Family Tradition

One of our favorite Christmas traditions started when one year my husband came home, arms laden with shopping bags and announced that we are starting a village! He had purchased about 4 houses and some accessories. Well, that was just the beginning. Ten years later, we now have about 30 to 40 Department 56 houses! (I try not to count them) This year in order to keep the size manageable, we decided to split up the villages. Usually we do not start setting up until after Thanksgiving. However, this year just feels different. We are feeling the Christmas spirit much earlier. And it seems to me that a lot of our customers are as well.

We have already watched 3 Christmas movies, and, I am so happy to say that we have already finished 2 of our 3 villages! Now we can relax come December and enjoy just looking at them.

The pictures shown are of our Christmas in the City Village. I have discovered that our set ups never photograph well. When I use the flash it completely takes away the charm of the softly lit buildings. So in order to let you see how enchanting it really is, I used my camera on the candlelight setting which doesn't use flash. The only problem is you have to hold the camera very still. Which I obviously cannot do. Sorry if some of them are a little blurry.

You can get your own village started at M & Co. Papery. We carry the Department 56 Original Snow Village, Christmas in the City, and the North Pole houses. Our Christmas would not be the same without these little lovelies.

-M.