CHRISTMAS TREES IN CMZ 2012

Christmas is really in the air!

For this Christmas, Ciudad Medical Zamboanga proposed the Christmas Tree contest to all the departments in the hospital.

Suprisingly (or maybe not really since everyone is really dynamic!...), there were 22 groups around the hospital who made Christmas trees of varying materials and with varying concepts! Most of the meanings still boiled down to Love during Christmas as depicted by the Nativity... especially, love for family ... friends ... and community... and the Love of Christ!

Since pictures speak louder than words, here are collages of the Christmas Trees within CMZ for you to appreciate!

Ancillary Departments.

Cardio-Pulmo Section made of hose and tubings from their materials and decorated with big butterflies. 

Radiology Department using natural materials of bamboo, palm and coconut materials to depict things truly Filipino but also embellished with mixed palm fruits and modern decor to liven up the tree.

Laboratory using red top tubes to complete a whole pine tree effect

Administrative and Finance Departments.

Pharmacy calls this the Wealth Tree

Maintenance using cogon grass but with reindeers!

Linen uses the cloth tree
EDP using some keyboards, CDs and other computer related material
Laundry also using cloth to make a table top tree

Medical Records using the Excellence at 9 theme with our pictures including the Execom and Medical records staff pictures.

Billing/PhilHealth using paper (lots of paper in this place) and parasol-like in form

Accounting using paper (also lots of paper in their Department) through the art of origami

Some Close-ups: Medical Records, Accounting and Billing/PhilHealth

Nursing Areas.

ICU using cloth individually tied to fully cover the Christmas tree made of wires and hanged with Christmas messages and wishes from the staff.

Ward A:Surgical Ward using bottles wrapped with shiny green paper == the bottles are placed on top of each other with round glass for the base of each tire. 

OR-DR-NICU Complex: used plenty of readily available material plus using Coca-Cola Christmas Nativity plates, which is a collection of one of the nurses.

And OR also used black light and separated an area during judgment time for their tableau with angels and a reindeer.
A touching message during the presentation was that the "nurses and the staff are ANGELS IN DISGUISE!"

Ward A: Surgical Ward using bottles wrapped with shiny green paper

Nursing Service Office with three trees depicting the three main areas of Nursing, Ancilliary and Admin/Finance... and they had a Belen beside the Tree to remind the reason for the season. They used materials for packaging to wrap around the Christmas tree skeleton. 

Ward E: Medical Ward amazingly uses so many books (so many!) well piled on each other, which was the art in itself!

Ward F: Pedia Ward, with threads and wires intricately woven with classical loops and crystals looking very Parisian    

Ward G: General Ward  with Venetian masks very much related to their Masquerade ball... so exotic

ER with a four-cornered tree made of carton embedded with Talisay leaves sprayed with green pain. Hanging are pictures of the ER staff and complete with gifts at the base.

Some Close-ups on Ward A, Ward G, Ward F

The Winners.

Third Place: Central Supply Room
The Frosty Christmas Tree: every material in their tree has significance and meaning just like every material in the Central Supply.

Second Place: Ward C: OB/Gyn Ward

Christmas in Penumbra: notice the newspaper painted with silver without light and the colorful penumbra with the lights on! 

The details showed by cuttings show the Nativity in yellow light,  Three Kings in fuschia light, Simbang Gabi in green light and at the base, a black-and-white collage of Ciudad Medical activities in pictures.

First Place: Ward H: Medical Ward
Rainbow Christmas Tree

Made up of individual medicine vials individually wrapped with cellophane and inserted to a wire mesh formed to a tree. I heard the judges mention the craftsmanship and the workmanship and the effort exuded just by looking at the tree. The color combination of the spectrum is very attractive and happy!

 

So aren't you amazed?

We are definitely amazed with the transformation of the trees to Works of Art!

A simple Christmas tree can trigger brilliant and creative minds and in the hands of the talented CMZ staff turned to very beautiful objects of art and most of all,  creative symbols of Christmas.

What we weren't able to see was the cooperation among those who made the Christmas Trees ... all the collaboration... their extra efforts ... some physical "pains" ...  putting out of treasures ... checking out how the others were doing!

However, I am sure this strengthened the bond among the unit members and showed us the inner dynamic spirit of the teams!!!

Thank you to our Judges: No other than social columnist Mila Arrieta, international artist Rameer Tawasil, winning designer Erich Miñoza and Presty Fabian, the artistic friend from Zuellig. 

Again, thanks to all who participated one way or the other!

Go, CMZ! Excellence at 9!!!

CHRISTMAS TREES IN SM MOA AND NORTHEDSA 2012

Since I am into Christmas trees now, I would also like to share about the SM MOA and SM North EDSA Christmas trees that I saw!

SM Mall of Asia.
Just outside SM Mall of Asia...

As we enter SM Mall of Asia...

SM Mall of Asia's theme is Christmas Toy Wonder World!

 

Other Christmas Trees in the Department Store...

SM North EDSA.
I saw the Mickey and Minnie Mouse Tree! Didn't see Hello Kitty there, though...

It is a Mickey-Minnie mouse tree !!!

Donald and Daisy were there for the picture zone beside the tree...

They also had Christmas Trees in the Department Store...

The Peppermint read, green and white tree!

 And on the other side...

And don't forget the Nativity Scene. Saw this in the Department store but didn't see displays of this, though!

Haven't seen the Christmas trees around Zamboanga City yet!

CHRISTMAS TREES IN MANILA 2012

I just happen to attend conventions and workshops in Manila this Christmas season and I noticed that the Christmas trees in the places I've been to are the traditional Christmas trees with red and gold and other colorful balls. 

From Wikipedia, this is what they say about the Christmas Tree!

A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as pine or fir, traditionally associated with the celebration of Christmas. An artificial Christmas tree is an object made to resemble such a tree, usually made from polyvinylchloride (PVC).

The tree was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts or dates. In the 18th century, it began to be illuminated by candles, which with electrification could also be replaced by Christmas lights. Today, there is a wide variety of traditional
ornaments, such as garland, tinsel, and candy canes.An angel or
star may be placed at the top of the tree, to represent the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.

The custom of the Christmas tree developed in early modern Germany with predecessors that can be traced to the 16th and possibly the 15th century. It acquired popularity beyond Germany during the second half of the 19th century.^[1] The Christmas tree has also been known as the "Yule-tree", especially in discussions of its folkloristic origins.^[2][3]

I'd like to share some of the Christmas trees I've seen around Manila (only where I went to...no extra effort to look for it!)... 

Century Park Hotel.

Very tall pine tree with colorful Christmas balls and oval lighted lanterns with the effect of jewels.

Heritage Hotel.

Another very tall pine tree with red and gold Christmas balls and ribbon garland... very classical tree!

The theme for Heritage Hotel this year is the Jungle Safari but they separated this from the Christmas Tree.

Heritage Christmas Tree by day

Heritage Christmas Tree by night

Manila Hotel.

The centrally displayed tall pine tree with red and gold Christmas balls, the Nutcracker and huge candy canes, including wreaths with red and gold balls.

The theme of Manila Hotel this Christmas is the Nutcracker Christmas.

 

Richmonde Hotel

The classic pine tree with red and gold Christmas balls and red, gold and green glittering fern-like leaves.

The other theme they have are the gingerbread houses and they, indeed smelled of cinnamon!

And of course, the grand staircase was also beautifully adorned!

It is also so nice to see the Christmas trees so traditionally decorated again with reds, greens and golds and brightened by the fine Christmas lights , tinsels and garlands!