The True Spirit of Christmas: Clubs Doing Good

Every year Christmas village collectors work hard to help make the lives of others better. It is my privilege to honor two of these clubs in this blog.

Village Idiots, Clackamas, Oregon,

Decorating Ronald McDonald House,

Back Row:  Ron Tweet, Dave Takahashi, Ellen Beighley, Lynn

Nichols,Yvonne Scott, Wayne Hill, Fae Gimbol.  Middle Row: Cecille Hill,

Andy MacTarnahan, Hal Beighley, Nancy Stubbs,

Art Stubbs.  Front:  Bill Scott

The Village Idiots of Clackamas, Oregon, a Dept. 56 Collector Club, donates its time, money, and creativity every year to help bring Christmas joy to those who are in circumstances where joy may be hard to find.  The club creates village displays at 3 locations, gathers clothing and other items to donate to the homeless, collects and sends "care packages" to our troops stationed in the Middle East, and donates money to local charities.

Thanks to Lorna Freeze, Editor of the Village Idiots newsletter,  we have a wonderful story to tell about these activities.

Village Idiots, Clackamas, Oregon,
Decorating Ronald McDonald House,
Lynn Nichols, Fae Gimbol 

At Ronald McDonald House, Village Idiots create a beautiful North Pole village display that can be appreciated by staff and patients from the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), Doernbecher Children's Hospitals and Shriners Hospital for Children in Portland.  The Club also collects aluminum pull tabs to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House.  If you would like more information about the Ronald McDonald facility, please click here:  http://www.rmhcoregon.org/West-Ronald-McDonald-House/West-Ronald-McDonald-House

Village Idiots Display at St. Mary's Home for Boys
in Beaverton, Oregon

Annually the Village Idiots put up a North Pole village display "Christmas Tree" at St. Mary's Home for Boys in Beaverton, Oregon.  An energetic sub-committee of the Village Idiots, lovingly dubbed the 'Lemon Drop Committee,' also finds time to create village scenes in a showcase window to celebrate other major holidays, such as Easter, July 4, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.  For more information about St. Mary's, please click here:  http://stmaryshomeforboys.org/

Village Idiots, Dickens' Village
Table Display, with club members
Cher Mulhearn and Yvonne Scott,
at Hope Village Retirement Home

Hope Village Retirement Home residents in Canby, Oregon have an opportunity to enjoy a large Dickens' Village table display that the club assembles.

Bob Miller of KPAM 860 accepting $1000 donation for
Operation Santa Claus from the Village Idiots,
represented by President Jane Sprando and member Lorna Freeze.

Each year the Village Idiots Club selects a local charity (sometimes two) to donate money to.  Last year the group chose OPERATION SANTA CLAUS, headed up by Bob Miller, the morning DJ at KPAM 860 radio in Milwaukie, Oregon.  The club presented a check to Bob for $1000 live on the air last December.  (He told us he even has the Snow Village radio station!)  The money helps the families of our local military troops stationed overseas.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/KPAM-860-Operation-Santa-Claus/178805107257

Village Idiots July 4 Display
at St. Mary's Home for Boys in Beaverton, Oregon

In the past the Village Idiots have also collected toiletries to send to military troops from Oregon and Washington who are stationed in the Middle East.  Currently club members are collecting playing cards, games, etc., along with packaged food treats.  Several times in the past the club has donated $1000 to help local military families.

Village Idiots Easter Display,
at St. Mary's Home for Boys in Beaverton, Oregon 

This year the club has chosen to donate to women's crisis centers.  Checks for $500 each were given to Women's Crisis line in Portland, Oregon, and $500 to Safe Choice in Vancouver, Washington.

Village Idiots North Pole Display,
St. Mary's Home for Boys,
Beaverton, Oregon

Additionally, another local charity, The Father's Heart Street Ministries, benefits from the club's generosity.  The Village Idiots Club collects clothing, blankets, and toiletries year-round, which are donated, through the Father's Heart Street Ministries, to assist homeless and low-income families and individuals. For information on this charity, please click here:  www.tfhstreetministry.com

The Village Landlords of Fort Lauderdale also stepped up this year to provide aid to deserving charities, in this case, the Ronald McDonald House near Broward General Hospital.

Village Landlords:  In recognition of its Service to the Ronald
 McDonald House in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Chris Barrett accepts the award for the club. 

At the 8th Annual Ronald McDonald House "Home for the Holidays" Gala, held Dec. 3, the Village Landlords accepted a plaque as recognition of their ongoing service to Ronald McDonald House.  In the picture above, the plaque is accepted by Chris Barrett, on behalf of the Department 56 collecting club.

Ronald McDonald Meets Santa Claus,
Not a new movie, but a great event:
"Home for the Holidays" Gala
Benefitting Ronald McDonald House,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Jerry Fernon,  the Newsletter Editor for the Village Landlords, who provided these great pictures, described the gala night as "magical." Over 500 people attended, many of whom bought raffle tickets hoping to win one of a vast array of wonderful prizes.  In fact, Jerry's wife won "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" tickets and his son won tickets to the Kennedy Space Center!  The event was highlighted by visits from not only Ronald McDonald, but Santa himself.

