Christmas, by tradition, is a time of year when we turn on our play mode, revel in the flurry of holiday shopping and countless Christmas parties and enjoy ourselves to the hilt – if we can help it.
For a lot of people however, the holidays are stressful. Not everyone wants to shop, or send Christmas cards. Nobody enjoys the mopping up chores : washing the towers of dirty dishes and utensils, cleaning up the spills, doing the groceries for the next family get-together, or cooking for a full two weeks because of the endless round of family get-togethers.
Comida China de Manila, (formerly known as Panciteria San Jacinto at C5, Pasig) and its sister company Mom and Tina’s – both operated by the cooking and kitchen-savvy Torres Family — share a list of things to do so you can relax and enjoy the Holidays a little bit more this Christmas.
- Make lists
Write down every single person you need to buy a present for, make another list for groceries or items you need for the home and tick them off as you get them. This prevents you from getting stressed when you find out you had forgotten someone or something. - Wrap Christmas presents the same day you bought them
Do this before the day ends and stick to the discipline. This will prevent your packages from piling up until you find them too overwhelming to wrap all at once. - Stock up on emergency gifts
You’ll never know who’s going to turn up at your front door. Or whom you’re going to run into and would want to thank for a great 2011. Buy unisex gifts like chocolates, cookies, pens or grooming kits so you’ll never be embarrassed about not being able to hand out a holiday something. - Get more sleep
Even if you’re doing the Christmas Novena of Simbang Gabi and hearing Mass at 4 a.m., make sure to catch up on sleep during the day. Lack of sleep will not just make you feel sapped of energy, it may even make you more irritable – a big no-no during this Season of Peace. - Plan out your holiday schedule ahead of time.
Spur-of-the-moment concoctions and “let’s go!” moments are truly enjoyable, but Christmastime is so frenzied and busy, it needs carefully laid out plans and schedules. Remove the stress of finding out you have two simultaneous events to go to. Or forgetting about that one important coffee shop meet you should have gone to. - Spend hassle-free time with family and friends : dine out when you can or have your food catered.
You deserve a break. All that running around can leave you bushed and exasperated. For parties and family or barkada get-togethers, eat out or call the caterers so you can all have a merry good time! Consider celebrating age-old Pinoy family traditions by choosing prosperity-bringing Chinese food at Comida China de Manila, formerly known as Panciteria San Jacinto-Pasig. The original PSJ was where generations of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish families celebrated all kinds of occasions since pre-war days. Now the old Chinatown favorite has a new look and feel that appeals to both young and old. There’s a full-service 400-seater with a main dining hall and several function rooms with chic but homespun interiors. The menu – ala carte and set menu — is faithful to the classic Cantonese fare served in Binondo, but we now also have dimsum and new dishes put together by our chief cook whose career started in the very first Panciteria San Jacinto in Binondo.
“Catering and in-house feasts are all part of our offerings,” says Comida China de Manila president Benny V. Torres. “Our guests will be happy to know the quality of the food stays the same but the price remains affordable to all.
For hassle-free Holiday celebrations, call 671-5942, 914-0832 and 914-0830 or visit Comida China de Manila on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Comida-China-De-Manila and www.comidachinademanila.com.