The Christmas Village

Years ago, at Christmas time...my favorite decoration was the little village that was set up under our live tree. A snow white sheet was spread around the base of the tree and mounded with things under it to resemble hills and valleys. The very old little village was taken out of it's dusty, crumpled, box and the fun began. There were eight buildings...to match the strand of eight lights. The houses had colored cellophane windows...so that by putting a light bulb in the little hole in the back, it would seem to be coming from inside the little house. I always placed the Church on the very top of the mound of sheets. It just seemed to me the best spot. The other houses were placed here and there around the bottom. We had some bottle brush trees to put here and there and a little family made out of felt and pipe cleaners. There were animals too...little sheep made out of wee clothespins wrapped with yarn. Some little cars made there way down the pretend road. A vintage Santa and his sleigh made out of cardboard was held together with scotch tape. The very last thing to go under the tree was some cotton. It was pulled apart and spread around to resemble snow. Each year the rough tops of the houses, that had glitter snow on the roofs, had to have strands of cotton removed. My little brother hadn't been born yet, so there weren't many presents to put under the tree. In those days we got maybe one toy, a stocking, and the rest of our gifts were clothes. This little village was probably my favorite thing. Maybe that's why I love my village today. It isn't made of paper...it's made of ceramic. I got the Church on the far left first. It was a gift from my husband. This was way before villages became so popular. I have other buildings that were gifts from my daughter and a dear friend. Mine is a mixture of brands...not all are Dickens buildings. I have my village broken up into two spots this year. One on my dry sink in the dining room and the other on top of the bookcase in the breakfast nook. We enjoy looking at these while we eat and in years past the Grand kids would move the little people and trees around to suit them. I always checked to see what my kids did to this village after they left. Do any of you have a Christmas village? Do you remember the old, old, ones in the past? Do you still have them? I wish now that we had saved them, but, we were anxious to get all the new shiny things for our decorating and these old things were just tossed. Lucky people with attics might have them still and we see them in antique shops and now on Ebay. Another thing from the good old days gone from most of our lives.

Balisha