What makes the Kapamilya Christmas special truly special

I always look forward to the ABS-CBN Christmas special. Every year, we have it at the Araneta Coliseum to accommodate loyal viewers and fans of the network.  This year, ABS-CBN pulled out all the stops because we are celebrating our 65th year. Because Johnny Manahan (the show’s director) wanted to bring close to a hundred of our biggest, brightest and most beautiful artists closer to the audience, the huge stage was made to resemble a cat walk. 

As soon as I took my seat and the lights went out to signal the start of the show, I felt an adrenalin rush. When Piolo Pascual and Daniel Padilla emerged onstage singing a Christmas medley, the Christmas spirit filled the air and prompted fans to scream and go wild.  Joining the holiday medley were Judy Ann Santos, Karla Estrada, Melai Cantiveros, Jolina Magdangal, Sarah Geronimo, Billy Crawford, Darren Espanto, Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario, John Prats and Vice Ganda. And that was just the opening number!

My personal favorite (I hope you caught the show when it aired on Dec. 14 and 15) was the production number of Sarah, Regine Velasquez and Sharon Cuneta. I’m not sure if it was caught on camera, but right after their goosebump-inducing performance, chairman emeritus Gabby Lopez could not help but give them a standing ovation!

Other noteworthy numbers were Vice’s Lady Gaga medley, the love teams medley featuring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla; Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil; Kim Chiu and Xian Lim;  Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber; and Joshua Garcia and Janella Salvador. I also enjoyed immensely the teleserye suite featuring dramatic stars like Coco Martin, Jericho Rosales, Gerald Anderson, Richard Yap, Albert Martinez, Zanjoe Merudo, Richard Gutierrez, Yassi Pressman, Beauty Gonzalez, Dimples Romana, Angelica Panganiban, Jodi Sta. Maria and Angel Locsin, to name a few.

What was most heartwarming was when all the stars came out and sang, It’s Christmas All Over the World, led by Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, Nyoy Volante, Jose Mari Chan, Maricel Soriano, Jaya, Dulce, Erik Santos and many more. They were joined on stage by Mark Lopez, Carlo Katigbak, Cory Vidanes, Charo Santos and Freddie Garcia. It was touching to see everyone hugging, kissing, smiling, laughing and greeting each other a merry, merry Christmas. I couldn’t help but feel grateful that despite all the madness and chaos in the world, the spirit of Christmas pervaded the air and embraced everyone inside the coliseum for even just a couple of hours that night.