Christmas Villages: A Must-Have Decoration for Your Home

Miniature Christmas villages: a blend of tradition and innovation, a unique way to decorate your home and celebrate Christmas

Christmas has always been a unique and special time. A magical, delicate atmosphere fills every place, from streets lit up with sparkling festive lights to homes that suddenly rediscover a warm, intimate, and sweet ambiance unmatched by any other time of year. Even those who do not believe or indulge in spirituality cannot help but be caught up in the festive spirit, rediscovering a light within themselves they may have forgotten. These feelings are closely tied to various Christmas traditions around the world, crossing history, religious sentiment, and folklore. One tradition deeply rooted in our country, which we all know well, is the Nativity Scene (Presepe), a depiction of the birth of Jesus, invented by St. Francis many centuries ago and still widely celebrated today. Every Christmas, this magical and special scene is recreated in churches, streets, and homes, much to the wonder of children and adults alike.

Another popular tradition, especially in Northern Europe and the United States, is the creation of Christmas villages.

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When you think about it, building a miniature Christmas village isn’t so different from constructing a Nativity Scene, especially in our country where the tradition of nativity scenes has always been deeply tied to historical reality. Many traditional nativity scenes are essentially miniature villages or glimpses of towns, meticulously recreated to mirror historical settings from various eras. The most notable example is the Neapolitan Nativity Scene, which captures the atmosphere and characters of 17th-century Naples.

Miniature Christmas villages are similar to nativity scenes, except they don’t represent the Nativity of Jesus. Instead, their design and architecture are typically inspired by Northern Europe and the U.S. There’s no limit to imagination when creating a miniature Christmas village! While constructing a Nativity Scene, one of the most iconic Christmas symbols, often involves working within a historical context, miniature Christmas villages offer nearly boundless possibilities, combining tradition and innovation. These villages often feature snowy landscapes with little houses, illuminated streets, tiny shops, and squares where miniature figures skate or ride carousels. Moving Christmas villages bring these scenes to life with colourful lights, music, and a bustling miniature world. It’s impossible not to get swept up in this magical world where everything smells of snow and candy canes, and Santa Claus rides through the streets on his sleigh, bells jingling.

Like nativity scenes, Christmas villages also encourage artistic creativity. As Christmas approaches, both crafts become fun DIY projects, offering a creative way to spend your free time before the holidays.

When does the origin of Miniature Christmas Villages come from?

While the Nativity Scene was spreading in Italy, becoming both a popular devotional object and an artistic pursuit, in 18th-century Central and Eastern Europe, people celebrated Christmas by building miniature houses, often using recycled materials like paper, wood, cardboard, mirror pieces for ponds and streams, moss, and rocks gathered from the countryside. Some of these miniatures depicted everyday life, while others were dreamlike and idealised scenes. European immigrants, especially Moravians and Bohemians, brought this tradition to the U.S., where Christmas trees were already gaining popularity.

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Christmas tree 180 cm Poly green Fillar Winter Woodland

The main material gives a very realistic effect to the branches.

Putz Houses: The Cardboard Houses

The real turning point that cemented miniature villages as Christmas symbols was the commercialisation of Putz Houses—cardboard houses originating from Central Europe and particularly Germany (the German term “putzen” means “to clean” or “to decorate”). These quickly became a hit in the New World.

When World War I made it difficult to source decorations from Germany, the American Christmas market—specifically F.W. Woolworth, who had created the “five-and-dime” stores—turned to Japanese companies, which began producing Putz Houses for mail order. Inexpensive and vibrant, these cardboard houses could be lit from the inside and offered endless modular and expandable configurations, making them perfect for any home.

After World War II, with tensions between the U.S., Germany, and Japan, Putz Houses fell out of favour. However, in the 1970s, ceramic and porcelain houses appeared on the market, launched by Bachman’s, a florist who produced the first line of miniature ceramic Christmas-themed and vintage houses and accessories. Since then, other companies have embraced this idea, offering more affordable options, such as Lemax, while in Europe, Luville and Dickensville became popular brands.

Today, there are Christmas villages available in every style and inspiration, from classic Victorian villages reminiscent of Dickens, to elf villages, or even scenes inspired by Disney films or Tim Burton.

Ideas for Creating Your Own Putz House

As mentioned, crafting your own DIY miniature Christmas village can be an exciting and inspiring challenge. Putz houses, with their cheerful and colourful designs, are perfect for decorating and personalising your home during Christmas. You can use them to create an original centrepiece for your holiday table, pairing little houses and figures with traditional sprigs of fir, holly, and bright berries, or as personalised place settings for guests. Alternatively, you could take inspiration from the tradition of “scarabattole,” small cases used in the 18th century to display sacred scenes: Putz houses can be placed inside a glass case, an open box, or even a jar! They also look great on shelves, as tree decorations, or attached to a Christmas wreath on your door or window. Traditional Nativity Scene houses can serve as a starting point for your creativity, allowing you to build a charming setting around a miniature Christmas tree or a pine tree, all naturally dusted with fake snow.

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Christmas home decorations

New ideas to help you decorate your home for the holiday.

Christmas Villages for Every Need

A Putz house village is a fantastic way to make the most of even small spaces when decorating your home for Christmas. If space is limited, you can opt for a single pre-configured Christmas scene, complete with lights and animations, such as a charming Christmas village featuring a snowy landscape with children playing and a hot air balloon rising into the sky, with multicoloured LED lights and festive music. Or perhaps a Christmas village with Santa’s sleigh flying over houses, surrounded by children, trees, and animals, illuminated by vibrant LED lights. There’s even a fun Christmas scene with Santa inside a truck. A timeless classic that children will love is the toy shop, where Santa is inside, handing out gifts to the miniature characters.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a larger space for your Christmas decorations, you could choose an elaborate Christmas village that depicts an entire snowy town, complete with a moving train, skaters gliding across the ice, and a Christmas tree that lights up to the sound of joyful music. Or you might prefer a ski slope village, with a moving cable car and skiers, illuminated with lights and festive music, or a Christmas fairground with acrobatic planes and a reindeer carousel, bringing all the magic of the season into your home.

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