DAVAO - There is no greater symbol of the Christmas season than a beautifully-lit "parol" or lantern.

From being a simple reminder of the of star of Bethlehem that guided the three wise men to search for the infant Jesus, "parols" have evolved into a luxurious emblem of the holidays.  

Traditional parols are structured with bamboos and embellished with Japanese papers of varying colors.  

With innovation and creativity, parols now come in glossy water-proof, transparent plastic cellophane.  

Nowadays, electricity has made these parols much brighter and even more eye-catching than before with the use of blinking lights.  

Through these lighted "parols", Christmas has indeed become a festival of lights.  

Seasonal business  

In Davao City (at the southeast of Mindanao), people have already started hanging their parols. This is a perfect opportunity for the small-time parol makers to secure a big turn-over from this seasonal business.  

As early as September, parol businesses already started selling their wares and are now drawing in profit as Christmas draws nearer.  

Sonny Javier is originally from San Fernando in Pampanga, but the parol industry but he has been traveling to Davao City to sell parols for 3 yrears now. 

From the first week of September until the last week of December, he is in town to sell his lighted parols made of capiz shells.  

He is making relatively more money here, he says, compared to his store in Pampanga.

In Davao City, he seemingly has no competition, as he claims to be the only parol-vendor in the area selling lighted capiz-shell parols.  His wares are priced from P1,200 to P2,500. 

Lopez's is a family-run business, with his wife and children helping him with the production process - from creating the structure to displaying the finished product in a small store located along the Bangkal highway in Davao City.  

Opportunity  

Javier confessed that, he barely has a quarter of the year to take advantage of this business, which is why he does not mind being away from his family during the holidays.  

Asked about his sales, he said it is "great" but "not as good as in the previous years." Javier said a majority of his customers are those coming from well-off families, and a few from the middle class. 

Jongjong Lopez, a Davao resident and parol maker, said he observed the same trend in his business. His commercial parols have been thriving since he started the business 4 years ago.  

His best-selling designs are fruit lights (costing P200), made of copper tie wires and wrapped in colorful and shiny plastic materials.  

The lanterns, which he said are sold out, also have a small incandescent bulb inside. Lopez also ventured into making giant snowman ornaments at P1,000 to P1,500.  

His newest creations are coconut and banana tree ornaments with sequenced lighting at P4,500. When plugged, his creations, he says, are "absolutely striking." 

Parols for the rich? 

He noticed that his usual customers come in luxury vehicles.  

Both Jongjong Lopez and Sonny Javier said their products are long-lasting because the materials can endure for years when properly taken care of.  

They think this could be one reason why current sales have gone down compared to their sales 4 years ago.  

They also said that the economic crisis has limited the number of Filipinos who can afford to buy expensive parols. 

Customers like Rosalinda Relos, for example, stopped buying expensive ornaments because her family has little money to get by. 

She said this keeps the Christmas spirit alive in her household by when hanging old and inexpensive lanterns.  

Relos said Christmas is not about classy decorations, but about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Her prayers, she said, will definitely include a wish to live through many more Christmases in the years to come. Report by Brix Pansacala, ABS-CBN Davao.