Christmas is in the air again at the home of a Bacolod businesswoman known for her festive life-size holiday decorations that have drawn many to drive by her home over the years.
Ginnette Yanson Dumancas, one of the owners of Vallacar Transit Inc. and other businesses, said she did not decorate her home at Capitolville Subdivision in Bacolod City for Christmas during the COVID-19 pandemic because it would not have been appropriate with all the suffering people were going through.
But this year she felt it was time to bring back the festive Christmas spirit.
A 25-foot Christmas tree now sits at the center of her living room and a large manger scene in another room to remind one and all why we celebrate Christmas, she said.
There is also another nativity scene in her yard complete with life-size figures of the Holy Family and the Magi.
At the front of her house Santa Claus with a bag of gifts is seen climbing up a rope.
Life-size Santa Claus figures in different poses, reindeers, snowmen, elves and Mrs. Claus also abound around her property for everyone to see and enjoy.
The Christmas decorations at the home of Ginnette Yanson Dumancas at Capitolville Subdivision in Bacolod CIty.*Ronnie Baldonado photos
Dumancas said she has been decorating her home for the holidays since 2008, and only missed doing so in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. This year it was done with the help of Tet Ledesma, she said.
The decorations are up after October 15 and are taken down after Three Kings day.
Dumancas, who is married to Charles Dumancas, said their two daughters were born in December so it is a festive time of the year for them.
It’s a season for everyone to be happy as we remember happy childhoods, she said.
Their daughter, Dr. Carissa Dumancas, works at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and has two children.
Their other daughter Cathrina Dumancas is enrolled at Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts, for a master’s degree in real estate and sustainability.
Dumancas said she hopes that the spirit of Christmas once again reminds everyone to be kind, loving, giving and happy.
Christmas is a season of hope as we celebrate the gift of Jesus, who will always be there to guide us, she said.*