautiful tree, i’ll give it that. and it’s pretty huge too! here’s an excerpt about the tree taken from the mlhuillier website:

A lit three story high Christmas tree exactly 120 feet in height with all its 40,000 watts running through a wrap of more than 15,000 flickering lights had Cebuanos captivated and in awe. It took at least 2,000 labor hours for 24 skilled workers to build this gigantic tree from ground up starting with its sturdy steel structure to the lanterns, lights including a bolder image of the dear patron of Cebu, Santo Niño and everything else that makes it a traffic stopping dazzling holiday icon.

like i said, it’s beautiful. and so is the city at night, sitting on one of the benches facing the street and just smelling and tasting cebu’s vibes when it is at its most peaceful state. right before heading to a nearby mcdonald’s to grab a sundae cone. plain. none of that chocolate coating.

it’s too early to be wishing everyone a merry christmas but wham’s last christmas is so in the air and the moment that song is replayed over and over in the mall and everywhere else, it’s official: christmas is here!

so, uh, merry christmas?