Department 56 North Pole Village

For the last couple of years we have decided not to decorate the outside of the house with lights to save both time and money – please don’t call us Scrooge! Living in the Midwest the weather conditions can get very harsh and I usually keep all my exterior decorations under the roof of the porch to keep everything safe from the elements. In the entry hall I set up a whimsical 24” Santa displayed with two elves hanging onto the branches of a small Christmas tree.

Nearby I have a pair of black ice skates hanging from an antique sled with a Boyd’s moose named Mortimer.

Whenever I am shopping in the antique stores, I always look for holiday items – on my wish list is a set of old skis and poles and hopefully I will be able to find it before next year. The bottom shelf holds the Boyd’s Bear Village and I decorate the display with winter trees and tiny snowflakes.

On another side of the room, I have displayed for the last a couple of years our Fontanini Nativity set on an antique table that my husband’s Grandmother kindly gave us. Next, to complete the family room, I will set-up a display on the fireplace hearth with a traditional 29” Santa, his two reindeers and a small Christmas tree. (Please check out my previous December Décor posts for more detailed information on the Department 56 North Pole Village display and the Christmas stockings and Fireplace Mantel decorations)

I add a few small pine trees and additional figurines and these are set-up on a beautiful elongated mirror and silver stand. Now, this can get a little tricky because the room needs to function as a full service kitchen, so the counters need to stay clear of decorations because food and meals are being prepared and eaten at the table on a daily basis. Several years ago I found the perfect Christmas theme for the holiday decorations in the kitchen – gingerbread and candy canes!!

So, in the space above the upper cabinets I usually set-up a Department 56 gingerbread train that is displayed with pine boughs, red berry sprays and this year I have added “white icing” snowflakes to give it a different look. Please be careful with the holiday decorations in this area because with the extreme heat from cooking you don’t want anything that is flammable or a fire hazard.