OF all the Christmas decorations that we put during the holidays, Filipinos have a unique symbol for Christmas—the parol.

In the Philippines, star-like lanterns or “parol” light up streets and houses in the Philippines as early as September. Compared to the Christmas pine trees that symbolize the yuletide in other countries, the parol has a unique place in Filipino Christmas celebration.

According to the book “A Christmas Compendium” by J. John, light adds an atmospheric and magical feel to Christmas, whether they are on a tree or in the streets.

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FORGET the horrible movie. If you want real Dungeons & Dragons goodness, watch the animated TV series that premiered back in 1983 as a co-production between Marvel Productions and the then publisher of D&D, TSR (which was acquired by Wizards of the Coast in 1997).

Remember Venger? And Tiamat? Good times, heh

Here’s a YouTube clip of the intro.

And just for kicks, here’s a YouTube clip of one of those old D&D TV commercials for the table top role-playing game. Yup, I’m talking real dice and pen and paper