Christmas Decorations with Sophia watching the lighting of the Dept 56 Villages

I have been collecting Department 56 Villages since about 1999. The reason I began collecting these villages is that it reminds me of when I was a small girl and used to sit under my grandmother's Christmas tree and stare in awe of her tiny lighted paper mache houses.





When I began collecting these I looked for houses that were super-cute, detailed and had the potential to increase in value. Well, I am happy to say that I keep tabs on these special villages and several of them have become more valuable over the years which is exciting and others have not but they are still beautiful to me. They make me smile.

Lucky for me, my husband likes my hobby and supports my obsession. He and I have gone out in search of very special pieces that we both love. Some of these include hand numbered special editions and even one very special limited edition signed by the artist which has become more valuable over the years. Not only do I have Christmas houses but I also have quite a collection of Halloween Spooky Houses and a few other Holiday houses my husband has bought for me over the years. I think he enjoys the search and fun of looking for ones we love.


Last year I was not able to display them because I had a very curious toddler in my house who didn't understand not to touch. This year she has a better understanding that these are mommy's toys and are just for admiring and not to be touched. I missed my sweet little Dicken's and Christmas in the City villages so much last year that I just couldn't wait to pull them out of storage this year. Although I have more churches than the average Christmas town would have, I enjoy them all. Some of our favorites are the Brewhouse which looks like an Irish pub and a University with a stone gateway pictured above. My cat has a favorite piece too. She loves the real working waterfall over on the edge of town. Can you imagine why? I am slowly growing my collection to include more houses and shops to balance out all the churches.





Sophia was so excited to watch me light up the villages after many days of planning and arranging. I think I need more streets for it though because my roads just end in the snow banks. Sophia sat there just in awe that they were all lit and one was even playing music.






I intend for my kids to have these someday so that they can pass on sweet memories of childhood and Christmas to their families.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone