THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS CRAWL AT KULTURA

The holidays have caught up with us again. The year has flown by and Christmas is right at our doorstep.

- VICKY VELOSO-BARRERA

My turn. Where did all the time go? It went into our busy lives working, taking care of family and trying to stay sane despite insane weather, holiday traffic and the merry-go-round of life on our isles.

I have to confess that I was about to hit the panic button because between deadlines, headlines and the cheerful chaos that is life, I hadn't started shopping yet. For Christmas gifts, that is, and the prospect of dashing all over town to find something perfect for each person on my list is not enticing.

The invitation to join a Kultura Christmas Crawl at SM MOA could not have come at a better time. Kultura did me the favor of gathering in one spot a range of vendors with something for everyone, so I didn't even need to run around the mall.

These stalls were a surprise because after attending almost every single fair promoting our beautifully crafted local products, this was one of the best ones yet. The Kultura Christmas Crawl offered items that were useful, gorgeously packaged, sustainably produced and targeted at helping disadvantaged communities. Plus, this is SM's Kultura, so everything is easy on the wallet.

For example, for the cosmopolitan man or woman who likes to whip up a cocktail to impress, just visit the purveyors of local spirits like Philippine Craft Spirits, Destileria Barako, Destileria Limtuaco and Co, Don Papa, Nom Poptails and Lakan. Event host KC Montero engaged these brands in live demos where local spirits were blended shaken and stirred into cocktails that were then offered to shoppers to sample.