On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me… well, the song says “Six geese a-laying,” but what did Jane Austen give us that is in sixes? She gave us 6 wonderful novels. And we are so grateful for that, although we wished she could have written more!
For my post today, I am writing about my Christmas collection of villages. I don’t remember how long ago I began collecting them, but as of this Christmas, I have about 25.
Just as we love to enter into those novels she wrote and want to get to know the people, places, and customs from her day, so I love to ‘step’ into my villages and get to know all that’s going on there.
The majority of them I have set up on a small ladder with wooden shelves across. It was an idea I saw on Pinterest a few years ago, and knew I had to do it. (I had to do it because I was running out of places to set them up!)
In addition to the ladder, however, I have put some on the little shelf in my garden window in the kitchen, on a cabinet in the living room, and on our hutch in the dining room.
Some of these are grouped in themes, as well. I have the woods (or forest) cabins on the hutch and the farm house and barn on the cabinet.
One thing I love most about these little houses is the windows that some of them have. This is where I can peek inside and wonder what is going on and who lives there.
While these villages (and the people and accessories) are not necessarily Regency, I like to look at them and imagine stories coming from them. There is the carriage conveying a man and a woman. Could it be the Darcys traveling through a small English village? What songs are the carolers singing? What about the couple or the woman sitting alone on the bench? Who are they and what stories do they have to share?
I buy a new piece to add to my collection every year. In a few more years I will most likely have to figure out where else I can put my ever-expanding collection of villages.
GIVEAWAY!
Do you have something you collect for the holidays? If you do, I would love to know.
I’m eagerly awaiting to hear about your collections. If you don’t have a holiday collection, is there something you would like to start collecting, or possibly something not holiday related.
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I have a collection of hand-carved Santas my late father-in-law made. I sometimes find companion Santas to complement my collection.
I collect ebooks! But then again, I do that all year!
When I was growing up I collected soaps. Different shapes, sizes, smells, then thimbles, the steins…..
I am a touch of a hoarder, I think, or it’s just my ADD, but I collect fabric and patterns that I’m going to make, but don’t. Yarn and patterns that I’m going to crochet, but either don’t start or don’t finish, though I do get a number finished, as they’re mostly all for someone who knows I’m making it for them.
Right now I’m looking out for antiques and minions for my husband, as that’s what he wants.
You did ask….
In the past, I had been buying and collecting Christmas ornaments (esp disney ornaments). When I had kids, they bring home their home made ornaments (thus I stopped buying them). I do collect all disney cartoons, some tv series. I collect stamps, different coins (though not as earnest as before). I also have the 100 Disney mini toys that you get from the happy meal ( I had to go to every Mc Donald’s restaurant in our area to look to complete them. (4 I traded online) Currently , I am into pride and prejudice variations (what’s funny though I do not understand them, I do have some variations in French, Spanish, German and Portugese. I cannot resist it esp if they were on sale/free);)
Happy New Year! I have all your books and Captain Smith is one of my favorite Darcy characters.
Hmm, I try to collect ornaments from my travels. This year I picked up a beautiful wooden ornament of Cologne Cathedral in Germany from the Christmas Markets.
You have a wonderful village. I collect fabrics and patchwork books. And JAFF books, I read them nearly every day. I would love to win your last book.
Did you made the Jane Austen Quilt by yourself?
With best wishes for 2020!
I collect antique & vintage sewing machines (don’t ask how many I have – I don’t know precisely and you don’t want to know!). I also collect fabric, which I do use on occasion to make quilts and clothes. Pirates & Prejudice sounds interesting, so that would probably be my choice if I happen to win.
For Christmas, I have an eclectic collection of ornaments, either made by my grandchildren or other children, or picked up in places we’ve lived. My bigger collection is refrigerator magnets, which I add to from each new place or country that we visit! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous collection of villages with us!
What a beautiful collection you have. I collect books… JAFF, medieval Legends, nature (especially about birds and wolves), antique books, history (especially ancient Egypt, middle ages, pre-industrial England), and different editions of JA’s books. Then there is the collection of model steam locomotives and post cards from different places I have been. But books, I can never say ‘No’ to books.
