There’s a certain stillness in Filipino Christmas mornings that feels almost sacred—the parol still glowing from the night before and the quiet rustle of wrappers as children peek at their gifts. The familiar scent of warm pandesal gathers everyone around the table. For many Filipino families, the Pan de Manila Christmas Bag has been part of these small but lasting rituals for 25 years.
This 2025, that sense of home is captured through the eyes of 29-year-old artist Jerika See. Her top-view illustrations breathe life into Pan de Manila’s new Christmas paper bag. Her work shows a Noche Buena table seen from above: plates half-full, hands reaching out, and pets curled by their owners’ feet. In the middle of it all is bread, a quiet witness to days ordinary and special celebrations.
Jerika’s art often feels like memory—warm, crowded, alive with detail. An alumna of the University of Santo Tomas, she left architecture in 2020 to paint full-time. On Instagram, her pieces show everyday Filipino scenes: messy-but-happy tables and fiesta spreads. Houses look like they could be your own lola’s or tita’s.
“Pan de Manila was part of my growing up,” Jerika shares. “Our family would buy pandesal from the D. Tuazon branch almost every day. I collected their Christmas bags as a kid—I would cut them up and use them for my little art projects. So when I was asked to design this year’s bag, I felt like I was coming full circle.”
Her 2025 illustration feels like exactly that—coming home. You’ll find familiar scenes tucked quietly into the composition. It features mano po, cousins teasing each other, flowers and capiz ornaments, with that unspoken warmth that fills a Filipino dining table.
A tradition of everyday Filipino artistry
What many people may not realize is that Pan de Manila’s Christmas paper bags have been small platforms for Filipino creativity for years. Artists like Mia de Lara, Christian Regis, Larry Memije, and Rina Albert-Llamas have all lent their vision to these seasonal designs. Millions of Filipinos bring these bags home—sometimes to give as gifts, sometimes to keep.
Jerika wanted to honor that tradition.
“I grew up seeing different artists on these bags,” she says. “I wanted my design to reflect the Filipino Christmas I know—simple, warm, and full of little stories.”
Why these paper bags matter to Filipinos
Over time, these bags have become more than packaging. People reuse them, collect them, and keep them in drawers like postcards from Christmases past. They remind us of mornings that felt slower—when family came first and the table was the heart of the home. A bag of warm pandesal was enough to start the day with comfort.
As one Pan de Manila team member quietly shared, “Filipinos love keeping small memories—pamasko letters, old parol bulbs, even paper bags that remind us of the holidays. These bags are part of that tradition. They hold more than bread; they hold moments.”
Jerika hopes her work will bring that feeling back.
“When people carry home pandesal in this bag, I want them to recognize something familiar,” she says. “Something that feels like the holidays they grew up with.”
With this year’s design, Pan de Manila continues a simple but meaningful tradition. It honors Filipino artistry while celebrating the rituals that make our Christmas uniquely ours. Sometimes, even something as humble as a paper bag can carry stories of home and heritage. It can carry the warmth we return to every December.
For updates, follow @PandeManilaOfficial on FB, IG and Tiktok, and @Meriendamanila on IG.
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