Christmas is all the little things that make it special. It’s about the moments of togetherness, catching up over dishes that spark familiar memories. It’s about the spirit of joy and hope that fill our hearts as we utter our Christmas wishes. We also can’t miss the sense of magic and fantasy, of believing in Santa Claus and believing we made it to his ‘nice’ people list.

In the videos, Kapamilya actresses talk about these things – food, wishes, and Santa Claus – as they get pumped up for the big celebration.

The warmth of Filipino Christmas spirit couldn’t be completely felt without the traditional Noche Buena. And when it comes to the yearly holiday spread, here are what some Kapamilya actresses consider their favorites.

Andrea Brillantes maximizes her holiday break to cooking for the people she loves, and her specialty is cheesy baked oysters.

Charlie Dizon thinks of ham and fruit salad. Lechon is irresistible, too, but she said they don’t have it every year.

The cheese platter is Barbie Imperial’s yearly request to her family.

Nothing beats the classics like spaghetti for Bianca Gonzalez.

Noche Buena is even more special when prepared by mom and dad. Chie Filomeno thinks her mom’s lasagna and dad’s lechon belly recipes are the real superstars of their holiday spread. Meanwhile, her yearly assignment is the cheese board.

Jane Oineza is a fan of her mom’s buko salad recipe, “Gumagawa siya dati nang sobrang sarap. Siya ‘yung the best sa buong village.”

Jolina Magdangal also has sweet memories of her mother’s version of fruit salad, “’Pag Pasko, ‘yung fruit salad talaga ng Mama ko ‘yung hinihintay namin ng Ate ko.”

Lovi Poe’s favorite kind of caldereta is the one specially made by her mom.

Her mommy’s buttered shrimp makes Michelle Vito feel more Christmas-y.

Ham, suman, and queso de bola must always be present in Elisse Joson’s Christmas menu.

Fried chicken and hotdog with marshmallows are the ultimate comfort food for Francine Diaz. Even dishes as simple as fried chicken and spaghetti become special when prepared for Noche Buena, said Maymay Entrata.

Heaven Peralejo looks forward to enjoying cochinillo on Christmas Eve.

Julia Montes uses her culinary skills to prepare the best Noche Buena for her family and she recently learned how to cook truffle lechon.

Kaila Estrada is on team dessert! She will never say ‘no’ to buko pandan, fruit salad, and puto bumbong.

It doesn’t take must festivity to make Maricel Soriano’s tummy happy. A fruit platter is already enough.

In the next video, the Kapamilya ladies share their ultimate Christmas wishes. For most of them, time spent with the whole family would be the best gift ever. This is especially true for Maymay Entrata, who experienced celebrating Christmas alone during the lockdown season. “’Yun ang pinakamalungkot kong Christmas. Hanggang ngayon, naaalala ko po, parang, ang lungkot lungkot po kasi lockdown,” she looked back.

These women are so selfless they’d rather share their wishes with friends, loved ones, and the Kapamilya community. It’s so sweet of Julia Montes to pray for the happiness of all ABS-CBN employees: “Sana bumalik ang ating kasiyahan at mas magpasaya pa tayo ng mga iba pa nating supporters at manonood.”

With the pandemic opening our eyes to what’s truly essential, a lot of us could only wish for good health. Jolina Magdangal imparted, “’Pag maganda ang health nating lahat, mas tama ang pag-iisip, mas masaya, mas nakakapagtulungan at walang mga pabigat ba. Kasi ‘pag may sakit, nade-depress ‘yung iba. So, sana maging healthy lahat para lahat happy.”

Looking forward to a better sense of normalcy in 2023, Maricel Soriano and Francine Diaz wish for the end of the pandemic.

Lovi Poe’s wish is to get to play her dream roles. More work, opportunities, and happiness are on Kaila Estrada, Barbie Imperial, and Jane Oineza’s wish lists. Heaven Peralejo aims to be a better person next year, saying, “I’m working on myself right now. I think when you work on yourself, maraming blessings na pumapasok and you get to know the people na mahal ka pala talaga.”

The ladies also wish for everybody’s happiness, peace of mind, and, as Andrea Brillantes said, healing for everyone.

The sense of Christmas fantasy wouldn’t be the same without Santa Claus. While we realize Santa Claus isn’t real as we grow older, some of us would still want to keep the magic alive.

For instance, as she grows older, the more Andrea Brillantes believes in the spirit of Santa Claus in that he has become an image of generosity and helping out.

Jane Oineza likewise believes that Santa Claus is real in the sense that he comes in the form of people who make us feel special during Christmas.

Chie Filomeno also said that she believes in Santa Claus but her Santa isn’t the jolly man in red, it’s her parents who make her feel loved all year round.

As a mom, Jolina Magdangal wants her kids to have a magical childhood as she did, that’s why she introduces Pele and Vika to Santa stories, “Pinapa-feel ko sa kanila na, yes, merong Santa Claus. Pero kung madi-discover nila eventually kung ano talaga ang meaning ng Santa Claus, then I will respect them. Pero sa ngayon, nando’n pa rin yung joy nila na ‘pag Christmas may Santa Claus.”

Even Maricel Soriano and Lovi Poe never stopped embracing their inner child and living out the magic of Christmas by believing in Santa Claus. He will always be a legendary character, as Elisse Joson puts it, “Santa Claus is always going to be Santa Claus. Parang, there’s always gonna be Santa Claus.”

But, the others stopped believing in Santa Claus after catching their parents filling up their socks with goodies and leaving Santa’s gifts outside the gates or under the tree.