Epic Christmas Village II 

I come here every year to view Epic Christmas Village from the first video to the last. It's become a Christmas tradition! I've even recommended watching these videos to friends and family. You should be on one of those Christmas programs showcasing this fantastic World you've created.

The music is the emotion. Without it, there is no nostalgia.

It's really wonderful that three generations of your family share the Christmas Village tradition. Your thoughts are heart-warming and inspiring. Thank you for sharing them.

WooooooooooooooooooooooooW. I would LOVE to see this in person. Incredible display

Thank you Toni! I started with 1 house that I picked because it reminded me of the house I grew up in. After that I slowly added pieces that reminded me of special times, family trips or significant events. Before I realized it my village had grown to Epic proportions. Stick to pieces that stir memories and your village will be awesome.

This is my favorite layout ever

With everything that's happened this year I'm looking forward to Christmas in July preview.

Thank you Debra. It's wonderful comments like yours that motivate me to begin planning the next Epic Christmas Village. Your comment really means a lot.

Thank you Stacey. The moving school bus, cars and people are moving on the Department 56 VILLAGE ANIMATED TRACK. The track comes with pegs that you attach to the bottom of whatever you want to move. Department 56 stopped making the track awhile ago but you can still find them occasionally on Ebay.

star attraction has to be subway station w/ red train and its opening doors! WOW! and of course, every city has to have its chinatown. so original! and your photography is clear and eye appealing. no clutter, surprises and 'adventure' throughout! you must've rec'd some type of award for this display, no?

Thank you. The automated system at the beginning of Epic Christmas Village II is the Department 56 "VILLAGE ANIMATED TRACK". It was only produced between 1996 and 1999, but you can usually find one used on EBAY.

Oh my goodness!! Our humble layout taking shape this October has a long way to go....this is truly magical to old and young. I’m stunned by the subway train just amazing. Thank you for sharing the magic 🇺🇸🇬🇧

Thanks for the compliment. The track in the beginning of Epic Christmas Village II is the Department 56 "VILLAGE ANIMATED TRACK". It was produced between 1996 and 1999. You can usually find a used one on EBAY.

The surface of the mountains is a thin sheet of plywood covered with styrofoam insulation. The face of the mountains is the same styrofoam painted brown. There is one mountain used as a divider that is just a 2 inch thick piece of styrofoam standing on edge and painted brown.

me too. 1969. I have been collecting a few items over the last year or two. not much . I just found this sight. AWESOME!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for your comment. You've given me added motivation as I begin this year's Christmas Village. I don't have a blog and I'm not sure that I have a particular system. My Christmas Village changes every year and each new design just sort of happens. You should consider making a video of your Christmas Village this year, Personally, I think some of the smaller Villages are the most interesting.

Thank you Bismarc. Some of my favorite buildings are the ones we started our village with years ago, I'm sure your Snow Village will quickly become a Christmas tradition. The blue train at the beginning of Epic Christmas Village is the Lionel Polar Express. The red Subway train is the O scale Lionel NYC Transit Authority R30 Subway. These fit really well with the Department 56 villages.

Thank you Sunny. It's true about the Times Tower. Department 56 has a "fix" on their website. Click on the Collecting tab then choose Village Collecting, then Display Ideas, then Times Tower. It's just a download of some glue on numbers. I seems ridiculous but it actually looks pretty good. I never notice the fix after I change it each year. The Times Tower is a great addition and a real focal point.

Thank you Tina. I edited with Adobe Premiere Pro and used a layer mask for the area of the drive-in movie screen and added the home movie video as a second layer. I like to take the Christmas Village down each year and start fresh in the Fall. I think that coming up with a new design each year is half the fun. I already have some new things in mind for next year.

Just lovely! I cried when I saw the dedication at the end. If the creator has passed away, the world has lost a beautiful soul. Only someone hopeful could create this magical display!

Thank you. Happy to hear you are starting a village of your own. I found almost all of the houses, people, vehicles, accessories and animated features on Ebay. Most of the fine details, such as sand, rocks, snow and small decorations were found at local crafts stores. Some things, like the subway station I made by hand. Good luck with your village.

It's fantastic that you have been keeping the Christmas Village tradition for over 17 years. Thanks for your comment.

Thank you. It's wonderful to hear that it resonates with you.

I really like building them. It has grown so much that it not only consumes my entire living room wall to wall and from the floor to the ceiling it is now also in two other rooms. I think I need a building just to put my villages out. I change them every year and love to have the folks from church come every christmas to see it and sometimes even a scavenger hunt game finding things in the villages.

Thanks. The garage with the snow thrower guy is one of my favorites.

