EDITOR’S NOTE

Fear of entertaining

Most of us find ourselves attending dinner parties rather than hosting them — for simple, obvious reasons. The weeks of preparing, making arrangements, ensuring that everything is in order, and that no detail is left forgotten are daunting tasks. The pressure of hosting is enough to drive anyone nuts. It’s the thought that a perfect table and a well-organized house are reflections of a person’s best self. But these issues lie only on the surface. This month, we remind you why you invite people into your home in the first place: good food, engaging conversations, and good company. Alicia Sy entertains her guests with ease, serving international fare over cocktails and wine, and playing nostalgic music. We feature holiday essentials and all the accoutrements that come along with them. We went far north to learn about the age-old tradition of lantern-making that made the small yet burgeoning town of San Fernando famous. Bulacan is also holding its own pride as the go-to place for fireworks, and we go inside one of the city’s biggest factories to discover how the little contraptions are made to become big, celebratory explosives. We show you rustic accent pieces to add to your home, new dining places with great food that will surely inspire you, and how to make a glass of mulled wine. So sit back, enjoy the ride despite the hectic preparations, and put aside your drive for perfection. Sometimes, it’s the epic mishaps, funny incidents, mess, and ultimately the presence of oddball friends and family that make a gathering worth your while.