A cozy time

In my last post one of the pictures was of my Dickens Village.  I had started buying these pieces about 15 years ago. I had always enjoyed looking at the displays of little villages set up in the stores during the holiday season.  When my son was in his teens he started working at a local Sears.  One night he mentioned that he loved the display of the little village that Sears had for sale.  That was really all the encouragement that I needed to start buying pieces of the Department 56 Dickens Village.  They were expensive, but I tried to add one piece each year for several years.  I even bought each of my children a few pieces that they took to their own homes a few  years ago. Just about every year the Village is the first thing to go up, usually early in November, and the last to go down, usually around the first of February.  I love the warm, cozy glow of the lights and never tire of the peaceful charm of the little village.

Jaydon (oldest grandchild, age 9) loves Christmas as much as I do.  He and I both have to hold ourselves back to keep from decorating too early!  His love of the village became evident this year.  We set it up several weeks ago, planning the event well in advance so we could look forward to it.  Before the night came I had put away some of the fall decorations and prepared the top of the entertainment center for the village, so we were ready to go.  I laid out the foundation and then started bringing the boxes in from the storage container in the garage.  By the time I got the last box in the house he had everything out of the boxes and spread out, ready to go.  But then he surprised me because he had a plan and went right to work setting up each house, putting out the little people and accents, getting batteries in the lamppost, and then adding the trees and little wrought iron fence.  I only had to do a bulb replacement and add a little more of the fluffy stuff we use for snow.  He did it all.  All that was left for me to do was put the empty boxes back in the garage.  (I think decorating this year will be super easy for me!)

Several times since I've seen him standing close to the little village, just gazing intently at it.  I know he is lost in thought, just as I often am when I look at it.  Every now and then I've also seen him make a small adjustment to something in the set up, the mark of the master!  This morning it was cold outside, in the upper 30's.  He snuggled down on the sofa with a blanket, cartoons and the cozy glow of the Dickens Village.  I made him a cup of instant French Vanilla  coffee to sip while I made his breakfast and when I took it in the living room I realized what a delightful scene it was.  The houses were glowing so peacefully and he was so comfortable.  I hope this morning will be on of those moments in time that he will remember when he is older and thinks of time spent at my house. It has already created a beautiful memory for me of a little boy enjoying the cold early winter morning surrounded by the things he loves.