MY DICKENS' VILLAGE HERITAGE COLLECTION BRINGS NOSTALGIC JOY

Think I'll need a bigger table surface for my Dickens' Village collection next year. *Click on image to enlarge.

It's been a good four years since I set up my Dickens' Village Heritage Collection in conjunction with the celebration of Christmas...Because of health related issues in the immediate family I just didn't feel like it. Christmas day pretty much came and went just like the previous 364 -- no traditional trappings. Even Christmas carols seemed to lack the usual comfort and meaning.  

While only a couple of people are apt to see the colorful display this year, I thought resurrecting it would help get me more in the spirit of the Yuletide season that I previously loved and looked forward to celebrating.

I started collecting Dickens heritage pieces a little more than 30 years ago and over a period of about 10 years the collection grew, one $100+ piece at a time each year. The prospect of the collection just seemed to be a natural for a traditionalist like me.

Love of the holiday traditions in fact sparked the concept of the Heritage Village collection.  When decorating our homes, we are often drawn to objects reminiscent of an earlier time.  Holiday memories wait, hidden in a bit of wrinkled tissue or a dusty box, until that time each year, when rediscovered, we unpack our treasures and are magically transported to a time and place waiting to be remembered.

The first introduction of the Dickens' Village by Department 56 in 1984 was the beginning of the heritage collection. Extensive research, charming details, and the fine hand painting of the original porcelain shops and village church established them as a favorite among collectors. Other series followed but did not hold the same meaning as the original for me.

The spirit of Christmas in Victorian England was bustling, hearty and joyous. Visitors arrive by horse-drawn coach as shoppers scurried about the village gathering gifts and traditional holiday delicacies. This delightful period was captured best by Charles Dickens in his classic story "A Christmas Carol".  The Dickens' collection recreates a festive holiday spirit of this bygone era with an assortment of shops, houses, buildings and accessories.

Each Christmas when I set up my village I try to create a different scene, complete with Dickens' characters Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and his son Tiny Tim. The focal point is always the local brass band playing carols in the town square as Santa and his reindeer soar over the roof tops. It takes many days for me to get the location of each piece just right and to my satisfaction.

I don't mind admitting that my collection becomes almost real as each year imagination brings the village to life. I had forgotten about the joy it has brought me. I've missed it!

Click on image to enlarge view.