It’s the season of gift-giving, and like many, Aubrey Miles expresses her love through thoughtful presents for her closest friends and loved ones.
She shared this holiday tradition in an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), shortly after she and her husband, Troy Montero, attended Pop Mart’s Coffee Factory Pop-Up at The Block, Level 2, SM North Edsa, on December 12, 2025.
Some people often choose generic gifts, while others simply ask what the recipients want.
Aubrey, however, makes each gift truly special by being intentional—carefully considering what each person would genuinely appreciate and delighting him/her with a thoughtful surprise.
Aubrey said: “Ako gusto ko yung nagagamit ng family or kinu-consider ko kung gaano sila kadami sa family or may anak ba sila o anong character nila, hindi ba sila ma-material o mas praktikal ba sila?
“Before, mga friends ko, they ask me, ‘What gift do you like?’ Ako, I don’t like asking ano’ng need nila kasi para medyo old school ako.
“Hindi ako yung modern na, ‘O, bibili na lang ako ano’ng kailangan nila.’ Ako gusto ko pa ring may surprise.”
Aubrey also wants her creativity to shine through in the gifts she picks, making sure each one reflects both the recipient’s personality and her personal touch.
She told PEP: “So minsan, I’ll feel them… ‘O, itong tao na ito, I think more practical, so we’ll give them a basket of big groceries,’ ganyan, for the family or for the husband and wife.
“And the kids are different, siyempre, toys, ganun. Gusto ko na yung creativity ko gumagana. Ayoko nang tinatanong, ‘Ano yung kailangan mo na lang?’
“Parang feeling ko kasi, pang-mag-boyfriend or pang-mag-asawa na lang yun, e, yung, ‘O ano pang kailangan natin sa bahay?’
“Gusto ko pa rin may surprise na, ‘A, ang galing niya naisip niya ito.’ May ganun akong fact, may mga ganun akong gift thinking.”
AUBREY MILES’ CHRISTMAS WISH
But does Aubrey have something she’d love to receive this Christmas, too?
Aubrey shared that she would prefer to travel and make memories than get any material gift.
“Alam mo ba nakakatawa, wala akong ano [material wish], gusto ko lang mag-travel lagi, yun lang sasabihin ko, which is grabe…
“Hindi sa pag-aano, gusto ko lang more travel na lang. Sabi ko kay Troy, ‘O, can you save like this?'”
And if a family member—especially her husband—insists on giving her a gift, she skips the expensive presents and instead saves the money for a trip they can take the following year.
Aubrey said: “Sasabihin ko na lang okay, like this, ‘I like this ganito,’ may toys, mga hindi mahal. I’ll say, parang, ‘I like this for Christmas.’
“Ayoko nang masyadong mahal because sasabihin ko sa kanya, ‘I want to travel next year. Let’s save for that.’ Ganun na lang ako.”
She added: “Alam mo, to be honest kasi, ano ako ngayon…now, I’m okay. I want to do more travel with the family.
“Parang more on memories over parang… parang materials. Basta bigyan mo ako ng something na wag nang mas mahal.
“Wag nang mahal kasi I’ll demand travel or staycation somewhere with the family… Gusto kong pumunta ng Mongolia ganyan, mga ganun.”
HOLIDAY TRAVEL
Aubrey actually received her Christmas gift early, as she and her family had already flown to Vietnam for a holiday break.
They brought Troy’s mom, Cynthia, along with them so she could experience the trip, too.
At the time of the interview, Aubrey told PEP: “Nandito kasi ang mom ni Troy from Seattle… minsan lang mag-visit.
“So we’re gonna take her to Vietnam kasi ang dad ni Troy kasi is a [U.S. army] veteran, di ba? Veteran from ano, sa Vietnam sila [na-assign].”
Aubrey added, “Actually, we’ve been there. Nag-tour na kami do’n before ni Troy so sabi ko, “I think the family will enjoy it, too.”
“So dadalhin namin sila for the first time, for them, tapos kami, second time.
“So we’ll do city muna, then magku-cruise kami overnight sa Hanoi, sa Ha Long Bay. So yung mga yun. Tapos magtu-tour kami na city lang.
“But most likely, hindi kami masyadong… yung mga medyo malalayo kasi we have a senior citizen and we have Rocket so kailangan medyo light tour lang.”
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