SMS "Marketing"

Now that the holidays are over, I'm sure most of us are exhausted because of all the preparations. While buying gifts, putting up the trees, attending the simbang gabi, and shopping and cooking for noche buena and media noche are fun, they can also be very tiring.

Year in and year out, I always hear my Nanay complain about how she never has enough time to prepare for the Christmas and New Year dinners. And every year, she promises to prepare earlier so that she won't be too exhausted to wait for 12 midnight to strike. To my family's relief, she didn't complain as much this year. We asked her why things seemed a bit easier now and she told us her secret.

In the previous years, she had to spend about two hours in the market to buy all the things she needs for the dinners. This time, she only needs less than thirty minutes and then she's out of the market. Using her PR skills, she befriended her suki in the market. They became so close that they exchanged cellphone numbers. Using this to her advantage, my Nanay would text her orders to her suki an hour or two before she goes to the market. This gives her suki the time to prepare her order. The fish is cleaned, the chicken lollipop is prepared, etc. Then when Nanay arrives at the market, all she has to do is to pay and pick up her orders. Then she can go back home and start cooking.

My Nanay's strategy gives her more time to prepare for the dinners. It also reduces her stress. Good for her. And it's good for me and my siblings too because that means we get to eat more yummy food during the holidays. Hope we all had delicious noche buenas and media noches. ;-)