Christmas in the Village

A Christmas village is something our grandchildren always look forward to each year. I'm more than happy to supply that good memory for them because i love it as much as they do.

December is a wonderful time to start checking Goodwill and thrift stores for 'village' houses and figurines, I also buy them after Christmas when they are marked way down.

Michael's also will have after Christmas sales, that's where I bought the winter tree that has little lights in the branches.

I push lights up into the inside of the houses also.

Use a mirror under the buffalo snow for a skating pond, I also like to sprinkle some plastic snow here and there, some of it has Diamond Dust glitter mixed in and it looks so pretty when it reflects the colored lights.

I have a lot of different skaters, the more the merrier.

Goodwill has wonderful prices for Christmas items, you have to look for quality but I found it was very easy. Over the years I have bought houses and figurines to supply our grandchildren with villages of their own.

The reindeer stable, bakery and Santa's workshop, all hand painted. I get the figurines usually at bargain stores, like big Lots, always after Christmas when they are on sale.

I also check Goodwill regularly during Christmas, you can buy them very cheap there and they have some really nice ones.

I do the same at Easter and Halloween, you would be surprised what you can find there.

I purchase fabric, brand new and furniture, because I love refinishing furniture or repurposing other items by painting and also decorative painting them.

I also find a lot of tupperware items there, very inexpensive compared to what you would pay to the company.

This was one of the first porcelain houses I painted, the bakery. I used acrylic paint, water based, fast drying and easy clean up. I put 'snow' on the roof and chimney (out of a jar), added glitter and used a gloss vanish for shine and reflection of the lights.

It is so much fun putting the village together every year. Nothing goes in the same place twice, that's what makes it so much fun, you can be creative and do whatever you want.

The grandchildren always inspect the village when they come and find the figures they like the best.

It's also fun to get a few new figures and put them here and there for them to find.

I sometimes will buy extras and give them to the kids to take home with them.

How fun it is to build a Christmas village. Mine started when I painted several porcelain houses; a bakery, Santa's workshop, the reindeer stall, a church (pictured here) and many others.

I have a long buffet in the dining room where I put small twinkling lights, buffalo snow and my houses and figurines. I didn't have anything like it when growing up so I have accomplished recouping a part of my lost childhood, lol!

I love evenings, when I can turn off the room lights, turn on the village lights and enjoy the sight.

Now this could get very expensive but I am a bargain shopper and my motto is "NEVER pay full price".

Merry Christmas to all!