Yes, I Live in a Christmas Village

(written the week after Thanksgiving, slightly out of date...)

For almost as long as I can remember, I helped my Grandma set up her "Dicken's Village" at Christmas.  For those of you not aware, Dicken's are a set of elaborate miniature houses and buildings the likes of what many suburban mothers put up to form a Christmas village under the tree, in a windowsill, or up on a bookshelf, just more expensive.  There are houses and shops of all shapes and sizes, figurines selling everything from pheasants to flowers, horse-drawn carts (quite unlike Senegalese charettes), iceskaters and small children, a plethora of tree varieties, snow-covered stone paths and walls, and anything else you can think of to convey the imagery of a small English town at Christmastime (or London, around the time of Charles Dickens).

One of the towers and the
"curiosity shop"

I spent many afternoons during the early Christmas season helping my Grandma create elaborate country, town, and city scenes with her figurines.  We used seran wrap to create streams under bridges, styrofoam to add height and dimensions, and cotton to look like freshly fallen snow.  I remember my sister and I occassionally using the figurines like Barbie dolls, creating elaborate stories for them, especially the quaint farm scene (that always had a place at child's eye level underneath Uncle Kenny's coffeetable).  The scenes took up her entire house--on bookshelves, under tables, as center pieces on tables normally reserved for eating--anywhere!  We always had a lot of fun brainstorming where to put pieces and I know she was sad when I got too busy to spend much time on them when I got to high school.

Homes along the river, complete with
stone wall

It's been snowing in Semur on and off for about a week now, and sticking (which means it's cold!).  While out for a "run" this week down by the Armacon River which cuts through town, I suddenly felt transported into the miniature villages of my childhood.  Semur, with it's old Burgundian architecture, flowing river, and snow covered stone walls was suddenly the personification of the Dicken's village (except without all of the Oliver Twist-esque aspects of 19th Century London).  Below are some shots, let me know what you think:

What a classic country lane!

Snow draped rooftops 

Looking up on the church from the river

Ok, so the French winter sky is always really gray, so the pictures aren't as beautiful as I would like, but oh well.

Update: after a week of nonstop rain, the snow is back.  It's still a little gray, but much better than the dreary start to December.  I hope you are all getting in the Holiday spirit, wherever you may be!