Anesthesiologist Dr. Rico P. Absin credits his child-like obsession with Christmas to his late mother, Doña Alicia Pañares Absin, who loved to decorate her home for the holidays. It was in 1988, his first Christmas without her, when Dr. Absin started decking out his Spanish-styled ancestral home in Dumaguete City with all things Christmas, so much so that it practically lit up the entire block. That was all of 22 years ago. Since then, Dr. Absin's Christmas House has gone through hundreds of kilometers of Christmas lights and opened its doors to countless visitors from all over the country and the world.
Dr. Rico Absin's Christmas house doesn't just light up the entire block, it lights up the faces of lucky visitors who get to see it. Photo by Dong Villegas
Everyone is invited — especially those who haven't quite gotten into that Christmas spirit yet — to drop by Dr. Absin's Christmas House on 143 Hibbard Avenue (the road that leads to Silliman University) in Dumaguete. Visitors come around not only to marvel at the Christmas lights and decorations festooned all over the sprawling house's facade and its capacious front yard, but also to admire Dr. Absin's antique collection. Dr. Absin is an avid collector of antiques and Lladro figurines, and has seamlessly combined these with his collections of angels and cherubs.
Dr. Absin's extensive collection of antique figurines go well with his Christmas theme. Photo by Dong Villegas
Despite all the items he has on display every year, Dr. Absin claims he can immediately tell when an item goes missing. Five dining areas are set up inside and around the house for Christmas. Preparation and setting up start as early as September. Planning starts as early as January. This year's theme is The Wizard of Oz. And the feast is not just visual. Dr. Absin has gone to great lengths to compile an album of songs with the word "rainbow" in them, so that these nights, the melodious variations of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Rainbow Connection" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" can be heard all throughout the house and front yard.
Songs of rainbows and happy Christmases waft through the air, delighting visitors of the Christmas house. Photo by Dong Villegas
Out on the street, motorists slow down or stop for a few moments, its occupants deciding if they should join the scores of gawkers already standing outside the gate, with most taking countless photos of the glittering display. Visitors from as far as Bacolod City and Iloilo City are known to drive south on Negros Island and spend a weekend in the capital of Negros Oriental, just so they can witness the configuration of lights and design motifs limning Dr. Absin's Christmas House, and go inside to become even more wonderstruck. When asked how he could open his house to strangers year after year, the always amiable Dr. Absin laughs and says he draws inspiration from his guests' enjoyment, their looks of wonder and awe.
Dr. Absin's home is open for anyone who wants to experience the joy of Christmas. Photo by Dong Villegas
He recalls how a widow, still grieving for her husband, once approached him and thanked him for "making me enjoy Christmas again." Apart from his personal, yearend tribute to his mother, Dr. Absin also thinks it his duty as a Dumagueteño — and truly, Dumagueteños now think of Christmas House as theirs, too — to continue what has become a Dumaguete tradition through the years. The highlight of the season is Christmas Day, when Dr. Absin and his foundation Friends of Christmas House host the city's street children at the Christmas House. "Sharing and spreading the Christmas cheer — that's what Christmas is all about," shares Dr. Absin.
- KY, GMANews.TV 
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