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Featured D56 site: Matts Department 56 Extravaganza

matt lake's dickens village displayMatt Lake at age 14 and a high school freshman began this site. Matt, now out of college and fully employed, is an avid Dickens Village collector. Pictured at left is his 2003 Dickens' Village display.

An excerpt from his home page:
"My family and I have been collecting Dept. 56 Collectibles since Christmas of 1994. My collection has grown a GREAT deal since 1994. We currently collect the Dickens Village, Disney Parks Village, Christmas In The City, Snowbunnies, NOEL Christmas Tree Ornaments, Tiny Trimming Ornaments, Merry Maker Monks, Little Town of Bethlehem, Profile Series, and other unique collectibles that they make."

Matt - that's a lot of collecting! Your D56 extravaganza website has a tremendous amount of great content and links connecting the D56 world.

From his "frequently asked questions" page:
"My mom always had a Christmas village, and I was intrigued by it. My brother and I used to help her set up the village every year. In December 1994 at age 11, I decided to start my own village. Ashbury Inn was my first purchase. Having financial assistance from my parents and especially my grandmother, the collection started growing VERY fast. After just a few years, I was able to catch up with most of the retired pieces. Up until this past year, I purchased every new introduction. Since I recently ran out of display room, I now collect only the pieces that I really like or are part of the Historic Landmark collection. The rest is history."
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