This Santa collector’s museum is on the ‘nice’ list

Of course, I believe in Santa Claus! Or else, I wouldn’t have survived in this world!

Santa Claus has always been “real to me” throughout the years. As a child, I looked forward to Santa’s coming every Christmas as, for sure, he would make my wish list come true. I wrote a letter to Santa every year and I would tell him how nice and not naughty I was and would give him a litany of the good things I had done before I finally came up with my list. 

In fact, I kept a diary in which I would place my letter to Santa to make sure he knew that what I had been doing all year was good.

Santa never failed me — even up to this day! Come hell or high water, the child in each and every one of us keeps Santa alive in our hearts.

Thus, I was so happy to meet Edna Del Rosario, a Santa collector for 17 years. She started collecting in 1994, believing that it is the happiest collection to have. And don’t we all feel the happiness and ecstasy on the faces of children as they rip open their gifts from Santa? 

In fact, don’t some of us adults say we Filipinos have Christmas all year round? And for those who do not, don’t they wish it were so? Indeed, we have so many blessings to be grateful for! 

The Casa Santa Museum lies at the center of a lovely garden in Antipolo, Jardin de Miramar, specially designed to celebrate milestones and special events. 

It houses almost 4,000 pieces of her growing collection of Santa Claus figures (as of last inventory) with more added periodically as Edna finds interesting ones in her travels. 

“The last Santa I bought was in November and I just keep buying Santas wherever I go. The best place for me to look for Santas is Rottenburg, Germany. It really is Santa Town with the most beautiful Santa Museum,” Edna recounts. 

“I’m not into antique Santas, though. As you can see, in my collection, I have all kinds of Santas and Christmas-themed items from different countries around the world in different forms and styles but none of them are antique,” Edna says of her collection.

“One of my favorites is a unique Michael Cacnio ‘bomb’ sculpture of Santa,” she shares. 

“I also have a Lego Christmas collection, Precious Moments collection, Santa dogs, wooden Santas, miniature Santas less than an inch tall, Barbie and Snoopy Santas, Russian matryoshka dolls and snow globe Santas, a Santa chessboard and many more,” Edna proudly enumerates. 

“I believe that having this Santa Museum helps to educate kids about Christmas traditions of different cultures. During the Christmas season, we would usually have a live Santa here and he plays with the kids and poses with them for photo ops.

“I plan to expand the scope of the Casa Santa Museum,” she continues. “By 2018, my friend Gloria ‘Dodit’ Reyes will be adding her belen collection to my Santa collection.”

In this era when gothic versions like Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas have become so popular with kids, complete with video games, songs, collectible figurines, etc., I hope Jack Skellington won’t eventually replace Santa Claus! 

We all have our very own Santa Claus. One who is unique to us. One who keeps us inspired and motivated when the world seems to think we can’t do anything right. 

One who puts a smile on our faces after falling flat on the ground. One who makes us feel the value of justice after the rug is pulled out from beneath our feet or some other type of injustice.

Santa may be one who fills our wallets just after we’ve spent our last centavo. He may be the one whose light shows us the way out of a mess. 

One who will keep us in touch with a long-lost family member or friend. One who will stir up a deep and maybe secret feeling and make it come alive. One who can give us spring and summer in winter and make us love winter for its own beauty and magnificence.

Santa may be somewhere “out there.” But look again, and we will find him in each and every one of us.

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Email the author at nikkicoseteng2017@gmail.com or text her at 0997-4337154