The Christmas Village of Awesome. January 5, 2007
Several years ago, my mom bought a little four-building set of houses to put on top of the entertainment center at Christmas time. She rolled out some cotton, bought some little people, lit the houses and called it good.
And it was, for a while.
Then she started finding bigger, fancier houses at Kohl’s. More detailed pieces. Shops and cabins and boat docks and churches and playgrounds and ferris wheels.
And the village grew.
My dad, being something of a train enthusiast, decided to add a train to the mix, causing a move from the living room to the game room. He started building tunnels and bridges and mountains.
And the village grew.
Today, it takes up 3/4 of a room that used to be a garage and is a continual work in progress. The cotton has been replaced by mountains and roads carved out of styrofoam. The store-bought trees, acceptable for a while, have given way to homeade trees of dowel rods and sponges. There’s a lake. And an ice-skating rink. And a downhill ski slope. And a carnival.
And it is awesome.
The ski slope:
The neighborhood:
The ice skating rink:
Hotel and shops:
The carnival:
Food stalls at the carnival (I love the colored trees):
Carnival parking lot:
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OMG, that is awesome! is this a year round display now since it is so big?
Um, that is freakin’ awesome! Of course, few things can compare to my aunt’s village, which used to contain a little man pushing his own head in a wheelbarrow. Alas, she fixed him, but it was awesome while it lasted!
Seriously though, incredible set-up!
That is fan-freakin’-tastic.
(I vote for the homies to come back next year.)
Nice pictures. How did your Dad carve the styrofoam so it came out so shiny like carved snow? Some special heat tool? Looking for just this type of display method for our ever-expanding Christmas setup.
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Chris! He does use a heat tool… it’s like a wishbone shape with wire between the two ends, and it kind of vibrates and shaves the styrofoam. I don’t know where he got it, exactly, but I do know there are tons of website out there for just that kind of thing. Good luck!