We just did our Christmas wish list at Adora

Adora introduces the first-ever wish registry in the world. On the floor are roaming photographers who will take instant photos of items you want for yourself! Post the pictures On Adora postcards and give them to your loved ones who will know exactly what to give you. Postcards are available from any Adora staff. Adora Department Store is at the first to third floors of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City.

The best gift that I can give my wife this Christmas is my credit card. But as I merrily douse my hair with Rogaine and multi-task across my eight jobs to make sure that Santa stuffs something extra special into my wife’s stocking, I feel that part of my job description as a husband to know exactly what my wife is spending my P5,000 credit card limit on. Not only because this is a sign of true love, but also because I know how many years I still need to work to pay off the credit card debt.

At first, I thought it would be a great anthropological exercise to join my wife on her holiday shopping spree. But I had read that a British psychologist named Dr. David Lewis discovered that male stress levels skyrocket when they are placed in intense shopping situations. Dr. Lewis discovered that that the heart rate and blood pressure of men who are holiday shopping is equivalent to police officers tackling an angry mob. So, for the sake of my health and my hair (and to prevent any encounters with an angry mob), Adora created a lovely holiday program called the Wish List.

The Holiday Wish List is a great opportunity to test the limits of one’s love and one’s wallet by letting their significant other choose a gift that they would much rather prefer over Christmas cards, bowling balls or fruitcake. Adora gives you a set of postcards with colorful descriptions (which I suspect were written by single people) that describe what gift you wish to receive for Christmas (Santa must have hired a management consultant). On top of that, Adora also gives you a post-it note that you can stick onto one of your wish gifts, which you can take a picture of from your cell phone camera, and then forward to your loved ones (you can now tell if they really love you back) or your long-lost ninongs and ninangs.

So my wife gleefully dragged me into Adora so we could both shop for our wish list. As they handed over to us our postcards and post-its, I could see the twinkle in her eyes and I could feel the vacuum in my wallet. We split the postcards and post-it notes between us and stormed the departments that catered to our respective chromosomes.

Since Adora did not have any comic books, I scored the men’s section, seeking out times that would make me more attractive to my wife (more attractive, of course, than I already am) because I plan to have another child in the New Year.

My first set of wish list post-its were quite reasonable. They included:

• Will finally say ‘yes’ in exchange for this post-it: A bottle of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis 200ml bottle of perfume (This will make me smell good enough for my wife to sire for us a basketball team with a deep bench).

• Will be your alibi for the year if you buy me this post-it: A polycarbonate salsa golf case (that could probably fit in my comic book collection, my bathroom, and my yaya. Good for at least a year’s worth of travel until you need another alibi).

As for my postcard wish list, they included:

• I promise, I’ll let you wear it too postcard award goes to: Hom Elixir String Underwire (this type of underwear is only to be used for procreational purposes).

• Thank you for giving me everything I ever wanted. Including this postcard award goes to: Mecchaniche Veolci watch with four watch faces (Because time is golden. Especially given the price of gold nowadays).

• Marrying you was the best choice I ever made. Getting this is the best choice you’ll ever make postcard award goes to: A Christian Dior black wool tuxedo (it was a tuxedo that would look good for our golden wedding anniversary. Which is perfect because I will probably be able to pay off the tuxedo by our golden wedding anniversary).

After a grueling five-minute search, I sat down to enjoy cappuccino and pecan cake at Adora’s café, hoping that my wife would finish shopping before the next Ice Age set in.

When she was finally done, her holiday hit, este, wish list started off with a post-it list which she sent to me several hundred times (and from several hundred different angles):

• She will do everything I want if I get her this post-it: Givenchy camel beige stilettos (I have to give our marriage contract a second read now).

• Absolutely must have it post-it: Schutz thigh-length leather black boots from Brazil that seem to ride all the way up to restricted territory (it could be me getting naughty this Christmas).

• Will send you fruitcake if you don’t buy this post-t: Stella McCartney beige stilettos (it’s gonna be a hard day’s night).

But those holiday wish list post-its were merely a warm-up since the true spirit of Christmas came with these postcard wish-list bank breakers:

• Get me this…and I’ll get rid of my boyfriend postcard award goes to: A Chloe Ethel bag (I’ll gladly buy you that Chloe Ethel bag and use it to knock your imaginary boyfriend into another dimension).

• If you love me, you’ll give me this postcard award goes to: A pair of H. Stern dangling diamond earrings (I will love you over the next 75 with a 25-year grace period)

• If you really love me, you will give me this postcard award goes to: A Jil Sander dress (me love you long time, sweetheart).

• But wait, that’s not all, you will also get me this postcard award goes to: a Missoni Kaftan dress (yup, that love is going to last a life time).

• And also this postcard award goes to: A Kensie black studded dress.

• And this as well: A pair of Stella Luna booties (which matches the Kenise dress).

(I think I see my life flashing before my eyes.)

Ah, that Adora wish list shopping experience was a great exercise in imagination, in consumption, and in bondage, este, bonding. In fact, Santa was generous to let her go home that night with one of the gifts that graced her wish list (She better be naughty tonight to appreciate a gift that nice).

It’s a good thing my love for my wife is as inexhaustible as my supply of wish money.

