With just a few days until Christmas, you’re probably thinking about what dish to prepare for Noche Buena and things to write down on your wish list. The cast of 2 Good 2 Be True thought about these things, too. In the latter part of the video, they also revealed when they stopped believing in Santa Claus.
The warmth of Filipino Christmas spirit wouldn’t be completely felt without the traditional spread. Like most of us, the 2G2BT stars have their own Noche Buena MVPs. These could be their yearly cravings or dishes that remind them of warm yuletide memories.
Cris Villanueva brings to mind his happy childhood when his ‘barkada’ would raid each other’s houses looking for the best fruit salad.
Matt Evans looks forward to tasting authentic Ilocano dishes, specifically pinakbet with bagnet as they go home to Ilocos Norte every Christmas. “Bihira akong nakaktikim no’n kasi kailangan mo pa talaga umuwi para matikman mo talaga ‘yung authentic na bagnet.”
Noche Buena at Bianca de Vera’s abode won't be complete without her family’s heirloom fruitcake recipe, her dad’s favorite. The joy in eating fruitcake comes from the amount of effort and love it took to bake, which usually takes weeks to months. This is because fruitcakes taste better when brushed with rum once a week and let age in plastic wrap and foil. This helps the flavors to completely seep into the cake.
French apple pie is the ‘star’ of Irma Adlawan’s family’s media noche. She said they prepare more during New Year’s Eve.
Of course, nothing beats the classics like the sweet-tasting Pinoy-style spaghetti, which is Via Antonio’s assigned dish to cook this coming Christmas Eve.
For Hyubs Azarcon, the spread is even made more special when loaded with his Kapampangan wife’s cooking, especially her specialty menudo which she drenches in real tomatoes.
Yves Flores’ family sticks to typical Pinoy ‘handaan’ menu including spaghetti, fried chicken, and fruit salad. Heirloom recipes not only taste delicious but also bring back warm memories like the kaldereta recipe of Gillian Vicencio’s grandma.
Romnick Sarmenta’s family makes sure to include dessert on the table as it symbolizes “the sweetness of life.”
In the next video, the group shared their Christmas wishes. First on the list is good health. With the pandemic opening our eyes to life’s greatest riches, most of us desire good health for ourselves and our families. It’s Hyubs and Gillian’s ultimate wish, apart from happiness and a complete family this Christmas.
Irma is hopeful that her family gets to celebrate Christmas complete this year, unlike the previous years.
Family is forever, thus Romnick’s only wish is to spend quality time with his kids and have a calm and peaceful life. Cris mentioned that good life for his children isn’t just a Christmas wish but his constant prayer at night.
Matt couldn’t ask for more than family time. He is looking forward to reuniting with his youngest sibling, who was stuck in Japan for three years during the height of the pandemic.
With 2023 just around the corner, Yves is starting to feel anxious about the future. Therefore, his wish this Christmas is peace of mind, which is greater than material possessions.
On Bianca’s wish list: “to get my dream roles.” Meanwhile, Via hopes to travel to South Korea next year, or that somebody would sponsor her travel, so to fulfill her K-Drama fantasies born during the lockdown.
Team 2G2BT also shared their thoughts about Santa Claus and whether or not they’ve stopped believing in him. Some of them never really believed in Santa, like Irma, although she remembers hanging their socks for Santa to fill in with goodies when they were kids.
Bianca’s parents likewise never engaged her with Santa stories, “Ayaw daw nila akong ma-heartbroken one day ‘pag nalaman kong hindi pala siya totoo.” Sometimes it makes her feel like she missed out a lot but at least it didn’t hurt growing up.
When he was young, Matt also wasn't that excited about Santa as he believed more in his grandparents’ gifts. Gillian recalls she was in high school when she started to let go of her fairytale thoughts.
Via was only 12 years old when her parents disclosed that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. She said her parents used to decorate their house and fill it with gifts in time for their annual Christmas Eve reunion and credit the guy dressed in red. However, in her 12th year, they just decided to break their family tradition, “One random day, sinabi na lang nila na hindi totoo. Siguro hindi na nila ma-afford ‘yung mga gifts at requests ko. Kasi sIyempre habang tumatanda tayo, iba na ‘yun, mga gadgets na ‘yun, hindi na mga doll house.”
Romnick was already in his 30s when he let go of Santa Claus and instead grasp the true meaning of Christmas, which is Jesus Christ’s nativity, “Naniniwala ako na ‘yung Pasko is a time to commemorate the birth of Christ. More than gift-giving, it’s a moment of preparing yourself to God.”
For the others, although they know Santa Claus is just a fictional character, still they want to keep the sense of magic. As Yves puts it, “Kahit alam kong fictional character lang si Santa, ‘yun kasi ang nakalakihan natin ‘di ba? Lalo na ‘pag bata ka, may medyas, kahit alam mo pagtanda mo ‘yung parents mo ‘yung naglalagay doon sa medyas. ‘Yun ‘yung bumubuhay sa Pasko lalo na sa mga bata. Well, sIyempre, birthday ‘yun ni Papa Jesus pero iba pa rin kasi.”
In Cris’ family, Santa Claus is a representation of kindness and generosity.
From the 2 Good 2 Be True cast, Merry Christmas, Kapamilya! May you spread goodness and true love this holiday season!