Lovely collection! I hve been collecting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s angel ornaments for my “angel” tree sinve they started making themin the 90’s. Each is a copy of one the museum has on it’s own Christmas tree that I try to see each year….missed it this year though!
Thanks for your thoughtful words.
I love your books but some how missed Mr D’s Magpie
Have a wonderful 2020
I started to collect Gotham’s sterling stars with the year on them. I have hung them with different lengths from my dining room light fixture.
I absolutely love your villages! When my children were young I always bought a new tree decoration each year for them which I’ve now given to them for their trees.
I collect little houses in a series by Lilliput Lane based on real houses. My collection includes Sally Lunns Tea shop in Bath and The original Bakewell Pudding Shop as mementoes but I have many more. I also have a number of gem trees.
Please don’t enter me in the giveaway as I’m in the UK and have the ebooks.
Wow! Your pictures are incredible and your villages must be wonderful to see. I do not collect a theme every Christmas, but I do have a very special village house that holds a special place. I found it in a novelty store years ago and it is a regency styled house and has a small sign on it labeled the “Donau House”. Since Donau was my grandmother’s maiden name, its value to me is beyond most of the other “dust collectors” in my home.
I love those villages. How beautiful. I could get lost in them. You know… you should do a short story or even a one-shot scene for each village. You could include a photo of the village all lit up at the beginning of each story. I know… it’s not like you don’t have anything to do. What an adorable book that would be. Christmas through the ages type of thing. I think you said they were different eras.
Currently, I am in the middle of collecting the Hallmark 12 Days of Christmas ornaments. I know… it fits this AV theme perfectly. I also happen to collect stamps and sealing wax and nib pens [some with a feather]. I know. I love writing to my friend of many years and sealing the letter with a wax seal. I often have to put it in a padded envelope to protect the seal. However, she thinks it is cute and that I’m rather eccentric. I love them.
I already have your books so that puzzle book with stamp and sealing wax makes my heart go pitter-patter. No worries, I won’t call for my salts. Blessings on the New Year and I wish you all the best that 2020 has to offer. Good Luck to everyone who is in the drawing. Happy New Year everyone!!
Kara, I forgot to mention… if you didn’t want to do all the villages in one book, you could do a few and have a new book every year with a different set of villages. Yeah, ‘Christmas Village’ [I changed the title] would be amazing. OK, I’ll stop now.
I love your village! I collect bird ornaments for my ‘bird’ tree.
I collect Jane Austen ornaments – it’s so fun scouring for new ones I don’t have!
What don’t I collect. I have a collection from Lennox of all the Fairy Tale Princesses Real or in books. That collection is closed now. I have always collected angels in any form porcelain fabric wood I gave ajways had an angel on my Christmas tree. I collect bowls and have them on top if my kitchen cabinets. I collect different patterns of china table sets. And I have a collection of tea pots I got my first tea pot at 19 years old from an estate sale in my community of a little old lady retiring into a Old peoples home! Now I am almost ready for the old folks home at 70. Too funny. I love your houses I have some too but havent displayed them for years. Hope I win a physical book have all yours on Kindle.
What an amazing collection! Thank you for sharing them with us, and for your giveaway.
I don’t collect anything seasonal but since our new £10 note (with the portrait of Miss Austen on it) was issued in 2017, I’ve been collecting ones that have the years that she was alive somewhere in the serial number: 1775 to 1817. They’re not as common as you might think!
As I’m in the UK and already have all three of the ebooks in the international giveaway, I’m just popping in to say Hi and Happy New Year!
Our family collects Christmas ornaments so I was very excited to discover a Mr Darcy and Elizabeth set of ornaments for our tree. It’s good to have Jane represented.
