Filipino Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking stuffers and last-minute gifts
From local artisans to Filipino-owned businesses, here are some Christmas gift ideas for your loved ones.
Hello my beloved readers – it’s been a minute! The past three-four months, I was slightly sidetracked (I’ll get into that with my usual column which will resume next week), but with the Christmas holidays rapidly approaching, I wanted to share a few Christmas gift ideas for your friends and families. And since this is The Kultura, I’ll be sharing Filipino-inspired gifts from Filipino-led brands and artisans.
Filipino-inspired art & illustrations by Casielle Studios
Nothing is better than a space that reminds you of the motherland. Casielle Santos-Gaerlan is a Brooklyn-based illustrator and visual artist who creates stunning art drawing from familiar elements of Filipino-American culture, beauty standards, and Filipino childhood nostalgia. From boxes of mangoes and painted sampaguita flowers, to visualizations of morena women and sneakers reminiscent of Brooklyn-culture, you can find beautiful pieces of art which makes perfect gifts for the visual Filipinx in your life.
My favorite pieces:
Shop all here!
Traditional Filipino fashion by Narra Studio
Drawing from cultural heritage and artistry, Narra Studio is a Filipina and women-owned brand that combines traditional and modern Filipino fashion. With a wide range of items, from malongs and scarves to handwoven bags and handmade adornments, Narra Studios offers gorgeous gifts that represents the beauty of Filipino heritage.
My favorite gift ideas:
Shop all here!
Stories on Filipino roots and culture from Xavi de Guzman
In a beautiful, coming-of-age story about culture, family roots, and mangoes is Xavi de Guzman’s Peeled Fruit picture book for both children and adults. This would make the perfect gift for Filipino parents who want to maintain their kids’ roots and Filipino heritage. In a conversation with de Guzman, he explains that Peeled Fruit represents the collective Fil-Am immigrant experience and teaches the significance of instilling Filipino culture in our lives.
Purchase the book here, and donate to this non-profit The Play On Foundation.
Represent the Philippines with Filipino-inspired jewelry by Sunkissed Pinay
Inspired from the golden sun proudly glowing in the Philippine flag, Sunkissed Pinay offers a wide range of 14K gold and silver jewelry and customizable accessories and adornments. Their most popular product, the Philippine sun pendant necklace, is a staple accessory for every Filipino-American to showoff and represent their heritage. Also drawing from pre-colonial Tagalog script, the Filipina-owned brand also offers custom baybayin necklaces.
Their most popular items that make the perfect gifts:
Shop all here.
Gift the taste of the Motherland with Weee!
Home cooked dishes are a Filipino’s love language, so why not gift food straight from the Philippines? Weee! is a online grocery designed to bring Asian groceries, that are usually far drives or rare in towns across America, to your doorstep. You can choose from a wide range of cuisines from Asia, but their Filipino store has all the groceries that are hard to find, including tocino, UFC’s Sweet Filipino Spaghetti Sauce, Choc Nut, sinigang mix, Datu Puti vinegar, and more.
What are you gifting your Filipino loved ones this year?
In other news…
Dec 21 marks the 88th anniversary of the Army of Philippines Forces (AFP)
Philippines vessels were reportedly “harassed” in the disputed South China Sea by the Chinese Coast Guard, according to the Associated Press.
There were claims that an Indian navy ship has docked in Manila to show their allyship, but the Rappler has fact checked the video and released a correction that it docked in New Zealand, not the Philippines.
Earlier this month, a deadly bombing in a Catholic Mass held in the University of Marawi killed 4 people and injured around 50, according to a report by Reuters.