Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours…
Gingerbread houses are a holiday tradition in Marketman’s home. If you want to know why, please read my first Christmas Eve message on this blog written in 2005. And check out the little town with shops scene we did that year. In 2006, we made a fairly elaborate winter village scene, which you can read about here. And 2006 was the year of a poignant gingerbread story and a young kid named David. And isn’t it wonderful how that “story” ended up, here. On the Eve of Christmas 2006, I wrote a post on why I still believe in “Santa” and probably always will. By December 2007, the Kid put together a fabulous Amsterdam inspired village in gingerbread, see it here. And the Marketman family took off to enjoy a white Christmas. That was the year that the marketmanila sponsored feeding programs raised funds through t-shirts and tote bags that eventually raised enough to feed some 20,000 meals for undernourished public school children. And this year, a similar fund raising effort has so far raised enough for 22,000 more meals! So you can see from these previous posts why gingerbread is something we enjoy in our household at this time of year…
The 2008 Gingerbread House Edition is almost completely done by the Teen. It is much smaller than our normal gingerbread creations… a reflection of the times (more Manny Villar than Imeldific) and because the Teen wanted to make something that was manageable. She has worked with gingerbread since she was 1 year old, and we hope, will continue the tradition in her own household many years from now. But the house is still magical. A hilltop cabin topped with a thatched roof, lots of snow dripping off and an abundance of candy. It provides a stunningly warm and comforting aroma to our living room, which combined with a fresh pine tree, spells CHRISTMAS SEASON in capital letters. This blog is now more than 4 years old, and I feel a genuine warmth and camaraderie amongst many of its readers. I thank you for another year of sharing your wonderful recipes, thoughts, comments and visits, and even though only less than 5% of you have ever left a comment, I do get a thrill knowing that 95% of you are repeat lurkers… :) I encourage lurkers to leave a comment at least every once in a while, as the comments often add so much to the discussion. From our family to yours, we wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Have a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year To All!!!!
December 24th, 2008dear dear renaissance man! you and family have a generous hearts. and you, young man, have brought much joy and pleasure (vicariously) to all the readers of your blog. God bless you and keep up all the interesting postings, we enjoy it so very much. (i was dreaming!!?? when i saw you served fresh diwal. where can it be bought! on past trips to Philippines I had always dreamt of eating diwal, but everyone said it was not available anymore) do tell where diwal can be gotten? happy new year.
December 24th, 2008Maligayang Pasko to MM, Mrs. MM, The Teen, Your Crews, Sister, Marc Medina, special warm greetings to my kitchen fairy Godmother Bettyq - hotline source for baking and cooking rescue and to each and every one of my peers. Beautiful Gingerbread House and amazing how The Teen put it together by herself!
December 24th, 2008Have an amazing Christmas MM and Prosperous 2009!God bless..
December 24th, 2008MM, May The Good Lord continue to shower you and your family (and extended family) with all His wonderful blessings, so that you may continue to share His blessings with everyone you meet.
From my family to yours, a very blessed Christmas. And may the coming year, be doubly exciting as the year that is about to past.
And finally, My Christmas wish for you….That you will meet and host Chef Thomas Keller in 2009!!!!
December 24th, 2008maayong pasko MM been years I have been reading your blog and still brings me so much joy… see I even read it between airport lay over, anchorages, passages…
If I make it to the Himalayas next year I will do my best to find time to read your blog as well.
December 24th, 2008Sha
MM, you will always be blessed because you have given so much and continue to give in a grand fashion.
I will wish for you what I wished for my friends in another forum, and I wish the same for all the Market Manila readers as well:
May your Christmas eve dinner be boisterously happy, may your Christmas morning be dreamily late, may your family gathering be enjoyably riotous, and your post Christmas night be full of warm and vivid memories!
Blessings now and always!
Pancho A and Family
December 24th, 2008Hi MM,
Count me as one of the repeat lurkers saying hello! Merry Christmas to your family from ours (me + husband and 8 hand reared cockatiels)
Marilen, I last had diwal 2-3 years ago and before that, when I was in my teens. It was unavailable, even rumored extinct for many many years, until my mom heard that they started farming it again in Sagay (Neg Occ) and some coastal towns around the area. I think there were big setbacks in farming when that oilspill in Bora happened and they might be only starting to thrive again. That’s my second-hand info :) haha not sure how accurate it is but there you go. Hope you get to source some! Last time I had them they were baked, and uber amazing.
December 24th, 2008Maligayang Pasko MM, Mrs. MM, The Teen, Sister and The Crew! And to all Marketmanila fans! :)
Thank you so much for all the posts you have shared with us. Looking forward to all the posts in 2009.
More power to Marketmanila.com!
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas MM and Family!
December 24th, 2008God Always Bless YOU and your wonderful family, MM! And A very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year to ALL MarketManila family!
December 24th, 2008Happy Christmas to you, the Mrs., and the Teen!
