Christmas in the 1960s

I spent most of my childhood in the 1960s. We listened to a new British band who sang with a different accent — the Beatles. From there we moved to rock in my early teens. We watched black and white television with shows like Mission: Impossible and Star Trek, which eventually was broadcast in color… and a color TV was one of the ultimate Christmas presents then.

We always looked forward to Christmas to get the latest toys and visit the department stores, even if it was just to drool at the latest color TV or toy car. There were no indoor malls to speak of, just department stores (in the old center) or shopping centers (in the suburbs).

My family had always lived in the suburbs since moving from Cebu in the mid-1950s. My folks went to school and lived in Manila though, and it was through them that I navigated the old city. This navigation happened mostly during Christmas as my mom or grandmother would journey to downtown Manila for the best shopping. Escolta was the street of choice but the stores there sold mostly expensive stuff that was beyond ordinary folk’s means. Divisoria, along with Sta. Cruz’s and Binondo’s side streets, were the best bets. Shoe Mart was on Carriedo and that was a popular store.

Department and shoe stores also established braches in the suburbs. Cubao boasted Aguinaldo’s and a Shoe Mart. The first Japanese department store, Matsusakaya, also opened there. In Makati, a shopping center rose, which offered ample parking and lush modern landscape settings (designed by National Artist IP Santos).

The goods sold to and sought by Filipinos for Christmas in the 1960s were not the same as today’s plethora of electronics and imported products. There were fewer choices, but the prices rarely went past two or three digits. The shopping madness also was limited to a few weeks before Christmas itself. Few stores advertised before late November and Christmas jingles were nowhere to be heard on radio or TV until December.

Christmas appliances were mostly electric and not electronic. TVs and radios back then still worked with tubes or basic transitor-based circuitry. AM radios that ran on those large round batteries were a prized gift. Phonograph players and hi-fi stereophonic sets were middle class dreams before the advent of Walkmans and iPods. A good number of these goods were made locally by firms like Ysmael Steel and DRB.

A few cultural preferences were also evident. Sewing machines, cloth and even zippers were popular Christmas gift items in an age when most people still had their clothes made or sewed themselves. Local biscuits instead of imported chocolates were also widely given as gifts since they did not spoil and they came in colorful (and big) cans. Japanese pomade was also a yearly gift back then due to men’s fashion choices.

There were also odd gifts that people gave or bought for themselves. Local paints like YCO were marketed heavily. So was local coconut plywood, lawanit. This must be because Christmas time was a time to spruce up one’s home. Light bulbs were also a fast seller since colored bulbs were the only option (twinkle lights from the US and China were not available then).

Some things have not changed. People wished for more fortune and the sweepstakes had the largest draw during Christmas. The prize in the ‘60s rose to an amazing P1 million  (remember that the peso was 2:1 to the dollar).

Christmas was a time to go around the city, both old parts and new. There was no monstrous traffic then. Our dad took the family to key seasonal destinations, like the displays at the Pepsi plant on Aurora, then after that, to the COD fantasy in Cubao. There was also the Christmas display at the Ysmael Steel compound. They had a giant robot (way before Transformers came out) who was either dressed as Santa Claus or was part of a belen. One year he even had a rocket ship in front of him to take families for a simulated space ride.

The 1960s was indeed a wild ride for us kids back then. The ‘70s brought in the malls and the lifting of trade restrictions brought in tons of options from all over the world. The Christmas and shopping season grew longer and longer. So, too, did the traffic queues as more and more commercial districts rose in the metropolis.

The gifts have changed with the times. Gadgets and goods from all over compete with a few local brands but this all means better choice for consumers. See, even our designations as “buyers” has changed. We have Christmas mass at the malls now… along with live chorales, choirs, bands and all forms of music and performances.

What has not changed is the unique Filipino celebration of Christmas. Christmas is longer, warmer, more festive, more fun in the Philippines. The ‘60s are gone but each new Christmas season brings more memories… aside from gifts for all to share.