Christmas Family Tradition

We have several family traditions but the one we start with is putting up the 10ft long Christmas winter village display. This all started when I was invited to a ladies home one evening for Christmas goodies. I saw these cute little houses with lights in them and cotton snow underneath placed on the fireplace mantel. It was love at first sight and when I got home I told my husband I would like to buy some of these little houses and add this to our Christmas decorations.

So we began to research villages and decided on the Lefton Colonial Village. We began adding each year to this collection and purchased houses and accessories in several locations and states. Eventually we had enough to get our youngest daughter Lisa started on her own beginner set. 

Lisa is the one who helps my husband each year with the display. He is the electrician and gets all the lights working in the houses and my daughter stages the village differently each year. The grandchildren have gotten into the act and help with all the village boxes and unwrap the little people and accessories.  It is a lot of teamwork putting this up each year but it has become a family tradition that I look forward to.

Three generations putting up the village

 Katie unwrapping all the village people

Three of my grandsons helped bring out all the villages boxes

In the midst of a full and often very busy holiday when I view the display it has a calming effect on me and I recall times when things were not as hurried and life moved at a slower pace. It helps remind me to slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy this wonderful season of my Lord and Savior's birth.