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A Christmas village (or putz) is a decorative, miniature-scale village often set up during the Christmas season. These villages are rooted in the elaborate Christmas traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Mass-produced, cardboard Christmas villages became popular in the United States during the early and mid 20th century, while porcelain versions (especially those created by the company Department 56) became popular in the later part of the century. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Department 56 is a major manufacturer of Holiday collectibles, ornaments and giftware, known for their lighted Christmas village collections and their Snowbabies collection. ...
Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ...
For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...
The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German) are the descendants of German immigrants who came to Pennsylvania prior to 1800. ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...
Department 56 is a major manufacturer of Holiday collectibles, ornaments and giftware, known for their lighted Christmas village collections and their Snowbabies collection. ...
Origins
The tradition of decorative Christmas villages is rooted in the holiday traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. In early-colonial American Moravian homes, the construction of a nativity scene or "putz" at the base of a Christmas tree was a very common holiday activity. The term "putz" was derived from the German verb "putzen", which means "to put" or "to place." These nativity scenes soon became very elaborate and often included sawdust or fine dirt spread to represent roads leading to the manger, stones and fresh moss to represent grottos or caves, and sticks and branches to represent miniature trees. These details were in addition to the carved wooden figures which represented the Holy Family, animals, shepherds, and other traditional nativity figures. The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German) are the descendants of German immigrants who came to Pennsylvania prior to 1800. ...
A traditional nativity scene from Naples, Italy A nativity scene, also called a crib or crèche (meaning crib or manger in French) generally refers to any depiction of the birth or birthplace of Jesus. ...
For other uses, see Christmas tree (disambiguation). ...
The Flight into Egypt: Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. ...
Although initially placed beneath the Christmas tree, by the early 1800s, a family's "putz" might have also been found on the fireplace mantel, side tables, and other prominent places within the home. These expanded scenes might include other stories from the Bible. The story of Noah's Ark, an especially popular subject for a "putz", could result in the arranging of several hundred carved animals winding their way towards the ark. This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ...
This article is about the vessel described in the Hebrew scriptures. ...
By the mid-19th century, more secular figures and scene elements were being added to the "putz." In many homes, the "putz" took more time and energy than the decoration of the family Christmas tree. Separate areas were developed with different themes. Spreading outward from the Nativity scene were other farms or village scenes which had a way of growing larger and more elaborate every year. Eventually, toy trains were added to these miniature worlds.
Mass production After World War II, several Japanese companies started mass-producing cardboard or paper houses, churches, and other buildings. These small buildings usually had holes in the back or the bottom through which Christmas lights were placed to provide illumination. The buildings had tiny, colored cellophane windows and were decorated with mica-dusted roofs to give the appearance of snow. Since these buildings were made of inexpensive material and were widely available throughout the United States, they became a very popular Christmas decoration. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Modern villages In the 1970s, ceramic or porcelain Christmas villages were introduced and started to become popular. Department 56 was one of the first companies to make these buildings and remains the most popular. Other companies, such as Lemax, have also produced similar villages. There are numerous other brands sold. Drugstores and dollar stores now often carry much smaller buildings which are typically not as well-painted. Unpainted buildings are also sometimes available at craft stores. This article is about ceramic materials. ...
“Fine China†redirects here. ...
Department 56 is a major manufacturer of Holiday collectibles, ornaments and giftware, known for their lighted Christmas village collections and their Snowbabies collection. ...
Like many other Christmas traditions, the notion of a village to celebrate a holiday has spread to other holidays, with a few companies making Halloween and Easter villages. This article is about the holiday. ...
This article is about the Christian festival. ...
External links Links to sites that focus mainly on Lemax and Luville collectors with tons of tips, tricks and showoff pictures: - "kerstdorpen.nl - EU based, mainly Dutch spoken" - Hosts all (?) Lemax, Luville and D56 pictures
- "Lemax Village - EU based, mainly French spoken"
- dedicatedtolemax is hosted on invisionfree forum site, so I am not allowed to link there. Google: "dedicatedtolemax" for link
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