Christmas is extra special for actress Melissa Mendez this year. For the first time, she is celebrating it with granddaughter Danielle, child of her eldest daughter Denisse with Japanese-Brazilian model Fabio Ide. “She is the first apo, even in the families of my sisters and brother. Having Danielle around is overwhelming,” the actress told Living Stars during our visit to her Quezon City home.
Melissa said she was looking forward to another grandchild, a boy this time, from her second daughter Cassie. (Her youngest daughter is Alexandra.)
Christmas preparations start early in Melissa’s home. She begins decorating the house with her daughters in November. “We don’t set up the Christmas tree until we’re complete,” she said. “It’s a family tradition. We make hot chocolate with marshmallows and play Christmas songs. (The girls loved listening to the Chipmunks when they were growing up.) This is something I learned in church—your family should have a tradition that your kids can look forward to each year. They will pass it on to their own children so it has to be very special.”
Melissa said Denisse was only 12, Cassie, 9, and Alexandra, a year old, when they started the Yuletide ritual. She recalled that the girls were made to choose specific areas in the house to decorate all by themselves. While Christmas is the most special holiday of the year for them, the actress said decorations were toned down this year. She explained, “We decorated only the receiving room and dining area because we have a baby and Cassie is expecting any day now.”
Melissa said they always spend Christmas Eve at her mom’s place nearby. “My four siblings and their families also turn up on that day. We organize parlor games for the kids, the help and visiting relatives from Batangas. At midnight, we eat noche buena and then exchange gifts.”
On Christmas Day, Melissa cooks lunch for family and guests. “Last year, I hired a caterer, but made Christmas turkey. I enjoy cooking so each year, I come up with different dishes—pasta puttanesca and aglio e olio, or chicken pastel and caldereta. This year, it’s roast beef with gravy. My girls like lechon Cebu. Last year, Denisse promised to buy one every Christmas Day.”
“A lot” changed when she became a grandmother. “I became more focused on family and work. I used to make time for parties; now, when I don’t have work, I’d rather stay home and take care of Dannie,” said Melissa, cast member of the ABS-CBN drama series “The Gift of Life.”
She watched over Danielle for a whole week when the baby was confined in the hospital for a viral infection. “It was tough, doing nothing. I couldn’t watch television when Dannie was asleep. I’m the type who likes keeping her hands busy.”
When not baking cookies or cupcakes, Melissa is into art. Her home is adorned with, aside from her own paintings, pieces by Hermes Alegre, Norma Belleza, Ivan Acuña and national artist Cesar Legaspi.
The most memorable Christmas for her was in 2013, when her younger sister, actress Glenda Garcia, was declared cancer-free. “She had stage 2 breast cancer. She lost her hair to chemotherapy and radiation treatment. I cut my hair super-short in support of her,” recounted Melissa, eldest of five siblings.
“We’ve always been close as a family, but that experience brought us much closer,” she shared with Living Stars. “I consider Christmas a time to focus on God and accept Him as the source of our strength.”
She added: “Glenda is OK now and back at work. She also plays tennis regularly. Her faith in God never wavered.”
(E-mail: mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)