A video about a woman revisiting her childhood bedroom and rediscovering a "magical" ceiling filled with glow-in-the-dark stars from her youth has gone viral on TikTok.
The moment was captured in a video posted by Connor Rogers (@worldofconnor), 29, from Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The clip has garnered over 6.2 million views since it was shared on October 19, 2024.
Rogers told Newsweek: "I was staying overnight for the first time in 10 years when my dad asked for help taking my cousins to the airport in the morning since he works." Living in the same town as her parents, she hadn't stayed overnight at her childhood home since moving out.
The video begins with an overlaid note reading: "When I was a kid I put 900 glow in the dark stars on my ceiling. Tonight, I'm staying in my childhood room again for the first time in 10 years and they're still up...let's see if they still work."
The footage shows the ceiling adorned with hundreds of star stickers, which light up beautifully when the room darkens. A final note in the video declares "still magic," encapsulating the emotional connection to the scene.
The viral post comes as money spent on home renovation was found to have surged over the past three years, with the median spend increasing by 60 percent between 2020 ($15,000) and 2023 ($24,000), according to a 2024 survey of 32,615 users, including 17,713 U.S. homeowners, conducted by Houzz, a home design website.
Just under a fifth (15 percent) of homeowners took on a remodeling of their guest bedroom, while 14 percent remodeled their primary bedroom, the survey found.
'Mesmerizing'
Reflecting on her childhood, Rogers shared the story behind the glowing ceiling. "When I was a kid, I started small with a pack of 100 stars [stickers]," she told Newsweek. "Through the years, I kept getting more until I had an entire galaxy that finished the year I got into high school."
Rogers' parents chose to keep the stars intact even after she moved out, which she believes was a decision inspired by her father's affection for the display. "My parents kept them up because, well, they just never took them down, and I think my dad secretly loves to look at them," she said.
"It was mesmerizing seeing them still all work the way they do," Rogers said of the stars. "It took me back, I felt a lot of comfort and just like a kid again."
'So Magical'
Viewers on TikTok adored the moment captured in the viral clip, with many reminiscing about their own glow-in-the-dark ceilings.
The nostalgia of such a moment resonated deeply with commenters, who noted how rare it is to find remnants of childhood preserved so lovingly.
Google Pixel said "this is so magical" and Roy wrote "Those are pure nostalgia."
Amanda Lynne said: "This brings me back" and arianna wrote: "YOU UNLOCKED ME A MEMORY I HAD THEM TOO BUT THEY DETACHED [cry][cry]."
User @hayleyyjay said: "Imagine how happy they were to see you again."
Madigan Baker said: "They've been waiting a long time to light up your night sky again."
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