Lemax is proud to offer product exclusives through our preferred retail partners Kmart, Michaels, Sears, and Gift Spice.
If you have always dreamed of starting a Christmas Village collection, here are some tips to get started.
- Decide on a General Style for the Village.
- Decide Which Brand to Collect.
- Where to Find Village Pieces.
- Don't Wait Until December.
- Accessorizing your Village.
- Display Ideas.
In 1984, Department 56 released the first pieces of its popular Dickens Village series. This series was and continues to be a favorite among collectors, with some villages selling for upwards of $8500!
Lemax buildings are mainly in the 1/64 to 1/48 range. A rare few are scaled larger. They are closest in scale to O, O27, ON30 and S gauge trains. Lemax Figurines tend to be about 60mm scale, which is closest in scale to G and Standard Gauge.
The buildings in most Christmas villages, such as those made by Lemax and Dept. 56 are around 1:48 (although a shack might actually be modeled in a slightly larger scale and a lighthouse in a smaller scale so the larger buildings don't overwhelm the smaller ones). Most Lemax and Dept. 56 figures are about 1:32.
Both produce similar themed buildings but Department 56 definitely has more sophisticated designs that are scarier and feature more realistic details. This is the biggest advantage over Lemax who has a more overdone and often silly aesthetic. There are so many accents, bats, webs, colors, signs, figures, etc.
Department 56 was founded in 1976. Originally, it was part of Bachman's, a retail florist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bachman's employed a numbering system to identify each of its departments. Bazinet sold Department 56 in 1992, and remained in company leadership positions until his retirement in 1997.
19 Of The World's Most Magical Christmas Towns
- Vienna, Austria. Vienna.
- Valkenburg, Netherlands. Credit: Kerststad Valkenburg.
- Woodstock, Vermont. Credit: Felix Lipov/shutterstock.com.
- Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland. Rovaniemi.
- Nuremberg, Germany. Nuremberg, Germany.
- Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg, France.
- Bruges, Belgium.
- Riga, Latvia.
From Mexico to Malta and northern lights to sunny skies, these 15 destinations celebrate Christmas better than the rest:
- Malta.
- New York.
- Bath, England.
- Barcelona, Spain.
- Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland.
- Nuremberg, Germany.
- Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Quebec City, Canada.
9 Small Towns That Go All Out for Christmas
- Have yourself a very merry Christmas in these nine charming locales across America.
- Natchitoches, Louisiana.
- North Pole, Alaska.
- Branson, Missouri.
- Woodstock, Vermont.
- Durango, Colorado.
- Leavenworth, Washington.
- Santa Claus, Indiana.
Top 10 of the world's most Christmassy destinations
- Lapland, Finland.
- Rothenburg, Germany.
- Solvang, California. Every year, this California-based Danish town celebrates Winterfest, a month-long festival dedicated to all things Christmas.
- Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville.
- Old Quebec City, Canada.
- Bethlehem.
- Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen.
- Woodstock, Vermont.
- Make Holiday Popsicles. (Can be done from home!)
- Decorate Pine Cones. (Can be done from home!)
- Head to a Christmas Tree Farm.
- Make Spiked Hot Cider/Hot Cocoa.
- Show Off the Holiday Sweater (in a virtual meeting)
- Go Ice Skating:
- Put up Christmas Lights.
- Make and Send Christmas Cards.
These Are the Most Festive Christmas Towns in America
- Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Visit Stockbridge Massachusetts/Facebook.
- Big Spring, Texas. Hotel Settles/Instagram.
- Leavenworth, Washington. Getty Images.
- Asheville, North Carolina.
- Williamsburg, Virginia.
- North Pole, Alaska.
- St.
- Durango, Colorado.
Christmas Town is a family-friendly holiday event offering more than 10 million lights, a Christmas Town Express holiday-themed train ride experience, festive food and drink, unique holiday shopping and heart-warming shows to make the spirit of the season come alive.
Ouray, Colorado. Known as the Switzerland of America, during the winter this “village” transforms into a vision of white, snowy paradise. In addition to the lovely garland decorated Victorian buildings, each year a special guest visits just before Christmas.