The best village ever. Trying to get mine together but many things you have like the skiers on hill you can't get. Absolutely beautiful

Thank you Tim. I also find that hiding the wires can be incredibly difficult and time consuming. Whenever possible I try to drill holes directly under the buildings and run the wires straight down, otherwise I cut a narrow "V" shaped channel in the styrofoam surface, push the wire into the channel and fill in with snow. Sometimes however there is just no good way to hide the wire except to cover them with white batting. Good luck with your village this year. I'm sure it will be fantastic.

Always great to hear from a fellow Christmas Villager. Thanks for the nice compliment.

Thank you so much for sharing. I've been collecting pieces for 18 years - since my Daughter's first Christmas and imagine I'll have to hand it over to her someday when she has a family herself. For now, it's a favorite time for me and my Dad to spend together every holiday setting up the train, and all of the village pieces. It takes us days - as it does most collectors - but it truly brings me joy year after year! Thank you again!!

Thank you. Kids definitely love the surprise of the red subway train. I'll try to incorporate some wide shots this year as best I can. Epic Christmas Village II and the upcoming Epic Christmas Village III have a way of dominating the space in a room. That creates difficult camera angles, but I'll give it my best shot.

Epic! 2018 season is almost here! I am spending all morning getting ideas for this years village.

Thank you for sharing your viewing experience. There was a lot of nostalgia in the making of Epic Christmas Village II. I'm really happy that it came across and that I could share that feeling. Mostly I'm grateful that you would share your thoughts. Thank you. Most of the elevation changes are just varying layers of styrofoam insulation with the higher levels being further back of course. It's already white so all that is needed is to rough up any sharp edges and sprinkle a little snow.

WOW. Didn't think Christmas villages went this far. Mind blown.

The Department 56 "Santa's Sleigh" was produced from 2000 to 2007. You can usually find a used one on EBAY.

Yes, both trains are O gauge. I think it is the best fit for the Snow Village in particular. Some people prefer HO gauge to go with the smaller Dickens Village. If you like trains,Epic Christmas Village III has 6 trains and I believe that number will increase for the next Epic Christmas Village later this year.

That's great! You'll be surprised at just how fast a Christmas village turns into a family tradition.

Thanks you Medina.I really appreciate your comment. Merry Christmas!

So beautiful

Thank you Zombie. Epic Christmas Village III should be posted in the next few days. Hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!

At the 7 min mark the yellow and red trolleys that are going up and down..it's really nice..thanks for the help and advice as well!! Really beautiful

It's definitely a labor of love. Thanks for your comment. Merry Christmas!

The red train is made by Lionel. It's called the NYC Transit Authority R30 Subway Set. They also make a similar train in green called the R27.

I cant' tell you how many times I've watched this video. You're village is spectacular!!! If anyone needs to be cheered up, just watch this!

S-Scale is a nice option for anyone mixing Department 56 Snow Village and Dickens Village in the same Christmas display. O gauge takes up a lot of table space and really needs to be part of a large display. Nice job on your Village. Hope to see a 2013 edition.

It really did take a long time but I enjoyed it. Plus it's always nice to hear that other people enjoy the Epic Christmas Village as well. Thanks.

Thank you for acknowledging my tribute to LKH. I imagine that almost everyone who views Epic Christmas Village II has their own LKH. Let's just say that LKH was someone whose loss was felt profoundly, but whose memory will never die. I'll leave it to the individual viewer to "Fill in the blank" with their own "LKH".

I love this!!!! I just started collecting last year. This is the gold stand of Christmas Villages!

This is the one video that gives me the Christmas Feeling

Most of them I found on EBAY. A local Garden Center and a nearby Department store carry many of the new items, but most of the retired pieces can only be found on sites like EBAY. The pieces I found are new or used and for the most part they are considerably less expensive on the net.

This is amazingly beautiful. Christmas brings out the child in me. I thank you. There’s so much going on with our youth. Losing there morals and the child in them forever leaves them. I so wish a lot would change in that way for this generation. I just wished my kids would enjoy Christmas for the reason s I do.

Thank you very much Chrisrichele. Epic Christmas Village IV is in the works and as usual is taking much longer than I had anticipated. It's a fresh design and I'm incorporating some new ideas. I hope you like it. I plan to post the new video between Thanksgiving and the first week of December.

No problem. It took about 50 hours spread out over 3 weeks. We change the layout every year so that adds more time.

this is one of the most legitimate looking Christmas Villages I have ever seen absolutely great work and detail

What a beautiful display!!! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Oldmiss. This year I'm adding a Department 56 "Mickey's Diner" because it reminds me of my favorite Aunt. I've modified it so now the sign reads "Tippy's Dining Car", because my Aunt Tippy is awesome!

Thank you Ben. That's very nice to hear and much appreciated.

Thank you RB. Much appreciated. I hope you check back this Christmas to see Epic Christmas Village IV. It is going to be twice as epic!

