Kris kringle: the Filipino way of Christmas exchange gifts
Posted on December 9th, 2009 by Toni
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Christmas in the Philippines is no exception getting into the season of giving. The tradition of giving is best illustrated in “monito, monita” as Filipino’s own version of kris kringle or gift exchanging. It is usually done among group of friends, classmates, or officemates.
The mechanics of “monito, monita” is fairly simple as asking participants to bring a gift, at an agreed amount, which is later raffled off to the participants during Christmas party.
Kris kringle usually starts several weeks ahead of Christmas party. All participants name are placed in a box where each member will pick a name from the box. The name picked is your monito (male) or monita (female). Thus, your lucky monito or monita will receive the series of gifts given. It is a big no-no to reveal your monito or monita. It is saved for revelation on the day of the Christmas party.
How it works
Here is what you should do: You have to give your monito or monita a small gift every day or every week. The frequency depends on the rules set by the group.
Here is a list of suggested themes you can set with your group:
1. something round
2. something sweet
3. something soft
4. something long and hard
5. something yellow
6. something smooth
There are cases that all participants post their “wish list” on their ideal gifts they want to receive. It gives the giver an easier time to decide what to give to their monito or monita.
Just a friendly reminder
Don’t trade the names you picked with anyone. Maybe you got nervous after picking out the name of your boss. Maybe you don’t know the person you picked that you just want to trade it. No matter what your reason is, never ask anyone to trade names with you. It may offend the person whose name you traded. If your monito or monita is somebody you are not close to or have ill feelings, Christmas is the perfect time to forget your differences and move on to better relationships.
Read about Christmas Traditions in the Philippines here.
Read about sweet and unique style of Noche buena in the Philippines.
Read about Simbang Gabi as a Filipino Christmas tradition.
Read about unique Christmas decorations of Filipinos.
