Creating a Christmas Village Scene

A common tradition in any home during the holiday season is a Christmas Village. With many companies creating collections all the time, not only can you make a fine set, but you can continue to add to it, year after year, making your own tradition. Putting it together can be a tricky job, however, with the number of pieces involved, as well as finding space and properly placing it all. So here are some tips.

Step 1: The Display Space. You want to carefully select the place that your village will be displayed in. Preferably, you should choose a central spot of your house, where it can be easily seen by family and guests. Most villages have at least a few plugged in elements, so you will want a nearby outlet, and probably a multiple outlet extension cord.

Step 2: Prepare your Location. First, set up the table or surface that will hold the display. If you would like to stagger the height of buildings, consider adding small boxes to the surface as stands, to create hills. The appearance of these boxes will not matter, as they will not be visible once the setup is finished. A second, lower table in front of the first also works for creating elevations, or a slope.

Step 3: Cover the entire stand with a white cloth. This covers and boxes and creates a single, staggered surface. A good trick is to add a strand of clear lights, randomly positioned around the table. Cover the surface again, with a layer of cotton batting. This creates an illusion of bright and sparkling snow on the ground of your village.

Step 4: Place the buildings. First, do not place them too closely together. If any buildings have plug in lights, use more cotton to cover up the cords. Both types of cotton can be bought at a fabric or craft store for very little. After the buildings are placed, make roads using brown and gray aquarium rocks, spread about two inches wide, and smaller pathways to the doorways. Next, add the accessories. People, snowmen, park benches, vendors, plants and trees, mini cars, and more, they are all often for sale for Christmas villages.

Step 5: If you've left room, create a town square. Use a miniature tree, 2 feet or less, as a village centerpiece. IF you plan to do this, you will actually want to plan the entire village around it. This trick will give the impression not only of a Christmas Village, but one celebrating the holiday itself.

Step 6: Finishing Touches. Here are contained decorating tips to give the last visual flairs to your village. Use spray on snow on the branches of the tree, or place handfuls of cotton around the base, for a feeling of snowed on. Imitation paper snow sprinkled on the entire set, or white glitter applied lightly. You can hang tiny snowflakes from the ceiling above the village, or cover the wall behind the village with them. If your village feels small, place a mirror behind it to make the scene appear bigger.

Once you have it all put together, you'll want to immediately check your village out. Plug everything in, turn on all the lights inside the village, and see it sparkle and come alive.