I am a collector of Snowmen. This year I got a 50th Anniversary collection of Frosty the Snowman. I also got a Snowman nutcracker that my Grandsons where so excited to see…They are frosty lovers too….my son in law rolls his eyes as his 2 year old son sings the theme song to the show.lol
Thanks for sharing about your collection. I have a collection of Christmas books. Some are about the various traditions of Christmas some are about the 1st Christmas, and some are just funny Christmas stories. I even have a copy of The Night Before Christmas that was given to me by my grandmother when I was about 2 or 3 years old. My kids enjoy reading from that one each Christmas Eve. The books in my collection include the hard paper books for smaller children, traditionally bound books, some shaped like a stable or house and fabric books. Each year I seem to add 1 or 2 more and will eventually need to have a separate room to accommodate all of them. Thanks again for sharing! If I am chosen, I’d like to have the Pirates and Prejudice book.
I love to buy an ornament when I travel. Two yrs ago as my grandsons were a little older I felt it was safe to use my precious ones again. As they helped me decorate the tree they took each ornament out of its box and exclaimed, “I didn’t know you went to Alaska, Scotland, England, Hawaii “and on and on.
The next year one of them said to me ” Nana when you are no longer here can we have your ornaments?”!! I laughed and had them write their names inside the boxes of the ones they want later and I give them one to take now.
I like to imagine them years from now going through them and remarking about the fun we had decorating my tree every year! And maybe they will start a collection in their travels.
I too have collected ‘villages’ for Christmas. However, I have not added to it in several years. Setting the village out brings back memories of Christmas in Chicago and going downtown to view all the store windows – especially Marshall Field’s. A different story was depicted each year. One would go from window to window to see the complete story. This is something I am afraid is a part of the past.
I have also collected silver bells.
I would love the Magpie if chosen.
Thanks much Kara.
I collect ceramic teddy bears, for every season. Easter, Valentine’s , Christmas and any with interesting costumes. Such as Santa’s , pirates, and I most who are doing something dancing, skiing playing soccer.
I’m just curious – when you say “villages”, do you actually mean you have 25 villages, or did you mean 25 buildings belonging to a village (or multiple small villages, as the case may be…)? 25 villages would be quite impressive. o.O
Oh, Lena! I did mean just the buildings and not 25 villages! Ha! I would have to move out if I had that many!
Author
Hi Lena! I sent you an email on Monday saying you’ve won. Please check your spam folder since your email probably doesn’t recognize my email address. Need to hear from you to arrange prize. 😊
I collect Christmas romance novels and short stories, set in both the present day and Regency England. I pull them out every year and start reading in November, skipping back and forth to my favorites. They put me in the holiday spirit!
I collect china cups and saucers. I have all sorts, from all over the world. They’re pretty, and usually inexpensive. Thank you for the chance too win a book. Happy New Year!
I do enjoy reading JAFF P&P Christmas stories if that counts…
Thank you for the giveaway.
My husband and I are antique people so we have collections aplenty but sticking with your theme, I have carnival glass plates of the 12 days of Christmas that I display each year. My tree is covered, many being antique hand blown ornaments, some dating back to the late 1800’s. My boys have favorites they hunt for. I add a new ornament each year they have to find. It represents something significant from the year. Last year was my son graduating nursing school. This year was a Mount Rushmore ornament representing my husband and my 3600 mile,7 state motorcycle trip from CA to SD.
Thank You for this giveaway and I hope you are having a good New Year so far.
I celebrate both Hanukah and Christmas and I have a collection of dreidels from over the years as well as a collection of different Santa Hats.
I collect notebooks and pens!
I collect key-chains and paper bags. Key-chains remind me of the time I went on holiday or they could be gifts from friends. As for paper bags, I like to re-live my shopping experiences and think about the time I got a certain bargain.
As I stated on previous posts which I am just now reading all together…I had 2 cataract surgeries over the holidays on top of family and church events so I saved all these posts. I have a village collection which was my mother’s-in-law and was put under the Christmas tree yearly. I also have the Hallmark shoppes and houses which I buy and give to my one daughter at Christmas. But both of those were only put out at Christmas. How do you keep those dust free? Thank you for your generosity. I have read those books. Thanks for sharing the photos of your lovely collection.
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with all the posts! Most of mine are put out only at Christmas, although I keep about 5 out on my mantle until about March, just to add a little festive look in the dreary winter months.