Meralco Liwanag Park

According to Kikki K. it takes 21 days to change a habit.  I also interpret it to mean it takes 21 days to make a habit.

This is the cover of my habit motivating chart
I will let you know if it works :)

Similarly, traditions also get made in the same way. When we were kids, our Christmas Tradition was to go to at least one Carnival during the holiday season. This used to be the Toys and Gifts Fair with Carnival at Phitcite!  Then the hip place to be was the Payanig Sa Pasig, and when that closed down, it was replaced by Star City and Boom na Boom. Hahaha... This post will date my age!!!

When Sofia was a little over 2 years old, we noticed that there were lighted houses and a lot of people in front of the Meralco complex since we passed in front of it almost every day.  Out of curiosity, we brought her and we discovered that they had a train that takes you around, a nativity scene and small houses made of the copper electric wires. Sofia always enjoyed riding on the train and playing in and around the houses.  This is the point where I get really stumped, 'coz I know I had pictures from our first visit, but for the life of me, I can't manage to get the CD with my backed-up files to work!!!
Since then, going to Meralco has been one of our holiday traditions.  Every time we pass Meralco, Sofia reminds us that we have yet to take her this year...  so tonight, we finally gave in.

Part of the facade of the Meralco Building all lit up

A more complete picture of the Meralco building taken from the side

The line for the train ride was very long, so we were organized enough to let yaya (the nanny) line up for us while we roamed around

The giant Nativity Scene made from copper electric wires

We saw another long queue in front of the building

The queue is for Libreng Sakay (free ride) around the Meralco compound
I think this is a new addition

They also have brightly colored houses beside the train track
Previously they allowed kids to enter the colorful houses

Sofia had to make do with looking through the windows

It was finally our turn to ride the train, just in time... as we overheard someone saying that the train was low-bat already and needed to be charged soon.  hahaha.  just like a cellphone.

We explored the lighted cluster of copper wire houses beside the church next

There were a lot of people in front of the church

It was quite funny that we saw 1 house with no lights,
we were joking that the electricity got cut because they failed to pay

Sofia loves playing in the houses you can enter.  She stays by the window and orders her nanny to sing Christmas carols from outside, then she pretends to give money afterwards.

There is also a cluster of houses and a school on the other side, but you'll need to pass through the windows if you want to enter.

Admission to the Meralco Liwanag Park is free.  The crowd is a mix from all walks of life, but I noticed that people were polite everywhere.  They were politely lining up for the train and free rides and informally waiting for their turn when it came to taking pictures in the lighted houses.  

The Meralco Liwanag Park is open until 10PM on weekdays.  I think the last day is tomorrow, December 30, 2011.
      
Meralco, also known as The Manila Electric Company, is the Philippines' largest distributor of electrical power.  My thought bubble: I guess you can only afford to do this if your electricity is free.  JUST SAYING.