THERE are some things in life that you can rely on like clockwork. For example, being in a country with the world's longest Christmas season means you can expect malls to start playing classic Christmas songs as early as September.

Jokes about the inevitable Jose Marie Chan holiday comeback will show up on social media as surely as his songs will begin playing on the radio. And just as surely, individuals will start worrying about holiday season expenses, whether in the form of gifts, trips, media noche and noche buena meals or charitable donations.