Mike and Heidi's Christmas Village

Almost every year, Mike and Heidi's Christmas tree is surrounded by a Christmas village that seriously wins Christmas. I am always dazzled by it. This year, in a quiet moment during our hectic visit, I got to sit by its sparkly light with Heidi and ask her about it. Side note: the best advice for the holidays that I've ever heard is to simply ask people questions and really listen to the answers. If it wasn't for that tidbit of wisdom I wouldn't have learned about this beautiful tradition. For the sake of remembering and maybe making our own one day, here's what she told me:

- Grandma Evelyn Nuffer (Mike's mom, Lydia's great grandma) started this! She used to set it up under her own tree and eventually gave it to Mike and Heidi years ago. 

- M&H gradually added to it over the years, sacrificing when the family was young to buy a new feature every year or so. 

- They used to buy the pieces at Emporium, but after it went out of business, they got them from Macy's. 

- These are the real deal - no cheap plastic here! They are made of hand-painted ceramic with night light bulbs on the inside. They are pricey, but also timeless and lasting.

- Sometimes they have a toy train running around the village. This was a gift to the kids one Christmas, and apparently now Daniel is the only one who can set it up the right way. :) 

- Setting up the village takes a full day. Here's the process: crates and boxes are stacked together to make tiers. Then a table-sized piece of plywood goes on top and a plastic table cloth covers the whole thing. The tree goes on the tallest layer. Once it's straightened out and perfect, quilt batting is layered over the tiers to make 'snow.' Then the village pieces are set in and electric cords are nestled under the batting. Everything is attached to one power strip so the whole tree / village scene can be turned on together.

The result is a sparkly burst of Christmas festivity - a tradition that's worth continuing!