Actress Bela Padilla had a memorable Christmas in the Philippines when her close friend, actor Kyle Echarri, and his family invited her to spend the holidays with them in Cebu.
On her social media account, Bela shared that she does not traditionally celebrate Christmas.
“As a kid, Christmas time was always challenging…maybe even a bit difficult to navigate because I didn’t celebrate it. I thought this would get easier as I got older but it’s actually proving to be otherwise. I notice that I’m starting to feel more and more displaced,” Bela wrote.
Bela recalled how, as an adult, she would often visit her siblings’ families in London during the holidays.
“London is a haven for me because my sisters and my brother take me in during the holidays. They don’t force me to say anything or to practice their traditions, I’m just welcome to be among family, eating good food, plus Ceri has the warmest home in winter ❤️️,” she added.
When in the Philippines, Bela usually keeps her schedule light during December.
“When I’m in Manila in December, I purposely make very minimal plans, like I was taught growing up, so I don’t think of the day itself as 'special.' So, this year was supposed to be a Netflix marathon with my puppy, Alfie ❤️,” she shared.
However, her plans changed when Kyle invited her to spend Christmas with his family.
“But when my good friend, Kyle, asked me where I’d be and I told him what my plans were he decided to adopt me for the holidays 😂,” she expressed.
Bela then shared that they had their own time for themselves during their vacation where she would often sit by the ocean, trying to get a signal to update her partner, Norman Bay. Meanwhile, Kyle did his workout routines and prepared for their other visitors. Kyle’s father, Jose, then tinkered around the house or checked his jetski, while Kyle’s mother, Marie, made sure everything was ready for the day.
They also went to other places, hiked mountains, swam in nearby waters, enjoyed delicious homemade meals, and played together.
“Tito brought us to Negros Occidental with his speedboat, up mountains and to waterfalls in his pick up truck and tita would sometimes join or stay home with delicious food waiting and in the evenings we played cards, using rocks to mark winners and losers…I lost a lot of rocks,” Bela happily recalled.
Bela also bonded with Kyle’s brother, Nico, who shared her taste in music, saying “I constantly bugged him for titles of songs from his playlists because they’re so me 😂.”
As more people visited the family’s beach house in Cebu, Bela enjoyed spending time with them and felt grateful to be included.
“People came and went and more will come and go in their beach house in the next few days but I feel very blessed and happy to have been welcomed in for a few days, to enjoy the ocean, the mountains, the rain,” she expressed.
Reflecting on the experience, Bela expressed her gratitude for the family’s hospitality and the memories made.
“And the fact that this time next year, I won’t know where I’ll be, but I know that if I won’t be in my sister’s home in Collingham…there’s a bungalow in Cebu that takes in strays like me 🥰,” Bela said.
Kyle’s mom then commented on Bela's post, saying, “You are always welcome in our family @bela. We feel blessed to know you personally & very glad we did… I am sure Our Bella (referring to her daughter who passed away) is smiling too watching over all of us. Next Christmas ulit? And any other occassion you just feel the need to chill & recharge… ❤️Enjoy the rest of your 2024 with Norman, We hope to meet him someday too.”
On Christmas Day, Kyle first shared a glimpse of their holiday activities with a caption: “happy birthday Jesus Christ ❤️ From mi Pamilya and our new '@bela' in the family.”
READ: Kyle Echarri gets a tattoo in memory of his sister Bella: ‘She’ll be looking over me forever’