50 lanterns illuminate House of Stars in Baguio

A doctor here has been helping her corner of the city feel the holiday cheers through her illuminated House of Stars.

For the past 10 years, the home of Dr. Nimia Concepcion has been converted into a giant Christmas diorama, drawing the curious and the annual Yuletide well-wishers and carolers to her doorstep.

Everyone traveling north of Baguio will always encounter the Concepcion house, with its 50-foot Christmas tree and elaborately lighted Nativity scene looming large behind the St. Vincent Church along busy Naguilian Road here.

Alfonso Concepcion III, Nimia’s son, said: “We just wanted to decorate the house before with lights. We never thought that we could get that much positive feedback from people we know and even from people we do not know, and that they look forward to [our decorations] every year.”

Because of the feedback, the family started to conceptualize each year’s motifs, he said.

Last year, the house wanted to express the idea of falling raindrops so the family decorated their home with hundreds of small lights.

This year, the family commissioned a lantern maker from Pampanga to make 50 lanterns in the shape of stars that they installed in front of the house.

Nimia, who is part-owner of Pines City Doctors Hospital, and Lolita Eugenio, a family friend, take time to plan the house’s holiday look.

“We are doing this in the spirit of Christmas. We want to bring joy to the people. We keep improving our decorations every year because the people have been very encouraging, so [improving the holiday decor has become] a family tradition,” Concepcion said.

The family turns on the house’s lavish décor from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each night. On Christmas eve and Christmas Day, the family keeps the lighted display open until 1 a.m.

The Concepcions’ two-story house has been around since the 1950s. The  family starts decorating the house in October. The decorations are sourced from Manila while others are made to order.

“We usually spend P18,000 for our electric bills during the Yuletide season but we do not really mind because we do this only once a year,” Concepcion said. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon