The Philippines shows the world how to celebrate Christmas

Photos: Why the Philippines leads the world in celebrating Christmas
A long and lavish Christmas – Christmas celebrations in the Philippines are the longest -- and most lavish -- in the world. These beautifully lit trees in Makati City, Philippines were captured by iReporter Martin Javin.
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Photos: Why the Philippines leads the world in celebrating Christmas
Christmas lanterns – Christmas lanterns known as 'parols' light up many a Filipino mall, home or street, as seen in this image by Christian Bordo. They were created in 1928 by an artisan to help villagers find their way to churches to pray.
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Photos: Why the Philippines leads the world in celebrating Christmas
Lighting the way – The parol lanterns are most likely nowadays to be powered by electronic lights, but their beauty still caught the eye of iReporter Stephanie Masalta.
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Photos: Why the Philippines leads the world in celebrating Christmas
A candyland Christmas – Some displays are more common than others -- this unusual candy house display in Binan City intrigued iReporter Pauline Alvarez. "You can't help but smile at the sight of this. Isn't that what Christmas is about?" she said.
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Photos: Why the Philippines leads the world in celebrating Christmas
Pachyderms on parade – iReporter Aaron Banaticla loved this outlandish elephant light display near his Laguna home, although he was at a loss to explain why locals had chosen the creature for their Christmas decorations.
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