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas to you and yours, MM. And all the best in 2009!
December 24th, 2008A Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to MM, Mrs. MM and the Teen! May you continue to touch and make a difference in the lives of the many people you reach through this blog.
To the extended Market Manila family, Merry Christmas and a shower of blessings to you all in the coming year. It is good to feel a sense of belonging to such a wonderful and generous bunch of people who are connected only through this blog.
Thank you MM for being such a wonderful host. God bless you!
December 24th, 2008a luRker here! ‘am guiLty… ;P
this blog site is so addicting that it kept me busy most of my spare time at the OFFICE… ssshhhhhh…. that’s our top secret! ;)
and Oh! to MM, Mrs. MM, The Teen, Sister, The Crew and all the Readers of this site… Lets EAT & be MERRY this Holiday season!
Prayers for all!
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas to you and your family MM and to the readers of this blog. Looking forward to another year of blogging =)
December 24th, 2008MERRY CHRISTMAS, Marketman, Mrs. Marketman, The Teen, and Sister!
Merry Christmas to all readers and posters as well!
December 24th, 2008merry christmas to you and your family, MM! Ü
December 24th, 2008that gingerbread house looks great, by the way.. The Teen did a wonderful job!
Happy Holidays to MM family and crew…Thank you for all the great posts/pictures, you’ve contributed so much to our lives!
Merry Christmas to all the readers!
December 24th, 2008A joyful Christmas to everyone especially to Marketman and his family!
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas MM!! God will surely continue to bless you so you will continue to be a blessing to others.
December 24th, 2008Hi, MM! Bravo! You got me to leave a comment today being a regular lurker of this site. Me and my hubby truly enjoy it. Here’s wishing you a Wonderful Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!
December 24th, 2008merry christmas mr. mm and family.
December 24th, 2008The Teen,
December 24th, 2008You are amazing! You are blessed with good genes.Merry X-mas!!
The above blog is for the Teen only!!!! He ! HE!
December 24th, 2008Happy Holidays to all!!!
December 24th, 2008You have an equally stunning gingerbread house this year. Great work by the Teen! Merry Christmas to you, your family and all the readers. I hope for more interesting posts next year!
December 24th, 2008MM, your gingerbread houses are just beautiful. i dont want to imagine how time-consuming and difficult to make one. just out of curiosity, what do you do with them after the holidays? how much is your 2008 edition? just a general idea. :)
December 24th, 2008Hello MM
Just briefly - A very Happy Xmas to you and your family. A heart-felt thank you for all your tremendous work in maintaining a Blog that is always fascinating, thought provoking and often up-lifting. To all the readers, like myself, I wish you every health and happiness for 2009.
December 24th, 2008Happy holidays to you and your wonderfully creative family !
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas to you and your family, MM! Excellent village of gingerbread houses, btw. =)
December 24th, 2008Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and another burp-inducing year ahead!
December 24th, 2008Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!
December 24th, 2008Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
December 24th, 2008Hi MM,
Was it really 2 years ago? I have “clippped” a screen shoot of those articles to show my son “David” when he grows up that somewhere out there is a kind soul who have touched our lives through a “gingerbread house”. Thank you very, very much MM!
My son is with me now in the Middle East and he has been doing great. By God’s grace all his monitoring tests came out clean last week. It would trully be a merry chistmas for my family.
Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas and good health and happiness for the New Year!
December 24th, 2008A beautiful and blessed season to you and your family, Marketman! After all the good you’ve done this year, I hope that Santa rewards you with an unforgettable Christmas. :-)
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas everybody!
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas to you and your family!
December 24th, 2008Hi MM - may you and your family (and sister, crew and readers) be blessed with warmth, happiness and joy this Christmas season. Here’s to a delicious and prosperous new 2009!
December 24th, 2008merry christmas to MM and family :) The house looks so beautiful and magical! What an amazing artist the teen is!
December 24th, 2008ang galing-galing talaga!!
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family :)
a Blessed Christmas and a Spirit filled New Year to you and your family! Thanks again for sharing this wonderful ginger bread house. Kudos to the Teen for her wonderful designs…
December 24th, 2008merry christmas to everyone! happy eating but careful on the cholesterols! :-)
December 24th, 2008We started a gingerbread house tradition when my daughter was two years old. We start on the first weekend of December and it makes her so happy because she knows that gingerbread house = Christmas = Santa. Christmas in the eyes of a child is so beautiful.
Merry Christmas to all!!
December 24th, 2008Merry xmas Mr. MM… this house reminds me of the biggest ginger bread house I’ve ever seen in ayala cebu by Marriot hotel.. ^___^
Merry xmas again
December 24th, 2008Happy Holidays to you and your family Mr.MM, from an avid lurker who always enjoys your posts :)
December 24th, 2008Wishing you the best this Christmas and always!
