Ask most people what their favorite time of year is and they will undoubtedly answer Christmas. Christmas is just simply the most magical time of year regardless of your age. It offers a time to enjoy your home, your family and friends, and to deck your halls.

Unfortunately for us Christmas devotees, the weather right now is sunny, the temperature in most parts of the country would melt even the thought of Frosty the Snowman and we are five months and counting until the first strand of Christmas lights goes up. However, no matter what month is on your calendar, it’s never too early to plan for our favorite time of year.

Even in the warmest months, our collectors are planning the layouts of and selecting the newest pieces to go into their Department 56 Village collection. If you have started your own heirloom village, then you know what I mean. If you are new to collecting Department 56 villages, then let me welcome you. This is your opportunity to create something special to enjoy with your family year after year.

Our collectors add new pieces each year and expand their villages as time goes by. There are several ways to show off your collectible village pieces. The most common way is to create a diorama on a shelf, mantle or piece of furniture. This vignette method allows you to enjoy all of your pieces in an interactive way and create a true “village” setting with meandering paths, babbling streams, and parks, complete with citizens strolling through your own holiday world.

Another way to display, and a favorite of mine, is to incorporate the pieces into your everyday decorating. Use them as bookends, in curios, in centerpieces, inside of apothecary jars, or set them around the house in mini scenes to enhance your holiday decorating. Department 56 has made this exercise even easier through their development of the Display Anywhere Lighting system.

Using 3 AA batteries, this system replaces the conventional light bulb and cord and allows you to place the pieces anywhere you please, even inside of a container. This new lighting system also allows you to turn on and off your lighted houses with a remote control. Now that’s Christmas for the modern home.

When I was a kid, my dad hauled out the toy train set to set up around our Christmas tree. Today, we set up the village around the house. Some years we even leave a few pieces up beyond Christmas. It’s your house and your village, have fun!