MY HOLIDAY DECORATIONS
These lights above the garage door and along the porch roof of my house
are large bulbs alternating in blue and red with clear icicles dangling
below. The sleigh with a reindeer and the candy canes at the
porch are new this year. The pole to the right of the reindeer
and sleigh holds bird feeders for finches and hummingbirds.
I've had villages under the Christmas tree since I was a child. I
got rid of the old tiny cardboard village while still living in
Westminster and started buying ceramic buildings and accessories.
Each year I add
more. For the second year now, no new buildings, but I went wild
on accessories again--added more red mountains, figures of people,
animals and new trees, stone walls, and hedges.
Here
are two views of this year's tree. The Redbird (Northern
Cardinal) on the top of the tree was new last year, ordered from
National Wildlife Federation. It reminds me of the state bird of
my home state of Illinois, and the
mascot of my alma mater, Illinois State University at Normal.
To the right is a closeup of part of the village square under the tree.
The snowman (a candle) was a gift from Sandra and Curt Beebe, friends
that my friend Judy Sullivan and I had to a holiday dinner here.
To
the right of this giant sized snowman "the villagers built" is what I
think of as my "19th Century Starbucks." At the front of the
picture, near the front of the church (which is out of sight in this
view) is the "Feed the Birds" lady, just like the movie.
Close
to the village are a couple of lakes connected by a short stream.
The one closer to the village is used by ice skaters, while the larger
one a bit further away is used by a group of men and women who are ice
fishing (at left). The two fires are both operated by
rechargeable AA batteries. One is in a trash can on the ice of
the lake, where three fishermen are trying to warm up. The guy at
lower right is just trying to haul in a very large fish through his
hole in the ice! The two at the rear left are drilling a hole for
their fishing. The lady on the bank is broiling her catch over
her fire.
The closeup at the right shows the high village in the mountains above
the main village square. 
There
are also wild animals--deer, bunny rabbits, and a fox eying the latter
hungrily across the stream. Elsewhere in the mountains are other
wild animals, such as these moose, bears, and squirrels. A
redbird (cardinal) has just landed on the rack of antlers of the bull
moose! The moose were new this year.
There
are a lot of horses in my village. There are three in this
picture to the right. The most distant is coming down off a
highland area pulling a sleigh. 
Then
there is a buggy with a lady inside with a lap robe and presents.
Her driver is amused by the two men in the foreground
in the picture trying to get their stubborn pack horse
to cross that bridge. At the left is a closer view of the buggy
and the stubborn pack horse.
To
the right of the stone bridge is the railroad station. The tracks
emerge from one tunnel and enter another. Beyond the station
(which also houses the post office) are, in order, the tavern, an inn,
and the theater. Above these service buildings in the valley are
farm residences in the mountains.
This
corral with two horses eating from hay bales (yes, I do like horses,
don't I) is on a plateau above the railroad end of town. There
are two men carrying sacks of feed toward some houses that have pigs,
chickens, and geese. Yet another horse is pulling a sleigh with a
couple of passengers. The corral and some animals were new last
year, and some of the animals and human figures (including the two guys
with the feed sacks) are new this year.
The whole village scene fills the bay window area under and beside the
Christmas tree. Last year I made a wooden box about a foot high
to put the tree on to give the village more room underneath. This
year the skating and ice fishing ponds extended out farther into the
living room than ever, all the way to the fireplace (about half way
across the room!)
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