Designing and Staging Your Layout

Christmas Village Displays

Before you get carried away in the shops or online, buying dozens of beautiful porcelain houses, miniature Christmas trees and model figurines, it can be prudent to first plan your requirements carefully. Double-check to make sure that you have enough space for your village, perhaps drawing out your design to scale on a piece of paper.

It is always sensible to have a clear idea of what you need to make your display before you go shopping, although it is almost inevitable that you will find unexpected, tempting items that are hard to resist and can usually be squeezed in somewhere.

The keenest collectors with an addiction to Lemax or Department 56 porcelains eventually do run out of space and their display ends up being split into separate landscapes, overspilling onto bookcases, windowsills, shelves, tables, cupboards, fireplaces - anywhere there is space. For the most realistic and best overall effect, try to limit yourself to quality, rather than quantity. After all, when Christmas is over, it will all need to be packed away safely and stored until next year. That can be a project in itself for the largest of layouts.

Computer Design and Planning

The following images show two different mock-ups of a potential Christmas village, created on a computer using Photoshop and with the same selection of Lemax houses, accessories and trees.





The design below incorporates a blue background, making it appear quite realistic. The layout also utilizes some 'My Village' mountains and scenic modelling grass at the front, to form a park with a Christmas tree centrepiece, gazebo, fountain and shrubbery. All it needs now is a sprinkling of snow to complete the winter scene.