Here at Casa Santa, nestled in the verdant landscape of Jardin de Miramar on San Jose Extension,
stands a two-story museum built in honor of the jolly old man in red suit.

One finds in this charming house all manner of Santa Claus trinkets—figurines, toys, dolls and other
items—from the personal collection of businesswoman Edna N. del Rosario that could be the largest
of its kind in the country.

At latest count, there are 2,410 Santa Clauses here of virtually every shape and size, from meter-
long figurines to centimeter-long ones.

There’s a dancing Santa in hip-hop attire, a Santa lying in bed with Mrs. Claus, a Santa with
earphones sitting on the potty, a Santa waiter serving cola, an Eskimo (Inuit) Santa in snow clothes
and a flying Santa on a parachute.

On the second floor, one can play chess on a board with Santa characters, from the kings and
queens down to the rooks or, perhaps, a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with little Santas substituting for
round stones.

That certain magic

And the centerpiece of Del Rosario’s collection: A Swarovski crystal Santa Claus riding his
reindeersleigh.

For Del Rosario, nothing feels like Christmas more than a smiling Santa, evoking memories of the
little girl she once was who wished for this or that on chilly Dec. 25 mornings.
“Unlike other Christmas symbols, Santa inspires a different emotion,” she said.
“With Nativity scenes, you feel somber because there’s a religious mood. But with Santa, you’re a
child again.”
“When the kids come in, you can see their faces light up. They’re just awed by everything,” Del
Rosario, who has no children of her own, said.
“There is a certain magic which Santa brings to everyone at any time of the year. It draws you back
to childhood memories when you believed in Santa. It also brings nostalgia to people who once had
a happy childhood.”

Searching for Santa

Del Rosario, president of Jardin de Miramar, a 3-hectare venue for parties and receptions, has
traveled to more than 60 countries in search of Santa items.

“That’s the first thing I look for when I travel. My eyes just zoom in on anything Santa,” she said.
From her trips she usually returns home with a luggage full of Santa trinkets, especially from
European countries like Germany. From her US jaunts, “I come back with balikbayan boxes full of
Santa items.”

And when there’s no Santa symbol in the country she’s visiting, she tries to “translate the equivalent
of Santa in their culture, especially in non-Christian countries like Burma, where you will not find a
Christian Santa,” she said.

“There I was able to find Santa’s symbolism in their Heavenly Gods stitched and framed in red silk
threads.”

Most expensive

But there’s at least one place where not even she could find a semblance of a Santa Claus:
Antarctica. “But that’s understandable. There are only about 6,000 people there, and there wasn’t
much to see except the ice and the penguins,” she said.

Her most expensive piece is the crystal Santa which she bought for P20,000. Her cheapest is worth
“probably no more than P50.”

Casa Santa, although often advertised as open all year round, actually isn’t. It wasn’t even open on
Christmas Day. “December really isn’t our busiest month. It’s November, when children and students
are not busy preparing for Christmas,” she said.

Except on every first and third Saturday of the month, when guests can just walk in from 2 p.m. to 4
p.m. upon paying a P100 entrance fee, everything is by appointment, Del Rosario said.

For private bookings, the entrance fee averages P180 per head for a 45-minute tour of the facility.
“It’s up to them if they want to spend all their time at Casa Santa or explore the other parts of Jardin,”
she said.

Kris Aquino an exception

Most of the guests are schoolchildren and teachers who come by the busloads.
Unlike at squeaky clean museums, the pieces at Casa Museum may be touched or played with, but
within reasonable limits, she said, which is why once a year the house is closed for general cleaning,
when the Santas are soaped, scrubbed and rinsed.

Del Rosario said she started work on the house 14 years ago when she had it rebuilt and renovated.
For years, the interior design by the late artist Aleli Vengua was appreciated only by her friends and
family.

It was only in 2004 when she opened it for public viewing as an extra source of revenue for her
business, Del Rosario said.

Her Santas are not for sale, but recently she made an exception for one showbiz personality: Kris
Aquino.

