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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Christmas village/train set

20 replies

snappybadger · 30/10/2014 14:34

Does anyone have one? Would really love to make a little village scene on my fireplace hearth and think ds would LOVE it, but not really sure where to start looking. Don't want to pay the earth for it, and maybe it could be something we add to over the years - although would like it to be a decent enough set to start with so it's not just the one house!

Any ideas/suggestions?

OP posts:
HolgerDanske · 30/10/2014 14:39

Gingerbread!

You can make it exactly as you like and best of all it doesn't matter if it's not perfect as that's all part of the charm Smile

Original poster
snappybadger · 30/10/2014 17:09

Lol Holger not quite what I was after...and don't think it will be much fun adding to a mouldy old gingerbread house year on year!!!

OP posts:
HolgerDanske · 30/10/2014 17:19

Hahaha no that's true Smile

But it might be fun to make a different version every year...

(Don't mind me, I'm on a gingerbread track just now -pun wholly intended Grin)

Hmmmm let's see, maybe a disney one if that's your thing? You can usually buy all sorts of Disney Christmas bits and bobs that would probably go nicely together to make a little village?

Or the little ceramic village sets that you can buy house by house?

Ebay is your friend!

lunar1 · 30/10/2014 17:26

I have a lemmax village. I get a big piece and a few smaller bits in the January sale at my local garden centre every year. They reduce new boxed items by 50% and their x-display bits by 75%.

I've got quite a collection for this year!

HolgerDanske · 30/10/2014 17:41

There's a sale on at the moment Grin

www.christmasatdawsons.co.uk/lemax-villages.asp?gclid=CK-ZuYD21MECFYXJtAoddmkAlQ

Goldenlab · 30/10/2014 17:51

I love Christmas trains and have been looking for the perfect one for years (never found if yet). However, Thomas Kinkade does the Christmas trains that come closest to my idea of perfection. They are horribly expensive new, but not too bad on eBay.

HolgerDanske · 30/10/2014 17:58

I have the perfect solution for you, Goldenlab:

GINGERBREAD!!

Grin
Goldenlab · 30/10/2014 18:23

I made a glorious gingerbread house last year, but one of the dogs ended up eating it! My requirements for the perfect Christmas train are actually very specific - in an ideal world I want a large snow globe with a moving train in it that travels through a small village and in and out of tunnels. I don't want Santa in there though. It's really got to be like a small train set. (it doesn't exist does it.. Apart from in the film Polar Express)..

HolgerDanske · 30/10/2014 18:27

Awww it sounds amazing. I hope you find it someday Smile

Original poster
snappybadger · 30/10/2014 19:39

Holgar I have bought an Ikea gingerbread house! It'll be mine (and ds's) first time making one so I'm looking forward to it. Love the idea of a gingerbread train though!

Oooh, those Lemax ones look lovely and not too unreasonably priced either. Although I think it will be a slow growing collection rather than a ready made village unless I receive a nice windfall soon. Of to browse and decide whether to go for it or not.

OP posts:
HolgerDanske · 30/10/2014 19:45

The good thing about trains is that but for the engine, the cars are really easy to construct. And you can pile them high with treats and sweets as freight!

Good luck on making and decorating the house Smile

Guitarghoul · 30/10/2014 21:26

I started a thread on Christmas villages last year, I don't know how to link on the iPad but there are some gobsmacking ones on YouTube. Type Christmas village Orange County into YouTube and it's the first result.

IsItMeOr · 30/10/2014 22:55

We bought a Department 56 one when we were in the US.

Love this train one.

nic013 · 30/10/2014 23:30

I might make a village scene with houses made from strong card. There are some good templates on the internet. They could also possibly double up as advents if you made 24 of them. As for the train set, I would probably get a cheap wooden set and upcycle it to make it christmassy

Original poster
snappybadger · 31/10/2014 00:23

The Department 56 ones look lovely but too pricey for me! I decided to take advantage of the good prices and 15% discount and bought these two:

Christmas Shop

House

OP posts:
HolgerDanske · 31/10/2014 00:33

Yay! Your very own Christmas village!!

lunar1 · 31/10/2014 07:09

They are lovely. Maybe when we get them all out we can start a christmas village thread with pictures.

Goldenlab · 31/10/2014 07:49

I've not seen the Department 56 store before. Thank you for the link. It would be nice to find some more good UK websites as I've bought stuff from the US before but it works out horribly expensive when you add the import tax.

Fermin · 31/10/2014 08:22

You don't know anyone in Germany do you? That's where my Xmas village obsession started. They're called licht hauser or something like that over there and they are ceramic and beautifully made. They can be found in all the Christmas markets in Germany and I keep meaning to go to some of the German markets that we have over here to see if I can add to my collection.

saiyme09 · 31/10/2014 08:36

Marks and spencer at the moment have them in the gift section ! We have one at home there lovely!

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