Falling Leaves 🍂, Flying Glitter ✨, and Christmas in the City 🎄

It has been a big week for Christmas in the City collectors! With the announcement of Department 56’s Macy’s Herald Square coming to Macy’s.com, there’s a little extra New York City Christmas magic in the air. It’s the kind of news that has you looking at your village and wondering, “Where could I make room for just one more building?”

Around here, that question may have gotten a little out of hand.

It might seem strange that we’re only halfway through October, but here at Village D-Lights, we’re already neck-deep in planning our Christmas issue. While the leaves are just beginning to turn yellow here in the Northeast, indoors we’re surrounded by Christmas decorations, village buildings, and enough glitter to keep turning up well into spring.

And honestly? We’re having a wonderful time.

A Cover Worth Waiting For

Our Christmas cover has already been chosen, and we think it’s going to knock your socks off!

It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done on the cover of Village D-Lights. Keeping it a surprise might be one of the hardest parts of putting this issue together, because we’re so excited to share it with you.

Richard (our Creative Editor) and I see this issue as a Christmas present to our readers, and that feeling starts with the cover. We want opening your mailbox to feel like the beginning of something special.

Our goal is to have the Christmas issue in your mailboxes right around the Thanksgiving holiday, ready to enjoy as the decorating season gets into full swing.

A Little New York Christmas Magic, on a Bigger Scale

One of the projects taking shape is a New York City Christmas in the City display that could become the biggest village I’ve ever created.

What began as an idea has grown into something considerably more ambitious. If you’ve ever started rearranging a few buildings and suddenly found yourself planning an entirely new neighborhood, you’ll understand how this happens.

There’s something special about building a city at Christmastime. The glowing windows, busy sidewalks, and little gathering places invite you to imagine the stories unfolding between the buildings. Choosing the pieces is only the beginning. Bringing them together into a scene that feels alive is where the fun really starts.

My hope is to have the display ready to share in our upcoming Christmas issue. At the moment, though, it may become a two-part series, with the beginnings in the Christmas issue and the finished village in our spring issue.

That would give us a chance to share more of the process: the planning, the decisions, the adjustments, and those moments when something finally comes together exactly as you imagined. Of course, there are also the moments when you step back and realize an entire section needs to move. Those are part of the story, too!

A Sneak Peek and Fresh Inspiration

We’re especially excited to share a confirmed sneak peek from Department 56 in the upcoming magazine. There’s nothing quite like getting an early look at what’s ahead and imagining how a new piece might fit into a collection you’ve built over the years.

We’ll also have fun new tips and tricks to help you enjoy the display-building process. Sometimes a small adjustment makes a surprising difference: giving a favorite building a little more breathing room, creating depth with different heights, or arranging accessories so they tell a story.

As we work on this issue, I keep coming back to those finishing touches. A carefully placed tree, a snowy walkway, or a warmly lit corner can turn a group of beautiful buildings into a place you wish you could visit.

The Joy Is in the Making

For many of us, unpacking the village is a reunion with familiar favorites. Certain pieces bring back memories of the person who gave them to us, the shop where we found them, or the first display we created.

Then a new addition comes along, and suddenly we see fresh possibilities.

That mix of tradition and discovery is something I love about this hobby. Whether you’re creating a small tabletop scene or attempting a New York City display that seems to grow every time you look at it, there’s always another idea to try.

This October, ours happens to involve quite a lot of Christmas magic and a vacuum cleaner that has its work cut out for it.

Join Us for the Christmas Issue and Beyond

If you haven’t subscribed yet, we’d love to welcome you to Village D-Lights.

A subscription includes four beautifully printed issues, delivered quarterly, filled with inspiration for collectors, creative display ideas, and the pleasure of spending time with a hobby we all love. We take pride in producing a magazine you’ll enjoy reading, keeping, and revisiting throughout the year.

With a cover we can hardly wait to reveal, a special Department 56 sneak peek, and new tips and tricks, our Christmas issue is shaping up to be something special.

Subscribe to Village D-Lights and join us for four seasons of collecting, creativity, and village inspiration.

Now, back to the Christmas village. I’m fairly certain there’s room for one more building.