“There was this really pretty plastic bubble Santa that you blow up. Her magazine people wanted to
feature it and when Kris saw it she said ‘I want to buy that.’ In exchange, I asked for a whole page ad
instead of a half-page in her magazine,” she said.
“I got a good deal, considering that the ad probably saved me P30,000, and I bought the Santa for, I
think, just $50,” Del Rosario said with a laugh.

Christmas without end

At 59, Del Rosario feels her pursuit is not over.

Despite her many travels, she has never stepped foot in the North Pole, where tales say Santa lives,
or even in his supposed hometown: Rovaniemi, Finland.

She understands the amazement of children and even adults when they see her Santas. She can’t
blame them.

“I’m already turning 60, but year after year, I’m still excited by Christmas,” she said.
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The owner of the collection has been picking up Santa figures during her travels over the past decade,
scouring boutiques, department stores, curio and antique shops here and abroad for unusual depictions of
Santa and other symbols of Christmas.

It will take a visitor a whole day and long into the night to look at and appreciate each of the figures, and
it’s a fascinating encounter if you have the vivacious owner annotating as you go along. Many of the
figures are interactive; press a button or give it a push and Santa bursts into song or starts dancing, or the
sleigh starts moving and the reindeer gallop.

The smallest figures are a set of six frolicking Santas that are less than a centimeter high; the largest are a
rotund life-size Santa climbing a ladder and another in a life-size sleigh loaded with gifts, which our model
gamely climbed aboard. There is a set of matryoshka Santas as well as a Swarovski crystal Santa in his
sleigh.

A piece of fern bark from Baguio has been painted with Santa faces on its many nodes by Aleli Vengua, who
also designed the entire Santa display.

A sleeping Santa lying in an antique French crib actually snores; Mrs. Claus is quieter in her repose nearby.
Another sleeping Santa in the same bedroom lies regally in an old four-poster bed, with more Santas watching
over him. Both are, of course, covered with Santa blankets.

On the stairs leading to the second floor, Santa careens down the railing with his reindeer at full speed.
Upstairs, Santa waits to take visitors on in a game of chess–on a set with Santas representing the
different chess pieces, of course. The tall flower of an agave plant is used as a Christmas tree to display a
collection of interesting ornaments, like Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

The Santa house used to be the owner’s family vacation house. Built almost 50 years ago, it was
recently remodeled by architect Rosario Encarnacion-Tan, avid promoter of indigenous architecture,
particularly of bamboo.

The house is situated on a three-hectare property in San Jose Extension in hilly Antipolo, a quiet, genteel area
except for the tricyles taking a shortcut through the road outside. Little used now by the family, the property
has been converted into a garden-like venue for parties, and welcomed its first visitors this Christmas season.

Divided into different themed areas, Jardin de Miramar–as the place is called–hosts parties,
receptions and other functions in its lush multi-level gardens landscaped by Tony Leaño with stately royal
palms and serenity waterfalls. Hammocks strung between tall trees tempt visitors to laze an afternoon away
with a good book or a nap, lulled by the soothing sounds of water and the wind rustling through the trees.

A unique feature is a 30-foot boat, reconstructed from an actual 50-year-old fishing boat used by the
owner’s family in their deep sea fishing business. The Angelica was retired and some of its wood was
used to build the “Noah’s Ark” in the Galera section of the garden, which also features a lighthouse,
totem poles and a marine-themed metal sculpture by Ral Arogante. Dramatic lighting was done by renowned

lighting designer Shoko Matsumoto, who also designed the lighting in the Santa house.

The rest of the wood from the boat Angelica was used for the trellises, benches and other accents throughout
the garden.

Behind the Santa house is an area called Intramuros, a mini version of Manila’s old walled city.
Featuring adobe walls with an aged look, it is reminiscent of turn-of-the-century Spanish architecture.

This season–and anytime of the year–visit Santa and all his relatives at this very special house,
and put some ho-ho-ho into your life.

***

Casa Santa and Jardin de Miramar are open all year round. Call 817-1589 or
emailmiramar@globenet.com.ph for more information.