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Every year for some 40-odd years, we've treated ourselves to " A Charlie Brown Christmas " on CBS television . I've also seen several book versions in Hallmark and Barnes & Noble . One fan is actually writing a book about all the print versions of the story. It's a true american classic and let's hope it never gets the remake treatment. Below is a real-time updated list of auction items based on "A Charlie Brown Christmas": Related articles by Zemanta Charlie Brown "Heavy Metal" Christmas What's your favorite Christmas special?

Department 56 Pier 39, Space #G05 San Francisco , CA 94133 Broadway at the Beach Other places to visit while you're there 1209 Celebrity Circle Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Phone: 843.626.2143 Fax: 843.626.2181 Department 56 - Downtown Disney Yelp Review of Anaheim D56 store 1540 S. Disneyland Drive Suite 102 Anaheim, California 92802 Department 56 - Detroit, Twelve Oaks Mall 27414 Novi Road, Space A212 Novi, MI 48377 Phone # 248-347-2538 Department 56 - Mall of America Google Map of Mall of America D56 Store 60 E. Broadway Suite N300 Bloomington, Minnesota 55425 Department 56 - The Mall At Wellington Green D56 location on Map of Mall 10300 West Forest Hills Blvd., #287 Wellington, FL 33414 Phone # 561-792-4973 Fax # 561-791-9181 Related articles by Zemanta Big sales at D56 flagship stores

I've enjoyed many years of breaking out my christmas comics - collections of stories depicting everyone's favorite super heroes: Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk, their various super-teams, etc. Marvel and DC each seemed to publish one or two xmas-themed titles each year. I've collected a few, but I've also lost quite a few over the years. I hope to keep the ones I have for my son to enjoy. There was also comic book editions for classics like Rudolph, Frosty, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (a recent publication from the 70s era animated movie with the voice of Jim Backus -- better known as Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island). I was delighted to stumble across a Flickr collection of various Christmas comic book collections -- this fan had captured all the years' covers in one fantastic photostream! I've embedded it here for all to view (you may have to return to the christmas blog to see the slideshow: Related articles by Zemanta Scott's Comi

Image via Wikipedia One of our readers states that "big sales have started today at all the Flagship stores as they will all be closing. I am assuming this also means the MOA store though I haven't heard confirmation on this one. I also heard that several Lenox stores in Florida will also be closing." Also, from discussions on the Yahoo! Original Department 56 collectors group : "I called the M.B., SC store. They are swamped with customers. Then I had to call Ms.LitTown (Melinda)for a different matter and she told me she was in line this weekend and ended up putting her stuff back because the line was so long. They are NOT shipping product at this point from what I have been told. It's a whom ever shows up and can wait in line to get their goodies will get what is left." "I was among the folks that weren't happy when Dept 56 opened it's first 'Flagship' store in the Mall of America . I didn't like it when they opened more of their &

There are signs beginning to show which lead us to believe D56 may emerge as a better, more focused company than the entity which purchased Lenox. With the 2009 introductions just around the corner, village collectors can exhale and expect to see a stronger, more focused village-producing company in 2009 and beyond. From the original Department 56 collectors group on Yahoo , one villager wrote: "I thought you'd be interested to learn what my friend found out this past week in a conversation with her former Michigan D56 rep. There is a strong effort afoot to "extract" the core D56 business from the Lenox abyss and keep some semblance of the village business going into the future. This has been rumored in postings by others here but it is the first time that I've heard something fairly definite and accurate from an insider. I think this news, coupled with the planned 09 introductions in the coming month, is another reason to be encouraged that we aren't on the

* I am thankful for my beautiful son Liam and the amazing smile he posseses. * I am thankful for my wonderful wife Rachael, who is the most radiant and caring Mother I have ever seen. * I am thankful for my brother and sister-in-law and their incredible sense of family. * I am thankful for my large group of friends who have grown with me since college to parenthood. * I am thankful for my workplace, a business of compassion, integrity and creativity. * I am thankful for many other things, many of which seem too trivial to include in this list. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Elf Night is our annual tradition of gathering to watch the classic Will Ferrel film " Elf ". It's our fifth year and this year we had eighteen kids and around twenty or more "bigger kids". We made our traditional pumpkin spice pecan waffles for dinner, and everyone brought some other kind of Elfish treat. It was my son's first Elf Night, and he really enjoyed himself, showing off his almost-crawling skills, singing " Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer " with everyone, and sitting for the annual picture of all the children on the couch. Some people dressed as elves, and almost everyone wears pajamas -- just to set up the imagery for you! It's a great idea for a fun party.

* Williamsburg, Virginia christmas gift shop featured in the news * A Christmas Story House holds a contest: " What I Want For Christmas! " * More on the plan to downsize Department 56 * A family tradition in Seattle * Great article on animated Department 56 Village Buildings from HookedonDepartment56.com * Rockefeller center Christmas Tree gets its' top * Hal and Holly Moose made their debut at Build-A-Bear Workshops across America * Disney and IMAX team up for 3D version of "A Christmas Carol"

In the immortal words of Mr. Sam Cooke , "A Change Is Gonna Come". Not only do we have Barack Obama as president, an indication of sweeping change and newfound energy (prior to the election, I wasn't really polarized one way or the other) and the reintroduction of the American Dream, but now we're going to have a relaunch of our beloved Department 56, perhaps re-dedicated to the core line of villages. In another good move, the Krinkles will be sold externally of Department 56 . I personally think all the non-village production should move to a different company. Enjoy the video below as we wait excitingly for the new Department 56:

