It takes a village.
At least, at Christmas…in our house…it does. A magical, tiny village displayed on a table at just the perfect height for curious little eyes.
I think my love for miniature vignettes began as a child when our family would make an annual 2-hour pilgrimage (hey, living in the country, this was an event for us) to Thalhimers department store in Richmond, Virginia, every Christmas. I was mesmerized by the animated wintry scenes of carolers, their painted faces oscillating back and forth. I knew they weren’t real, but I still felt a thrill when their eyes glanced my way. Everything was white, sparkling, snowy. Trees brilliantly lit with thousands of tiny bulbs.
I confess. I have not one, but two Christmas villages I assemble each year. When my children were small, I began collecting santons from the south of France. I added to these little ceramic statues provincial stucco houses, mountainside sheep, and a Mediterranean landscape built with smooth, flat rocks. This became our Christmas creche, our nativity; so yes, our children probably grew up believing that Jesus was born in the Cote d’Azur.
In a future post, once I begin setting up our creche, I’ll share with you some great tips on making mountains from paper bags, snow from flour, and other cost-saving ideas that work especially well for a rustic landscape.
My boys enjoyed the little village so much (okay, maybe I did too) that I later began collecting the Christmas in the City series by Department 56. But before you start envisioning pre-lit houses plopped down on a tuft of cotton snow, think again. Honey, I build a whole infrastructure to my village. Then I carefully detail every stone step, front door and frozen lake. Think magical, just no oscillating heads.
Since we moved to an urban condo in Covington, Kentucky, this past year, I am going to replicate my new neighborhood with my Department 56 village…even the Roebling suspension bridge, a well-known focal point in Cincinnati. There will be the Ohio River, an old cathedral, the courthouse, and possibly a pug taking his daily walk.
If you have a village and want to amp it up a bit this year, here is a link with some great tips and basic instructions from Tulsa Tiny Stuff. If you belong in the advanced class, check out the post below from Marty’s Musings.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also share some other very cool options for holiday villages. I’m in love with these cardboard Putz glitter houses.
I will definitely be tackling those sweet glitter houses next year. But for now, I just have to find a pug the right size for my Christmas in Covington cityscape.
First update – my Christmas creche is done!
Second update – my Department 56 village is also done, as a representation of my current digs, Covington, Kentucky!
