I have a secret hankering for those Christmas 'village' type ornaments but can't decide whether they're a bit naff or not?

[Guitargirl]

Have always had some weird kind of fascination with these, keep getting drawn to them in garden centres, etc. The sensible side of me says they're kind of naff looking but I do covet a whole village around the Christmas tree, am thinking something like this. I reckon if I bought one a year then I might have a whole village by the time the DCs are adults!

Anyone got any?

I also want a train and track to go around the bottom of my Christmas tree but I know my minded children would touch it !!!

Look how lovely they are lit up!

I used to have a Christmas train than went around the tree, on a track, playing Christmas tunes

Christmas is supposed to be tacky and naff, it's the law.

Haha xpost

has taken his Christmas village to a whole other level

I have been watching train tracks on EBay for about a week or so now .

Lego - what was the Costco one like?

I've got a Christmas village. A friend was selling it - she had bought so many pieces that she had run out of space - and I bloody love it. There's a church with real metal railings round it and some shops and a skating pond and skaters and trees and streetlights and a lamplighter with a ladder and a Victorian Dad hiding a present behind his back for his daughter and benches for the street and a sleigh....

It may be naff (not that I care) but when its lit up in the evenings it looks lovely

Tis all here

Folly - your village sounds lovely! I have just been watching the Orange County lady on YouTube giving her neighbours tours of her villages (plural). She mentions Department 56 quite a lot. Do you know where your friend bought her village pieces from (assuming that you/she are in the UK?)

She bought some of it on hols in America, then Harrods used to stock it but stopped. More recently she was buying it online and get it shipped to the UK. There are a few figures on Amazon UK, but cant see any houses. will have a dig around and report back

They're naff and twee, but I also like them (not sure I'd dare to buy)

Ah thanks, I have found a few bits and pieces on EBay and on another website which seems to be based in Scotland. I would guess that the EBay crowd are probably 'proper' collectors, so may just watch a few pieces to see how much they go for.

It had a fibre optic river, a train that ran through tunnels and music. It was epic!

I have this notion of me in my (much) later years having a collection of these and my grandchildren loving them and remembering granny's little christmas houses

Mmm, cant find any sites other than the ones you mention, unless you buy on a US website and ship them (which I bet costs a fortune). Its a shame really. Will take some pics this Christmas and pop them on here, lots of lovely naffness!

That video is awesome. I just watched it like

I want a train track for around the tree. Might have to wait until the baby grows up though!

Christmas is a time for tacky, surely. If you can't have a flickering light village on your sideboard at christmas then when can you.

I want one. Problem is I want my brother's one. I'm transfixed by it when i'm there but I've not seen one the same so keep dithering.

DD and her Uni friends just watched that Youtube video. She tells me its time to trade up

The are really naff..

However, I had a huge village with lots of lit up buildings, lit up Xmas trees, working traffic lights and a nice rink. I has it when I lived in the US so it wasn't expensive. We had it for a few years when the kids were little.

I gave it away because it took up too much space and was a bit of a faff

I have one . I set it up last night, it takes up our entire dining table. It has mountains, lit up houses and shops, a stream, a stone bridge, lit up Christmas trees and street lamps... My 7 month old loves watching it. DH is very supportive and buys me something new for it every year. I think it's magical

Infinite - have you got any photos?

Folly - when will yours be going up?

Have wanted a train track round the tree for ages, I reckon my DCs are probably old enough now not to trash it completely. This will be the year!

Glad I'm not alone loving the wonderful naffness of Christmas villages Am feeling v jealous of Infinite's village though.... What do you use for snow Infinite? Oh and photos please!

The friend I bought mine from has real stone headstones in her churchyard. Fab.

Ours will probably go up in a couple of weeks Guitar, but you've made me want to get it out of the loft now.

We have 5 or 6 Noma wooden houses which are lit and I put them out on a white sheet to represent snow scene. The Noma ones are cheap, pretty, and I love them!

I don't think they are tacky actually.

So there.

I think the key, is how you display them.

Displayed in a subtle way, not on some great big plinth, they are not tacky, discreetly on a side board, or dresser....just a few, to create a little scene charming and lovely.

Also for children they are magical. Homebase has a flying FC ONE which I love.

@ that link GG! Hilarious, its the up beat music.

I love these We have one with a train that goes through a snowy mountain tunnel, it has fibre optic lights and plays Christmas music (optional). We've had it about 15 years, it is a little battered by now, but I love it