COMPLIMENTS DELUXE!!! FINE JOB!! from someone who has been creating villages for over 17 years

I appreciate the "Professional" compliment but really I'm just a Dad with a camera. It's a lot of fun to make and I'm glad to hear that you will view Epic Christmas Village II again. There is a lot in there and I hope you will discover new things each time.

Love the subway. I have seen a lot of animated Christmas villages, but never one with a subway.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful Christmas village with us! I enjoy repeated views. ❤

WOW! The amount of detail and work put into this. The village is living :)

I use 2 brands that are identical as far as I can tell. Department 56 "Fresh Fallen Snow" is the first. A number of the special buildings come with a small bag and you can also buy large bags. The second brand is "Powder Snow" and is sold at Hobby Lobby. It is considerably less expensive and is my number 1 choice. I think the two brands are indistinguishable. Good luck. I look forward to seeing your Village.

I still love your Christmas Villages every year. My husband and I already started on a new Christmas Village since we move. Thank You so much and have a Merry Christmas

My pleasure. Thank you for the compliment.

@Dutchmoniquepol Thank you. We definitely increased the number of animated accessories since the prior year's Epic Christmas Village.

Thanks for your comment. The Christmas Village is basically 5' by 12' and sits on top of a pool table in the middle of the room. The room is just big enough to allow space on each side to walk around so you can get very close to any part of the display. Locating the Christmas Village in the middle of the room makes it easier to view and also to set up.

I can't believe YT muted your lovely video. How crazy. It is still a delight to view.

Wow, my wife just got a dept 56 accessory piece in the mail today and I picked up my smart phone and ran smack dab into your double masterpiece of video work and village setup! And you take it down every year and put it back up every season in a new design! Bless You!

Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing your 2012 Kathy's Christmas Village.

Thank you. A realistic but nostalgic feel was what I was going for this year. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I live in the UK aswell and i've found afew places that do great village displays!!

Incredible scene! I started collecting a few years ago, and dreamed of displaying my Christmas in the City pieces. Thanks for the ideas!

Watching this always puts me in such a good mood! Can't wait for Epic Christmas Village IV!!

Brilliant Idea about the homemade track ! You ought to get a patent ! Thanks for writing back. Merry Christmas and can't wait to see your new Village.

I have two words for you. Pure Epicness.

Don't really know how many buildings. Sort of afraid to count. These things have a way of growing really fast. My base is a pool table. I added a small shorter table to the end. After putting the train on the base table, I built a level just tall enough (about 8 inches) the cover a good bit of the subway and then another above that as a tunnel for the train. The village just fills in from there.

I love coming back to this particular video. Maybe it was the first one of yours I viewed first. But it has a special feeling in my heart and helps me get the village juices going even though it is almost 90 outside and fall is about here.

That's probably the best village I've ever had seen

Just put my first village together, came across yours, made me smile! Love the music as well. Hope you keep the village up all year as I am. I love it, great job.

Thank you Cue. I'm getting ready to start work on a new village as well.

Thank you. Glad you like the trains. I've added 4 new trains to Epic Christmas Village III.

just precious... beautiful

Thank you. It's hard to do justice to the Department 56 pieces. They have such incredible detail. I'm glad to hear that you and your family are fellow Christmas Villagers. I'd love to see your Christmas Village on RU-vid. Some of the smaller villages are my favorite. Merry Christmas!

Beautiful.

Reminds me of my grandfather. Thanks for sharing

Thank you. I'm with you on the animation. I prefer a lot of movement and a Christmas Village that looks bustling and energetic.

I like Department 56 Fresh Fallen Snow, but I have found the same thing at Hobby Lobby. Their generic snow is considerably less expensive.

A wonderful and inspiring Christmas village - Thank you!

You blew my mind at the subway!

Thank you PolishRoots. That's nice to hear.

Thank you for your heartfelt comments. It's wonderful to hear that the Epic Christmas Village II resonates with you in a positive way. I hope you will continue to enjoy this and future Epic Christmas Village videos. Godspeed.

Thank you Ladybug. The feeling is mutual. I drew inspiration from your Dept 56 Original Snow Village 2009 when I was developing the lake/stream area of Epic Christmas Village II. Looking forward to your 2012 Christmas Village.

Well i live in Scotland and practically every garden center has a display. There's a great one in Banchory that takes up a whole room and it has tons of carousels and other fair ground rides:) But you should still be able to find something at Dobbies as they always do good displays!

this is so magical, one day I will have that too!

absolutely beautiful

What an awesome job! That is one of the best displays I've seen and a rare occasion where buildings from various Villages were used in the same display seamlessly and very successfully. To top it off, a charming video. Kudos!

I'd love to share this year's Epic Christmas Village. Hope to have it posted by early December.

This is truly the greatest village i have ever seen!! I'm quite a fanatic about this stuff myself i have quite a bit of trouble with hiding the wires as well as you have.

Much obliged.