No matter what gifts come our way, we should never forget to always be grateful.
ANTONIO LAGDAMEO, businessman: To my mind, the best gift I have ever received was when my then girlfriend, Linda, agreed to be my wife! Now, 40 years later, I still don’t think I can get a gift to top that.
GABRIEL VALENCIANO, student, artist: My family, because a family is eternal and will never fade. I thank God for the wonderful gift He has given me.
MACY MUMAR, HR manager, Every Nation Institute: It would be the car I got on my 18th birthday. It was my parents’ sign of trust and confidence in me since I was going to college a few months after that.
CATHY BABAO-GUBALLA: writer, executive director, Migi’s Corner Foundation: My three children, Sofia, Miguel and Emilio are the best gifts that I have received from God, through my husband.
Atty. ARGEE GUEVARA: I had a double "best" from my double ex – a designer bracelet when we initially broke up and a 52-inch television set when we finally broke up. Indeed, parting is such sweet sorrow... but not so for a couch potato!
HANS Sy, president, SM Prime Holdings: For me, all gifts are special. They are acts of kindness and to be the recipient of such acts outweighs receiving the best of presents.
LAINE SANTANA, manager, Corporate Communications Asia-Pacific, HSBC: I will always be thankful for my eight-year-old son Mickey. He is a sweet, smart, kind boy who makes me laugh all the time. I love him dearly.
NINA HERRERA-HUANG, equestrienne: This may seem corny to say – it’s not anything one can purchase – but true, inner peace and happiness is for me the best gift I have and will have ever received. My family surrounds me with all the love and support any woman could ever ask for. I just can’t ask for anything more. Over the summer my family and I went through some rather challenging medical situations. The support, love and dedication of family, friends and professionals involved was again, more than anyone could ask for. I can’t compare all this to anything with retail value. God has showered me with a thousand blessings and he continues to do so. I am thankful for each and every one of them and only pray that I can, in some way, share these with the community.
ABNER MERCADO, reporter: A book about Francis Ford Coppola, his life and art given to me by a good friend. Not the best, but one of the best gifts because Coppola is my all-time favorite filmmaker and I really treasure that book.
PENK CHING, pastry chef: The best gift I got is from my father, the late Dr. Chen Chiu-Chung, his gift is his legacy. He left us 18 years ago, but up to this day, people who know him give us special treatment when they find out who my father is. I feel so proud whenever people talk about his achievements and how great he was as a person.
MISSY AYALA: I thought of the toy train that my Ninong Ting gave me for Christmas. It gives me joy to think of it until today. I thought of the CD compilation that my best friend in college gave me – road-trip music that I listened to every day for years. More recently, I thought of the many trips Jim has so generously allowed me to take. But in all this, I think there is no gift more lasting than the assurance of eternal life that Jesus has given me, free of charge. This gift of salvation is by far the best gift I have ever received because it lasts way beyond this lifetime!