Operation: Fix my Filipino Christmas Star Parol Lantern
For many years, I have fond memories of my Christmases in the Philippines always involving festive family gatherings with never-ending food preparations, fireworks lighting up the local streets, houses filled with bright Christmas lanterns and nativity set decorations, door knocking of caroling… and the many days of laughter, and screams of “exchange gift” when the time was right. Pasko was such a happy time for families getting together and it was true joy when December rolled around each year. Living in Australia, I always wanted to bring those same traditions and festivities to our home during the Christmas period. The celebrations of pasko are not exactly the same in Sydney, but I was determined to include a token Christmas lantern decoration to our house – a Filipino parol. I searched Sydney far and wide to buy a traditional Filipino Christmas parol; calling Filipino grocery stores to ask if they stocked them, seeing if there’s any way I could pre-order a parol for the following year, or even contemplating a more modern, simplistic version not made …