Village Landlords North Pole Display,
2011

The North Pole Display erected for Ronald McDonald was a delight of movement and light, featuring multiple layers.

Village Landlords North Pole Display

If you don't think the club's North Pole display was captivating, just look at the rapt attention of this boy.....

At the 2011 Ft. Lauderdale Ronald McDonald
Benefit Gala "Home for the Holidays,"
Left to right:  Bonnie Eichholtz, Margaret Earnest,
Josephine Armeno, Gene Armeno

Among the other Village Landlord attendees at the Ronald McDonald gala  was the Department 56 "Collector of the Year," Bonnie Eichholtz, along with Margaret Earnest, a guest of the club, and Josephine Armeno, and Gene Armeno.

At the 2011 Ft. Lauderdale Ronald
McDonald Benefit Gala,
"Home for the Holidays,"
Enn and Kathy Krepp

Among the numerous other Village Landlords in attendance were Enn and Kathy Krepp.












Of course, there are many more village collector clubs which do wonderful service projects.  To read about the Department 56 Villagers of Central Pennsylvania's charity, take a look at the December/January edition of "Village D-Lights," which features a lovely cover story.  The Niagara Region 56'ers support three charities, the Ronald McDonald House, Gilda's Club, and the local Cantalician Center for the Developmentally Disabled.  You may wish to check out the website for Gilda's:  http://www.gildasclubwny.org./  And the website for the Cantalician Center:  http://www.cantaliciancenter.org/

My Own Department 56 Dickens Village Display-2011

So many of you have generously shared your village pictures with me, so I thought it only fair that I share in return.  And, of course, I love my village!

This display represent only about 60% of my Dickens Collection.  In the past my display was much larger.  From the rafters of our garage hangs the large plywood display board onto which my husband's childhood train set is attached.  In past years we would risk chiropractic intervention by lowering it and setting it up on a table in the living room.  The board was blocked above the table,  so that the tangle of pesky cords would be hidden underneath.  It fit perfectly into the living room space.

With the gift of a grand piano from a relative, however, the train table set-up had to be eliminated at Christmas.  With the display table, plus the piano, there just wasn't room for the comfortable influx of people into the house. So, the obvious solution was to create the village on the piano.

Dickens Village wildlife

That caused three problems. First, the natural habitat of some of the village creatures was affected, though they seem to have adapted.  Second, about a third of our buildings are languishing in boxes in our storage area, though we shall experience great joy upon refinding them one year soon.  And, third, using the piano surface caused great prickles of anxiety, which were smoothed by a thick double layer of white felt, that protected the piano from any nicks or scrapes.



My village is based on the old world model of a village that grew organically, without building codes or a planning commission, so my streets are not laid out in a grid. Instead, most of the activity is centered around three squares:

One square, at the bottom in the photo above, and also in the picture to the left, is the commercial district with the White Horse Bakery, Tutbury Printer and J.D. Nichols Toy Shop, etc.  Notice the Town Crier making a proclamation next to the Town Square Gazebo.

The second square, see below, is around the river, with Great Denton Mill, the Village Animated Skating Pond, Bidwell Windmill, and Grapes Inn, with its resident geese.

The damp conditions in this area attract all sorts of creatures, like the one to the right.  However, in my Dickens Village even the alligators are vegetarian, and thus represent no danger to the local inhabitants and pets.

Dept. 56, Dickens Village Display,
Grapes Inn, Hather Harness, Cobb Cottage

Close by is the sadly declining rural area, with Hather Harness and Cobb Cottage.  In my village, the Industrial Revolution really hurt agriculture.  When there is an expansion of the available real estate, in subsequent years, I believe more residential and agricultural areas will reappear.

The third square is in front of Victoria Station, the transportation hub of the village, where people meet and greet. Of course the Post Office is on one side of the station, to speed the mail, and on the other side are two bars, which typically grow up around train stations:  the Wintergarten Cafe and the Kingsford Brew House.

When I created the squares, I placed buildings back to back to hide the cords and give good views of building fronts from all directions.  The only exception, or course, is when you are standing behind Victoria Station....where no one actually stands, unless they are sneaking around the piano, looking at the backs of buildings in my Dickens Village for your own nefarious reasons.

Because the display is on top of the piano, I had to deal with cords, and more cords, and a few cords.  I solved this by covering them with the same white felt, and then covering that with snow to hide the seams and lumps.  You will notice big drifts of snow where the buildings are back to back.  You may notice children sledding and playing there.  No traffic, so it is safe, though there is a danger of electrocution.

I never worried about the inhabitants of my village, until one day we found the oak tree uprooted, the gazebo overturned, and Tutbury Printer devastated.  We didn't know who or what to blame.  Dickens Village  inhabitants reported the sighting of a big foot in the area.

A few days later we awoke to find the C.H. Watt Physician building dangling from the display table by its cord.  A pile of snow lay on the ground below, and dusted the brow of a short tail.  Big foot was exonerated.




I guarantee that your tour through my Dickens Village will be safe this year.