Rosalie Bautista is staring at the little infant Jesus asleep in the manger. She has just put up the holiday décor in their home, and it’s starting to truly feel like Christmas.
The heirloom belen is atop a side table, the gaily trimmed Christmas tree stands tall in one corner, a beautiful holiday wreath hangs on the front door, and, beside it, a four-foot Santa Claus stands watch in the living room. Dozens of garlands and silver Christmas lights have turned the place into a child’s holiday wonderland.
It is what Rosalie and her husband Robert have always imagined Christmas at their home is going to be. But this year is extra special because in a few weeks they will welcome their first baby, a boy they decided to name Mikhail, which means “Gift from God.”
“Mikhail, after all, is the best gift we would ever receive on this most blessed season,” enthused the 35-year-old mom-to-be.
Rosalie and Robert had waited five years for their first baby, spending their first few years of married life saving up for when they decided to start a family.
During those earlier years, they also enjoyed traveling, spending time with old friends, and shopping for stuff for their home—a modest-sized, two-bedroom townhouse just a short drive from their workplaces.
The couple had turned the second bedroom into a storage space where they stashed most of their wedding gifts, old books, mementos, and other collectibles. They had also gradually filled it with several new acquisitions from shopping trips, here and abroad.
“The clutter simply accumulated through the years,” said Rosalie.
But when they found out that they were having a baby, they converted the room into a nursery and immediately looked for a space to place the horde of items previously stored in the said room.
“That’s when Robert and I did some research online and learned about this concept of ‘self-storage.’ Apparently, the practice of storing one’s belongings in a safe and secure facility outside your home has been around in the US for quite some time now,” she shared.
Rosalie and Robert discovered Loc&Stor 24/7, a self-storage facility in Metro Manila. That very same weekend, the couple checked out its facility in Pasig.
During their visit, the couple personally inspected the facility, and they were immediately impressed with its security features, the convenience it offers, the cleanliness of its premises, as well as the professional customer service.
“Right there and then, we knew that we’d found the answer to our prayers and the space we needed for our peace of mind,” shared Rosalie.
The old storage room in their home has been transformed into a nursery room with pastel-colored walls, housing Mikhail’s tiny white crib, fluffy pillows, and stuffed toys.
“Our home now looks bigger than it actually is. And this Christmas season, we are set to welcome Mikhail to a home that is full of love, and free of clutter,” said Rosalie.
Loc&Stor 24/7 has storage spaces for rent in Pasig and Makati.