MANILA, Philippines — Many of my friends will not be home on Christmas. Many even opt to stay away for the duration of the holiday season, choosing to be at faraway resorts or vacation places despite the high cost of peak season travel and lodging.

The following represent their oft-repeated reasons for staying away:

“I can’t take the stress of friends and their friends dropping in, often unannounced and unexpected at all hours of day and night.”

“Relatives, many of them very distantly related to us, feel no qualms about showing up without prior arrangements. Of course, they’re with teenagers who pounce upon our computers and immediately connect with their FB friends. Younger kids tinker with our electronic gadgets like they’re in a mall video game shop.”

“What do I do when they come in all hungry and thirsty? Phoning for pizza or fastfood deliveries would drain our budget.”

“Some of our stuff are missing after these unexpected callers. What do we do without seeming impolite?”

Here are a few tips from veterans who have lived through throngs of Christmas callers.

Hold A Christmas Party – Invite friends to your home on a specific date and time for a Christmas Party. This will let them all know that your home is open to them on that day, and that you will be otherwise occupied with other matters for the rest of the season.

Make it RSVP, and follow up with phone calls, email and text to determine exactly (or as close as possible) how many are coming, so you can plan how much food, drinks and utensils to prepare.

All those follow-up efforts will make your friends feel that you really care to have them over for that specific event; the signal that the rest of your season will be private will not be lost on them.

Child-Proof Your Home – You cannot fight tradition. It is very Filipino to presume their relatives will, and should, welcome their Christmas visit. Protect your possessions, and your sanity, by observing a few precautions.

On Christmas Day, lock up all the gadgets, except the TV set. Unplug and disassemble the computer or keep all electronic items in one bedroom which you should be prepared to keep locked all day.

Stock Up On Munchies – Filipinos love food, and the holiday period is the season for feeding. Be prepared with edibles that are pre-cooked and ready to be reheated either in the microwave or the toaster oven: Individual servings of pasta, mini pizza, hotdogs, pancit.

For more discriminating adults, stock up on sandwich makings: Mayonnaise, cucumber, lettuce, mustard, catsup, cold cuts, canned tuna, cooked chicken.

Boil a dozen eggs, chop them and mix with mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, salt and pepper. This egg salad could be used as a dip, stuffed into bread or spread over boiled potatoes.

The recipe for chicken salad could be adapted to make canned tuna salad or sandwich filling. For fewer calories, pick tuna in water instead of tuna in oil. For extra zing, spread tuna filling on bread, top with grated cheese and brown in a toaster over for a few minutes to produce Hot Tuna Cheese Melt. Use mini pizza crust for more dramatic presentation.

Offer several types of bread: Pandesal, white sliced bread, French baguettes, whole wheat.

Easy Sandwich Buffet – Tired of looking after guests? Place the sandwich ingredients in individual bowls and plates and have the guests make their own sandwiches. The only risk here is that a few guests could munch on all the fillings and not eat any bread.

Pasta Buffet – Thanks to fast food joints, Filipinos are finally getting used to pasta sauce that’s not all red.

Arrange bowls of boiled, buttered pasta on the table with smaller bowls of several types of sauces: Carbonara (with cream), Bolognese (tomato sauce with ground meat) and Pesto (uncooked minced basil with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil). There should also be grated Parmesan cheese and, for those who prefer it, grated Cheddar.

Dessert Choices – A tray of several types of Filipino kakanin is always a big hit. Any big public market has them: puto, kutsinta, biko, cassava cake and several types of suman.

Drinks – Good old powdered orange juice is acceptable as long as there’s enough ice. Intimate friends might expect, or ask for, beer or wine.

Go Green – Please mind the planet and avoid using disposable plates, drinking cups, spoons and forks.