December 24th, 2008Merry Xmas MM + Family + Crew and the whole Marketmanila community. :)
May you all have a nice meal tonight or chomp on some ham and cheese sandwiches tomorrow morning with cocoa. :D
December 24th, 2008Frequent lurker and big fan here. Thanks so much for a great blog. I don’t think you realize how much enjoyment and inspiration it gives a lot of us. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year to you and your family
December 24th, 2008Godbless you Mm and Mrs Mm and Teen!!! You’re great!!
December 24th, 2008MM, I may not always leave a comment but your blog definitely starts my day. Merry Christmas to you and your dear family. Thank you fo this wonderful site that you have created, it has definitely created bridges of friendships around the world! More power to you!
December 24th, 2008happy holidays po! maraming salamat and more power!
December 24th, 2008merry christmas!
December 24th, 2008i’m one of the many “repeat lurkers” at this site, sometimes several times a day, it’s almost OC! you know , when you talked about “putong ube”,my gosh! it drove me nuts! so i went to the asian store right away and frantically searced for rice flour! (the store clerk insisted on mochiko, which is “sweet rice flour” , but isn’t it glutinous rice, which shouldn’t be used according to you)that’s how convincing this blog is, it inspired me to try cooking things that i thought i never could…Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
December 24th, 2008Keep blogging….
Maligayang pasko po sa inyo MM and family and to everyone and a wonderful new year. I always read this blog though not posting any comment. Makes my day complete *smile*! :Thanks MM.
December 24th, 2008merry Christmas to all
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas, MM!!
December 24th, 2008have a meaningful Christmas and a more blessed New Year… :)
December 24th, 2008Merry Christmas MM and a Happy New Year!
Cheers!
December 24th, 2008John
merry christmas MM and family and all the readers!!! May you be safe and blessed in wherever corner of the world you are right now!!! here in chicago it’s like being in the north pole right now :)
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas everybody!
December 25th, 2008Happy Holidays to all….
To Marketman and family,
sister,
and to all readers….
God bless
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas to everyone! Love and laugh…. :)
December 25th, 2008Your blog is a great read. Made leche flan for noche buena following your blog entry. Finally…something I made tastes edible… Now if I can only unmold flans without ruining them….=) Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year MM and family!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers,
cherry pie
December 25th, 2008auckland, new zealand
Merry Christmas! Thanks for allowing us to get a glimpse of you life esp. around the holidays. I think that’s what the holidays should be about–keeping traditions alive, sharing your blessings and being an inspiration to others.
December 25th, 2008To Marketman & Family
December 25th, 2008All the best this Holiday Season !!!
Merry Christmas MM & family! Thanks for sharing the holiday spirit.
December 25th, 2008Lovely gingerbread house!Good work to The Teen!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas to you MM and your family and crew!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Have a peaceful and joyous Christmas and all the best for the coming year….Merry Christmas to Marketman, Mrs. MM & The Teen! Merry Christmas to my fellow readers..GOD bless us all!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas!!!!
December 25th, 2008Thank you for sharing, MM…you are an inspiration in many ways….from my family to yours, God Bless!
December 25th, 2008wishing you and your family a merry christmas, mm!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas to the Market Manila family!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas MM. Thank you for your blog which is entertaining and informative as well.
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas MM and family!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas! :D
December 25th, 2008Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa lahat!!! Nawa’y patuloy tayong gabayan at pagpalain sa bagong taon na darating.
December 25th, 2008Happy Christmas MM and family from Downunder!
You bring us so much joy and we want you to know you’re so very much loved and appreciated. God bless you and your wonderful family!
December 25th, 2008Merry Christmas MM and family!
December 25th, 2008merry christmas everyone!!!
December 26th, 2008I am also a lurker, MM. I enjoy your blog so much that I keep on coming back. Thank you for sharing.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
December 26th, 2008Merry Christmas!
December 26th, 2008greetings to SISTER, too—we were crazy enough to brave rockefeller center this afternoon…’crowded’ is an understatement…but the kids enjoyed it, inspite—i think of ’sister’ when i go to the city
December 26th, 2008merry christmas everyone! = )
December 26th, 2008great looking gingerbread house!!
merry christmas and happy new year!!!!!
miss ko na ang paskong pinoy :(
December 26th, 2008Merry CHRISTmas to everyone!!!
December 26th, 2008Maligayang Pasko MM!!!
December 26th, 2008To MM & family, Sister & fans of MM,
December 27th, 2008Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon. Peace, joy, light, love, health, safety, financial security, God’s graces & blessings to you & all.
Happy Christmas to you and your family MM, and to all MM readers.
December 27th, 2008better late than never…. that was a quick post indeed! Merry Christmas again… to the teen, you did a great job! love the house =)
December 29th, 2008merry christmas to you and your family! im one of your “lurkers”, thank you so much for sharing your stories, recipes and et al… surfing the net is one of my past time after work and during holidays here, since there is nothing much to do and go here in dhaka…
happy new year!
December 29th, 2008merry christmas and happy new year to you and your family MM!
January 2nd, 2009