Lotlot and Janine’s memorable holidays

Mama Lotlot (center) with kids (from left) Diego, Janine, Maxine and Jessica

Every Christmas, actress Lotlot de Leon, like a true mama bear, spends an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen. It’s the ultimate gift she can give to her grown-up children, she says.

“I just cook for them,” she quips. “My kids are adults na. I don’t get them anything anymore. I just try to buy something for Max, my youngest.”

For the rest of the fam, she whips up a feast. “Every year, I prepare Christmas dinner for us. My brother Ian and his family celebrate with us. My eldest Janine is the one who loves giving gifts to her siblings.”

Janine Gutierrez, now an actress herself, tends to spoil her brother and sisters. “Even if it’s not the holidays, she grants all their requests,” Lotlot relates. “Janine is really caring. Plus, she has more money for gift-shopping compared to me!”

This year, Janine is treating her siblings to a holiday in Hong Kong, as a post-Christmas bonding session. “It’s our first trip out of the country together,” Janine explains. She says her big dream is to “travel with my grandmother”—that’s Asia’s Queen of Song, Pilita Corrales.

Lotlot de Leon (left) and Janine Gutierrez

When Lotlot travels abroad, like her recent trip to Europe for the shoot of Louie Ignacio’s “Almost a Love Story,” she makes sure to bring home lots of pasalubong (presents) for her kids.

Lotlot reveals the top two items on her wish list. “I want a brand-new car and an iPhone X (laughs)!”

For 2018, Lotlot would like to bag “more projects with beautiful stories, and for my resto business (The South Grill) in BF Parañaque to grow.”

Janine singles out Christmases with her Mamita Pilita as the most unforgettable. “When I was younger, we would all spend the holidays at my lola’s house,” Janine recounts.

Every Christmas is memorable for Lotlot. “What’s important is for my kids and me to be together.”