I'm due for a Disney Top 5 today, but each day as I walk through my living room I see some Disney holiday stuff that brings a smile to my face. So, if you'll indulge me I'm going to revisit a Disney Stuff article that I wrote some time ago. Five years ago in December of 2008, I wrote a Disney Stuff article about one of my all time favorite Disney collections—the Disney Village Christmas Collection.
Each December I climb up to the attic and dig out the silver boxes emblazoned with white snowflakes that contain these wonderful light-up Christmas houses. They've become treasured pieces of Barry house holiday cheer. Each one of the five of us has one that's considered their own and we take pride in displaying them prominently in the house.
We're not alone in our admiration of this collection. Over the years writing for MousePlanet, I've received and answered lots of email from readers on all sorts of topics. But the plain truth is that I've gotten more email about this set of Christmas light-up houses than anything else I've ever written about. Five years later and I'm still frequently getting emails about them. The people sending these emails generally fall into two camps: the ones that know about them and want to complete their collection and the ones that have discovered them through my article and want to find out how they can get their hands on them.
Main Street, Glen Cove, New York, USA. Photo By Chris Barry.
The bad news for both camps is that these holiday houses have become increasingly scarce. An Internet search while I was writing this came up with one for sale…only one. There's one Main Street Train Station currently on eBay for $395! Other than my original article from 2008 and some other mentions on other Disney fan-based websites, there are just no houses to be found on the secondary market, at least not in cyberspace.
I scored mine a few different ways back then. The Main Street Train Station and Cinderella Castle were both purchased from the defunct Disney Catalogue (I recall getting them on a really good sale to boot!).
The first building to greet you at any Magic Kingdom. Photo By Chris Barry.
Cinderella Castle with the divine Miss Bell circling it's spire. Photo By Chris Barry.
I purchased the Main Street Cinema and the Fire House in Liberty Square at Walt Disney World and had them shipped home.
Donald and Daisy out on the town. Photo By Chris Barry.
Only 21 Dalmatians inhabit this firehouse. Photo By Chris Barry.
Casey's Corner was a must have for my son… Casey.
Casey's Corner featuring Goofy in his vintage ballplayer pinstripes. Photo By Chris Barry.
I called and ordered it from the WDW merchandise number. I'm glad I ordered them when I did because then… they vanished. You can't get them in the parks anymore. They haven't been on DisneyShopping.com for a long time. And as I said above, nobody seems to be parting with them out there in “Internet collectible land.”
My big regret is that I didn't complete the collection with the two pieces that I'm missing. Main Street's City Hall featuring Jiminy Cricket is probably the most rare piece. I've never seen one for sale and believe me I would have hopped on it had I spotted one. The other missing piece in my collection is the Main Street Emporium featuring Minnie Mouse and a pile of packages in her arms. About a year ago, I was actually bidding on that one and lost in the final moments. Since then…there's been nothing. Whoever has them is holding onto them and judging by the asking price for the train station, even if they become available, time and scarcity has pretty much priced me out.
The trick to finding one is by searching for them by the correct name. Dept. 56, the light-up Christmas house behemoth, has produced various lines of Disney related pieces for quite some time now. You're not looking for those. Well, unless you're actually looking for those. In that case you've got plenty of options and most are reasonably priced. My point is, you can find those by searching for “Disney Christmas Village.” You won't find the pieces shown on this page that way. The proper title for these pieces is “Disney Village Christmas Collection.” That's the official name and that's the best way to try and hunt them down. Good luck. They have definitely turned into a pretty scarce set of collectibles to find.
As for mine, we moved them from our hutch in the kitchen to a spot right next to our Christmas tree. That's where they've been for the past few years. I have all the original boxes and packaging and I try to keep them in great shape. Sad to say, but Tinker Bell was recently decapitated. It's rather morose looking…a headless Tinker Bell flying over Cinderella Castle. I'm searching through my collections and the kid's toys for a Tink head that's the proper size to repair her. Aside from that, the Train Station…the first piece I purchased… has one “string” of lights that won't light anymore. The windows and wreaths light up. There's just this one strand that won't. I brought it to a local hobby shop and he thinks the lights were molded into the resin when it was cast, so repair isn't really an option for this small glitch.
That's all right with me. They're perfect just the way they are. It's not really Christmas until certain things happen in this house. Our stockings have to be hung from the mantle. My wife's set of little, delicate wooden angels from Germany have to be out on display. The Grinch needs to be watched. The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas has to be played in the house. And our Disney Village Christmas Collection has to be set up and lit.
It's just not Christmas until I'm looking at them everyday.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and I'm sure, like me, you're looking forward to a great New Year's next week. Let me know what you think of my Disney Village Christmas Collection and I'll see you next time with more of that great Disney Stuff.
