Lisa Q. Mathews

Cold Case of the Missing Christmas Villagers: 2025 Update

Perched at my kitchen counter with a mug of late morning coffee as I delete endless marketing pleas from every retailer I failed to stroll or scroll past fast enough, I’m in the depths of holiday prep despair. Christmas is indeed coming, and I am…nowhere.

Here’s a photo of my mood right now. We just hit the midpoint for December on the calendar, folks, and single digits on the thermometer. That means Christmas is much, much closer than I imagined.

Right now on Facebook, there are amazing photos of gorgeously decorated trees and impressive exterior illumination. Some people had everything up before Halloween, and they’re toasting the fruits of their labors with holiday-themed cocktails in their cozy living rooms and kitchens. Others finished shopping in July and are merrily pre-baking, stress-free. They have their family Christmas jammies ready and are busy addressing those holiday cards that I swear each year I’ll start sending again.

I am in awe. And very, very ashamed. It’s not that I don’t care. I just spend too much time “envisioning” and making lists and not enough, well, doing.

Christmas Eve Day is always a frantic sprint at our house. Before online shopping ruined all the fun, I used to be one of those last-minute mall or city shoppers out on Dec. 24th. Back then we late-ies were all of good cheer and in it together. Those days are long gone, sadly. But one tradition is now evergreen in our family: Exalted Assembly of the Christmas Village.

I used to have just a few pieces, but over the years my New England-ish “village” has grown into more of a sprawling city. Especially after a kind Facebook friend sent me 75 new pieces when she moved to FL. (How could she bear to part with them?) I even picked up a like-new ski jump at a tag sale (FREE!), but it’s hard to fit it in because the lighthouse stands in the perfect spot. And past it is the Atlantic Ocean (and the wall), so…what to do?

Said lighthouse has a bright revolving light to guide the lone lobster vessel. There’s a woodsy cabin and charming village green, surrounded by Victorian city brownstones and a semi-running train. And everywhere in Christmasville are teensy people (and golden retrievers) from the 50s, the Victorian Age, Colonial Boston, and the present. They’re all joyfully singing carols, cutting Christmas trees, queueing up for Santa, and scurrying through the sparkly cotton snow with packages and poinsettias. 

Well, they used to. I’ll get to that in a second. 

The beer vendor has a cart outside the Irish pub, with revelers pounding pints in the Rathskeller next door. There’s also a mirror pond for ice skating, sprayed with “snow” and surrounded by a pebbled wall that must be painstakingly reassembled each year.

I’d love to tell you that I carefully dust and position each piece and wire the whole shebang for electricity. But no. The lighting is Number One (and Only) Son’s favorite job.

Every Thanksgiving he asks, “So, Mom…are we, uh, putting up the village this year?” He rolls his eyes, but I know he loves it. Especially setting up all the little Victorian lampposts that refuse to stand up, even with massive amounts of tape or glue. When one goes down, they all do. Quick, summon the 1950s fire brigade before the snow catches fire!

Here is a photo of No. 1 Son one Christmas Eve morning in the early years of Christmasville’s founding, mere hours before his little nieces (now teens) were due to arrive. See that joy on his face? I was furiously chopping stuff in the kitchen. It’s amazing how a teensy bit of procrastination boosts creativity and productivity. It runs in the family.

After a few seasons’ hiatus due to the arrival of new babies and pets, this year the very youngest littles are sure to be delighted by the village. We’ll have such fun trying to keep them (and the cat) from pulling the tablecloth off and causing an earthquake in Christmasville. Last time, Number One Son mentioned we might need to build additional levels above the city. No worries. I own the air rights. This year we’re using a second table. (Actually my portable author table, but it fits the bill and has its own tablecloth.)

One year I found a Xeroxed newspaper article taped below the lid of one of my basement storage boxes (who could possibly have put it there?) about a woman in Upstate New York who dedicated 6 rooms in her home to Christmas villages. She opened the display to the public every December and collected donations for charity.

I can only aspire to be that lady, and I fear she’s no longer with us. But you can bet she’ll be the inspiration for a character in an upcoming Shamrock holiday mystery. I’m making notes right now in the margins of today’s to-do list.

Unfortunately, any writing will have to wait, because I have a pressing, very real mystery to solve. It’s actually a cold case. A few years ago, all my villagers disappeared, except for the Irish beer vendor and the Minuteman guy statue on the village green. I know they’re all together in a red K-Mart-by-Martha-Stewart plastic craft box, either up in our loft or somewhere in the basement. I’m quite sure they weren’t Raptured, but they were disappeared all the same.

I swear I’ll find them this year. But just in case, I ordered a slew of teensy new citizens of Christmasville. Number One Son arrives on Saturday, and I know he’ll be delighted if the population doubles. I’ve already bought extra tape to doubly secure each and every one in the cottony-glittery snow.

How is your holiday prep going, however you celebrate? And any advice for Lisa to get off Santa’s Least Improved list?

27 thoughts on “Cold Case of the Missing Christmas Villagers: 2025 Update”

    1. Thanks, Dru Ann! I absolutely used to do that, but our family traditions have changed so we celebrate Thanksgiving weekend in New York. My post-turkey “decorating” now includes unpacking my suitcase, ha. (I am proud to report all vestiges from Halloween are now gone.)

