Christmas Miniature Villages from Department 56

Christmas Miniature Villages Make Charming Holiday Decorating Ideas

Decorating for the Christmas holidays is the probably the way most families kick off the season.

Hauling out those boxes of lights, ornaments and treasures from the attic or crawl space, and deciding where everything goes is part of the fun.

For some things, like the tree, there is always that special spot.

For other decorations, you may want to try something different. Collectible Villages are a wonderful Christmas decorating investment that you can use to change your holiday look from year to year.

Pieces from Department 56 snow village series for example, are wonderfully detailed, hand painted, and historically accurate where possible. Arrange these charming village buildings on the mantel, sideboard, or end table and kids and adults alike will enjoy gazing at them for hours.

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Collecting Christmas Villages

It’s easy to get hooked on Department 56 snow village buildings, but deciding which piece from the hundreds of buildings available in the catalog is a much harder question. Where to begin?

First think about the decorating theme of your holiday decorations. Are you more traditional, whimsical, or child oriented? Do you want your decorations to reflect where you live today, where your ancestors or family originated, or do you want to show nostalgia for times past?

To help you, here’s a quick review of the snow village series available from Department 56.

Dept 56 Original Snow Village: this is Christmas in small town America. You’ll find mission style houses, main street shops, bungalows, filling station.

North Pole Series: this is the place where you’ll find Santa, Mrs. Clause, the reindeer, and of course all the elves getting ready for Christmas.

Dickens Village: of course inspired by the Victorian England of Charles Dickens famous books. You’ll find the London buildings from A Christmas Carol, Westminster Abbey and an English pub or two

Christmas in the City: cityscapes from the country’s big cities, featuring restaurants, businesses, ballparks, and street vendors. You’ll also find Radio City Music Hall, Wrigley Field, and the Empire State Building.

New England Village: features Christmas scenes in 18th -19th century America

Alpine Village: features a European Christmas ideal in the mountains and alpine regions of Bavaria

Little Town of Bethlehem: this series is the Department 56 nativity set.