In My Village

Christmas came early for me this year. I bought myself a gift that I have always wanted. A village.

Okay, not a real village. A little Lemax light up village. I always thought they were so charming and I just loved them, but I never wanted to pay the hefty pricetag to get a village started. When I saw a few stores in my area were having huge sales on their village pieces (I'm talking 50 and 60% off!) I decided to bite the bullet and start my own. I'm so glad I did. I can't tell you how much I am enjoying it.

Welcome to my village.

Since we are a skiing family I decided to make my village as if it were a tiny little skiing village in the mountains.

The farthest building is atop the big hill. It is a ski chalet, complete with skiers coming down the hill. This is one of the kids' favorites and it makes them so excited to go skiing.

True to life, at the bottom of the ski hill is a little pub. I always ski better when I have a little drink so a pub on the hill is a must.

Next to the pub is a waffle hut and hot chocolate stand. I love how there are three boys standing in line for treats because when my boys go off skiing by themselves we can always find them on the back of the hill in the Homestead Lodge drinking hot chocolate.

Next to the waffle stand is a cafe. I love the tin roof and the bear-proof storage. Reminds me of being up north. Back in our prekids days when Todd and I would go skiing with a group of friends we would always stop for breakfast before we hit the hill. Many of the places were little mom and pop restaurants that looked much like this and served breakfast platters with names like "The Paul Bunyan". We never left hungry. 

In the center of the village is an ice skating rink with three boys and a girl skating together. Perfect, no?

Next up is a quant little cider and candy shop. I knew the kids would love this one. They especially like the dog lying on the front stoop and the treats you can see through the window.

Next up the road is our little cabin. This is my favorite. I love seeing the Christmas tree and the fireplace through the windows.  There are fishing rods and a boat leaned up against the house and a little stack of wood around the back. I would love to live in a cabin like this.

Once again we have three kids playing in the snow and a father and kid hauling wood, just like up north. The yard is complete with a birdhouse, birdbath, and a snowman. 

Next to our cabin is a bakery, because who doesn't love fresh bakery in the morning? You can see the baked goods inside the store and the baker hard at work. Out front is a little girl sitting on a bench with a puppy tucked into her jacket. Guess who that is.

And of course, my village would not be complete without a chapel. The Hillside Chapel is indeed up on a little hill looking so charming and welcoming.

There you have it, folks. My little village. I think I may have to sneak a few more buildings in there as the years go on (I saw an adorable library and a toy store that would be perfect) but for now I think my village is looking good. I am honestly like a little kid with this. It was so fun designing a little village that I would love to live in. I sit in front of the display with a cup of coffee and just stare. I don't know why I love it so much, I just do.

The kids are ga-ga over it too. You should have seen them the day they came home from school and saw it all set up. You should have heard them oohing and aahing over every last detail. They were so excited. So often I'll walk into the room and catch one of the kids sitting in the dark in front of the village. Maybe we all would like to live there.

It is a lovely little winter ski village.

I think this will be one of those decorations that everyone looks forward to setting up each year.