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  2. With no number one son to do the electrical work, I gave my Christmas Village to my oldest nephew and his first wife (yes, it’s now gone from my life forever!) for their first Christmas together. They both loved it so much and I was simply too tired and overwhelmed every year to get it set up. Ah well. As a former Hallmark employee, I have enough Christmas “stuff” to supply 3 houses! I have simplified!

    I usually start the day after Thanksgiving and just get whatever decorating I’m doing this year done over that weekend. I shop year round anymore because most of my family are such a challenge to shop for! I send e-cards these days, do less baking than I used to and try to focus more on spending time with family and friends. The rest is fluff for me anymore. I will do other things if I have time and the inclination.

    Best of luck in these last few days. Feel free to delegate things others believe must be done and most importantly, do NOT forget to just enjoy the moment. Merry Happy!

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    1. Such wise words, Ma Kennedy! And as a former Hallmark employee who has de-“stuffed” your life, I am listening extra carefully. My lovely late MIL used to gift us Hallmark items every year. (Do I still have them? Or course I do!)

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  3. Your village is lovely, especially all lit up. Yay Number One Son!

    I have to say, though, your grumpy snowman is the funniest thing I’ve seen this season. Thanks for the laughs, and Happy Holidays!

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    1. Mary, yes, the lighting makes it special, especially when the only other illumination is from the tree. And the garlands. And maybe a few wreaths and lanterns. But I adore that vintage life-sized snowman, who actually belongs to my aunt in her 90s. She is (still) an antique dealer, and she brought that guy home for herself. That door is to her sun porch (very chilly in the NH winter) and he always stares in sadly at the family festivities from there.

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  4. I put a last few ornaments on my tree last week, but I’m done and enjoying. Well, except for wrapping presents. I really need to get started on that. I have no excuse since everything is here.

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    1. Mark, you’re so lucky you have everything in. I just had 2 major gift orders canceled after being confirmed. (And I ordered Thanksgiving weekend.) The companies said, sorry, out of stock. Now I’m at square one for those!

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  5. [Sheepishly realizing I bought yet another box of Christmas cards that I probably won’t send…] I’m doing GREAT! Ha ha ha ha ha. I came back from NY to 78 degree weather here in Austin. It finally dropped yesterday, so maybe — MAYBE — I’ll put up my tree today!

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  6. I love how so many cultures have adopted the Christmas village, the crèche, the santons, or whatever they might call it as part of their holiday celebrations. It’s as if we all need an excuse to play house/dolls again, even though we’re all grown up!

    Here’s hoping you find that K Mart-By-Martha-Steward box soon, Lisa!

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  7. We’ve got our tree set up! It’s got a mishmash of ornaments, collected and handmade over the years. (Kids still roll their eyes at some of them.)

    A few presents have been wrapped, but I’ve been doing a lot of baking this season for various gatherings.

    But my younger kiddo is getting invited to even more festivities, so I still have extra shopping to do!

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  8. I would love to put up the decorations early, but it is a tradition that our oldest granddaughter help up decorate the tree. This year we had to wait until she came home from college. The first day she had was this past Friday. We live in a retirement community and all our stuff in in a cage in the basement. It is at the other end of the HUGE building. So it is a big production, but she is strong and we piled everything on a big cart and dragged it up to the apartment. It looks great and we are happy. Now the last of the gifts (that I just ordered last week, after threatening everyone with money if they didn’t give me a list) should arrive today and I will begin wrapping. I bought cards, but haven’t written them and maybe I won’t. I guess that makes me a member of the Last Minute Christmas Club. I sure hope you find your missing village people!

    Carol

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    1. Thank you, Carol! I’ll do my best. And I love your tradition with your oldest granddaughter! Also, your Last Minute Christmas Club idea. (Did you ever see the Modern Family episode where they put together “Express Christmas” in the summer? Hilarious.)

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  9. I love your village! As to your waiting until the last minute to do anything, NO!! Why do you want that stress? It can be avoided by blocking out a half hour to an hour post-Thanksgiving to set up the village. And why wait to buy gifts either? Apply the same schedule. Aim to get pretty much everything done by 12/15 so you can actually enjoy the holidays.

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    1. Ha, thanks, El! I fear you underestimate how long it takes to set up the city, tho. A lot of it entails bringing up the storage tubs out of the basement and extricating each piece carefully from its styrofoam-interior-cased prison. Then putting everything back in place empty til after the holidays and vaccing the teensy styrofoam detris. (The styrofoam inserts are halves, which must fit together exactly and are secured by a seprate band. One impatient pull, and the piece breaks (they have all these tiny little jutting attachments, like signs and chimneys, that have their own styrofoam spots). The pebbles are put in place one by one on the skating rink, and then the mirror must be freshly sprayed (fresh cotton, too). Plus fresh batteries, separate from the light holders (each piece has its own bulb, and some are German with their own rules). Etc. etc. And I actually did start my online shopping at Black Friday (6 adult kids/spouses, 4 grandkids, and my hubby’s bday is mid-Dec also), but things were harder to actually get this year. I’m doing the rest in-person now. (One order for 7 people (thanks, Bombas!) and another were canceled by the retailers in the past 2 days. Interestingly, they were all ordered at Thanksgiving. All that virtue wasted, ha.

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