And I do it.
Whether it goes back further, I'm not certain. I just know that I remember villages underneath my grandfather's and the old man's tree every Christmas I've ever known.
The village can be elaborate or simple. It can contain old style houses crafted from papier mache and newly crafted ceramic houses from the Dickens Village collection. There are figurines aplenty as well as tiny evergreens dotting the snowy countryside. The old man and I keep the village to the era of the 1890's in New England. No cars. But that isn't a strict rule. My grandfather, for instance, made his more a Christmas village replete with elves and other magical creatures.
Oh, and there's the train. My grandfather never incorporated a train. But the old man certainly did. Not only a train - when we lived in our first house - but a trolley as well. With the tracks criss-crossing. My brother and I have carried on with the train. I can't say it's as elaborate as my father's, but it works well enough.
The old man, of course, has taken the village to new heights. Not only does he have a train and countless little moving parts and pieces, he also has a water scene. With boats, beach sand, and a lighthouse that sits atop a rock he retrieved from the Savin Rock area in West Haven.
The final finishing touch? A white picket fence that lines the perimeter of the village. It prevents the gifts from falling into the village. It also acts as a deterrent to pets who like to play with and eat the pieces therein. I don't yet have a fence to surround mine. I'm working on it.
The village is certainly a crowd pleaser. I couldn't imagine Christmas without it.
The Old Man's Village (2005)
 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
TD's Village (2007)
 |
| From Family Pictures |
No comments:
Post a Comment