* * *

Alessandra Ambrosio in Chloe Paraty, Jessica Alba in Chloe Marcie and Lindsay Lohan in Chloe Paraty

 Compiling a wish list usually takes minimal effort simply because it’s easy as pie to rattle off the things we desire but actually having that list fulfilled is no easy feat. To escape being presumptuous while having to drop hints to loved ones for gifts we covet, Adora has invented a cheeky and clever system to get your message out there. Their new Wonderlist Registry sheds a new perspective on gift registries everywhere. The Adora mantra this holiday season is “Give and you shall receive, peek and you shall find, wonder and it shall be opened unto you.” Conceived by Adora honcho Eman Pineda, the Wonderlist is an amusing way to put your wish out there and have it directly channeled to a specific person or be put out to the universe in general. Just like the cult classic the Secret, once you wish for something and put it out there, the universe will conspire with you to attain it.

Wander through the lifestyle boutique to select items you pine for and after 12:30 p.m. you can ask one of Adora’s roaming photographers to take an instant photo of the items you crave. Affix the photo to one of the Adora postcards and either give it to the person from whom you wish to receive the gift or you can have Adora deliver the postcard to them for you. The postcards are loaded with witty comments that say, “I promise, I’ll let you wear it, too” or “Marrying you was the best choice I ever made, getting me this is the best choice you’ll ever make” or “Get me this… And I’ll get rid of my boyfriend” among other hilarious ones.

Another form of getting your message across is with the Adora “Want-its.” Fabricated in the vein of a post-it, they are slips of paper which can be stuck on items at Adora where you fill your name in the blank portion of a humorous saying such as “Jackie will be your alibi for the whole year if you give her this.” Then all you need to do is take a photo of the item with your phone or camera and upload it on Facebook or e-mail it directly to your friends, family, and benefactors. Adora has brought holiday registering to a whole new level that is cheerful and comical. Although I’ve long been an adult, it’s at times like these when I still believe Santa Claus does exist! 

White Givenchy nightingale (below) Too many dresses from Tyler!

To jumpstart my personal wanderlist, I’d hit the Becca cosmetics counter for its Radiance Primer, which serves as a canvas for makeup to be applied.  It makes skin luminous and masks fatigue which is requisite to looking your finest this season. Becca’s Prairie Moon Palette contains all you need to sculpt the perfect smoky eye and even includes a lip gloss to finish off your look. Fragrances from Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris are some of the scents I’ve been fancying. The Lumiere Noire parfum with notes of rose and patchouli is truly arresting while the APOM (A Piece Of Me) smells fantastically of orange flower and ylang-ylang. Thrown into a booty pouch from Anya Hindmarch would make me a happy and prettier camper.

Party threads from Tyler are always sure-fire winners at holiday fetes and Adora has a special collection produced exclusively for them. Loading up on flirty ruffled pieces and layered jersey is not bad on the budget so friends can afford to add to your wardrobe. I’ll send a fruitcake to them as punishment if they don’t get me these inexpensive pieces that go from day to night. For something with a big bang effect in presence and on the wallet, I’m longing for the crochet print dress by Thakoon. I can think of so many places where I could wear this paired with black and gold peep toe booties from Stella Luna. 

To add to my uniform of ballet flats and jeans, I yearn for French Sole flats in every color. There’s one in pink snakeskin which is a perfect neutral, a woven gold one, and a deep wine-colored velvet one that are all just calling my name. J Brand indio denims fit me like a glove — how can one not love these jeans? 

A lady can never have too many bags. It’s scary how many gorgeous bags Adora carries. From the Artisan collection, there’s an art deco-inspired black and penshell brass band clutch that is super fab and a shagreen cabochon clutch that comes in varying hues of stingray which would top off a holiday look. I am currently aching for two Givenchy bags in particular, which would be welcome additions to my wardrobe. The Givenchy Nightingale in winter white leather looks so fresh and supple while the Givenchy Pandora in brushed dark green leather won’t let me sleep at night. Mom, Dad — I promise I’ll behave and be nice all year round should you decide to get me one of the Givenchys! Another highly covetable bag on my wish list is the majestic sand-colored Chloe python Paraty. I would massage my hubby’s feet every night for a year if he were to gift me with that!

For the holidays, my awesome in-laws are taking the family to Brazil and Argentina, which is already fulfilling part of my holiday wish list and bucket list to boot. Naturally, I’ll need sunnies to shield my eyes against the glazing sun. Madonna tied up with Dolce and Gabbana for a line of sunglasses that are fierce yet feminine. There’s a pair in black that I’ve been eyeing and there’s a pair of ivory- colored Prada shades with gold studs that have caught my attention. While I still have some flab to drop before pouring myself into a swimsuit, I spotted a sapphire blue bikini with silver detailing from Agua de Coco that would be ideal on the beaches of Ipanema. To show off my yet-to-be-attained tan, I would don Vix’s crisp white bikini with green stones and gold trim worn underneath a caftan from Missoni in its classic multicolor zigzag pattern. If I could pack that all into a new ultra violet Rimowa Salsa Air suitcase, I’d be psyched! The color is delicious and it makes spotting your suitcase on the baggage belt a breeze. 

Lastly, I would give my arm if someone would present me with the diamond and emerald H. Stern necklace that is a true show-stopper. Like Rachel Zoe, I die. I’d go for the gold neckpiece with rhodium and diamond flowers as well. Opulence at its finest … Santa, I never stopped believing in you! Please don’t disappoint!