For our display, the table I use is 66″ long by 30″ deep, on which we display 8 lighted buildings and 1 accessory mountain (which occupies about the same space as a lighted house). This works out to ~1 1/2 sq ft per lighted building.

This gives us plenty of room to lay out our M&M and Gum Drop paths and distribute our elves (and other accessories) without the village looking like Rockerfeller Center when the Christmas Tree is being lit.

The Department 56 North Pole series village display combines beautifully crafted and detailed buildings, with more highly detailed (and very adorable) accessories, which should be admired from all sides. This will be even more important when they are lit up, since spreading them out will give the village a more subtle glow. If the buildings are too close together, their charm and warmth will be lost.

The value of your Department 56 North Pole series village display is more than just the beautifully crafted and detailed buildings, it also represents family memories from years past, and many years to come.

The North Pole series holds endless opportunities for you to create the village of your imagination. Do you envision whimsical factories making M&Ms, Yummy Gummy Gum Drops, Snow Globes, and everything that’s needed for a joyous Christmas?

How about a village that’s a little more kid friendly? Every child wants to build an igloo out of snow, but how about an igloo sitting high atop a tree? In Elf Land, that’s known as the Frostbite Tree House Day Care. Children also need to remember that Santa is always watching, or at least his elves are, and the Naughty or Nice Detective Agency always has their eyes open, whether you’re sleeping or awake.

Although Santa and Mrs. Claus are the most well known residents of the North Pole, there simply wouldn’t be a Christmas without the elves. These unsung heroes of Christmas take care of everything from making the toys to decorating the trees, and even tending to the reindeer. So if the elves are your favorite residents of the North Pole, your village can be transformed into a magical Elf Land, with just a few select buildings and whimsical accessories. After all, elves are people too, and they love to eat Smores, and funnel cake, go hiking and cut down their own Christmas trees, go ice skating and have fun just as much as anyone else.

The variety of accessories available with the North Pole series and Elf Land is not just limited to elves. There are also a wide variety of trees, small kiosks (selling funnel cake, etc), street lamps, and walk ways made of gum drops, M&Ms, and even peppermint swirls.

So whether or not your vision of the North Pole is that of hustle and bustle in many cozy lighted buildings and fanciful factories or of elves having fun in a magical land of gum drop trees and peppermint paths, the Department 56 North Pole series and Elf Land will have something for you.

If you were starting a company to produce ceramic replicas of idealized houses for different historical and fictitious settings what would you name it? I’m sure Department 56 is not the first phrase that comes to your mind; so how did it come to theirs? Let’s find out..

Welcome to Stillwater

One Christmas, a group of friends planned to celebrate the Holiday with a quiet dinner in Stillwater Minnesota, a peaceful village along the St Croix river. Decorated for the holidays and coated with a fresh blanket of snow, this idyllic and picturesque village captivated the friends. As they dined in a peaceful country inn, charm of the street lights sparkling on the freshly fallen snow evoked an evening of wonderful Christmas memories. The storytelling and memories were the inspiration for recreating this scene with a lighted Christmas village.

Over 30 years ago, Bachman’s, a premiere retail florist in Minneapolis, used a numbering system to identify each of its departments. The wholesale gift division was Department 56.

The dream was brought to life when, in 1976, Department 56 introduced a series of six hand-painted, ceramic buildings. These premiere buildings were the foundation of the original Snow Village Series.

The Rest is History

1986

The Heritage Village Collection expanded to include The New England Village Series and The Alpine Village Series®.

The World of Snowbabies™ figurines are introduced.

1987

Christmas in the City® and the Little Town of Bethlehem™ added to the Heritage Village Collection.

1990

The North Pole Series™ is added to The Heritage Village Collection.

1994

Introduction of The Disney Parks Village Series™ and Snowbunnies®.

1997

The Classic Ornament Series introduced.

1998

Seasons Bay™, the first year-round village, representing a late 19th-century American resort town.

Elf Land™, an extension of the North Pole Series™, is  introduced.

Snow Village Halloween introduced (did you know that Halloween is the second most celebrated holiday in the United States?).

2001

Special and Limited Edition pieces are designed to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of  The Original Snow Village®

2005

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