Among the items high on my hate-list every December is the really heavy traffic in Metro Manila. If you hate Metro traffic on a regular day, try going to Makati in the evenings during the weeks before December 25. For some strange reasons, everybody seems to be out on the streets. Maybe everybody is out shopping for Christmas gifts or for the noche buena, although it's interesting to find out if this still holds true even with the current economic downturn.

In the United States, 75% of those polled say that they are cutting down their shopping budgets for Christmas. They buy less quantity of (or less expensive) gifts, food or other Christmas items that ring the cashier's bell. This seems logical because the US is the epicenter of today's world economic crisis.

We don't know if this trend on lowered Christmas spending is the same with Fillipinos (which will definitely affect the profit outlook of Pinoy Entrepreneurs). Maybe the Philippines doesn't have the same trend because Filipinos (or only the Ilocanos?) are already kuripot by nature. Also, because the Philippines is less badly hit than other parts of the global economy, maybe the spending pattern may not change. Maybe we're wrong in saying that the Philippine economy is less badly affected (or Pinoys still fear the financial crisis), which means that Christmas spending will definitely go down. Or maybe Filipinos love Christmas so much and will continue to spend  no matter what.

So, just to be sure, let's have an informal survey -- Are you cutting down on Christmas spending? (Update: The poll ran from 8-24 November 2008. Out of the 31 votes, 67.7% (21 votes) said they are reducing their Christmas spending, while 32.3% (10 votes) said they are NOT reducing their spending spree this year. If you still want to express your vote or opinion, please use the comment section below. Let's hear what you have to say.

You may also be  interested to read the following articles: Christmas shopping tips and Christmas Savings and Spending Resolutions for the New Year.