Via Arboleda stepped back to admire the six-foot tree glittering in her living room.
Though the narra trees along Manila’s sidewalks had yet to shed their leaves, she was among many Filipinos already unpacking their Christmas decorations in eager anticipation of December 25.
In September, colorful ornaments began appearing along her commute, lifting her spirits beneath the dark sky of the rainy season.
“We believe the bigger the celebration, the better,” Arboleda, 27, an advertising professional from Manila, told CNN.
The Philippines has the longest Christmas period in the world, with festivities spanning from September to January.
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