A commenter on the Yahoo! Group found this statement released by Lenox Corporation: "On October 31, 2008, the Board of Directors of Lenox Group Inc. (the “Company”) approved a scale-down plan (the “Plan”) for the Department 56 wholesale business which includes discontinuing its Everyday and Halloween product lines (Note from blog: Not Halloween villages, just the additional miscellaneous decoratives) and most of its basic Christmas lines, as well as its Forchino collectible line." "The Plan will be to focus the Company’s resources on lines that have potential to generate sustainable profits, such as Villages, Snowbabies, Classic Brands, Ebony Visions, Just the Right Shoe, Possible Dreams, Sandra Magsamen and a small assortment of Christmas products." "The implementation of the Plan requires the elimination of 53 jobs over the next three months, including 30 employees at Department 56 headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, 7 employees at Department 56 offices

From the Original Department 56 Group on Yahoo! , there was rampany speculation as to Department 56 possibly going bankrupt due to not being able to find a buyer. The rumors started when one member of the group stated "Went to the local pizza shop today...he's an avid D56 collector & his mom owns a gift shop in town that carries D56 gift ware. When I walk in, the 1st thing he asks me is "if I heard the news"???? It seems that his mom had contacted her D56 rep to place an order & it took several days for the rep to get back to her. When the rep finally contacted her, his mom asked about the possibility of carrying some D56 villages. Her rep told her that D56 is about to file bankruptcy,that they are going under because they couldn't find a buyer." As another member pointed out, if Department 56 had to file bankruptcy, it doesn't automatically mean they'll be out of business. It means there will probably be a reorganization and a relaunch. One

First, a correction: the picture I used was not the correct one. A reader was kind enought to post a new comment on the last post " Integrating Lego into your Department 56 villages ": "Actually, that's not the set we're talking about. The set in question is this one: http://shop.lego.com/product/? p=5522&LangId=2057&ShipTo=US (and there's no photo of the box there). A fan uploaded some photos of the box and the exclusive "Golden Brick" onto BrickShelf: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi- bin/gallery.cgi?f=345682 ...and if you're interested in seeing LEGO buildings designed for a more D56-type layout (I haven't mixed-and-matched with the D56 houses, but I suspect it would work), I highly recommend trying out the blog Brick Town Talk -- there was even a house on there recently that showed how to build snowbanks. Also, do you have, by any chance, that magazine from when the LEGO North Pole house came out? If I recall correctly, it includ

I was browsing the always interesting Department 56 group on Yahoo!, and read about a collector who uses Lego pieces within his villages. He wrote: "I just went to our "New Target Superstore", and found the 50th Anniversay Edition of the Lego Original Set. It is $39.99, well worth it. If you have the Lego North Pole building, it is a great addition to it for collectors. It has all the 1958,1968,1978 and other covers on the box. It really adds a lot to the D56 buildings and accessories. Check it out." That got me thinking of which Lego pieces and sets could be integrated within other villages. I did some more digging on Google. Here's what I found: Several lego holiday pieces on Ebay Here's the Lego 50th anniversary set (some readers and email software will not display the javascript properly. You'll have to come back to the blog to see the items): Related articles by Zemanta Would You Like to Build the LEGO Death Star with Me? The 50th Anniversary of t

Updates on the licensed "A Christmas Story" series: * Series releases are available now in your local Sears and select dealers. * The Department 56 "A Christmas Story" series will be available to dealers this year. Previously it was available only in Sears. * " A Christmas Story House " giftshop has two D56 exclusives: - Dept 56 "A Christmas Story" Ralphie Visits Santa - A Christmas Story House 25th Anniversary Exclusive for the 25th Anniversary! - Dept 56 - "A Christmas Story" Watching Parade - A Christmas Story House 25th Anniversary Exclusive * New 2008 Pieces include: - "Pulaski's Candy Store" - Lighted ceramic building is a detailed production of the candy store that Ralphie tells his parents Flick saw some Grizzly Bears in front of in an attempt to convince them he needs a bb-gun. - "Pink Nightmare" - Ralphie in his bunny suit, a christmas present from Aunt Claria. Related articles by Zemanta 25th annive

My wife, baby and I today took a stroll in Old Wethersfield, CT , a lovely little town we both had lived in previously. Main Street featured an annual display of scarecrows - some were great, some just ok, but all were signs of a community which was involved and interested in holiday activities. Some of the scarecrows were movie themed, and some were extensions of the retail stores which sponsored them, such as The Spicy Green Bean Deli and The Red Onion. The town sidewalks were extremely busy today, as people strolled to tour the scarecrows and partake in an ice cream treat at the Main Street Creamery, which was too packed for us to stop in, though my wife wanted a cone very badly. They also only took cash, and we only had our bank cards on us. Our favorite scarecrows were the Little Ukranians, Michael the Angel (from the movie "Michael" starring John Travolta ), the Wicked Witch of the West, the Red Onions, the Fiddler on the Roof, and the fireman rescuing a kitty from the

I was browsing through Amazon.com, searching for books on halloween collectibles . I found quite a few that we all would find interesting, including (I used a javascript widget, so you may have to come back to the actual blog to view. Some email readers and RSS feed readers will not display properly): <A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fyankeechristc-20%2F8001%2F7f26ffbf-846e-4ecd-ae64-533f5ead854d&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A> It seems like many of the halloween books focus on older, nostalgic halloween collectibles, such as "Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 To 1949: A Halloween Reference Book From The Beistle Company Archive" and "Collectible Halloween: An American Holiday" as well as "Vintage Halloween Collectibles: An Identification & Price Guide". Wha

Since 1889, the Lenox name has been synonymous with quality tableware. Today, Lenox is known for much more than just fine china. In fact, Lenox.com offers thousands of items ranging from fine china to jewelry to collectibles. With that in mind, the Lenox.com website was redesigned to better showcase its wide breadth of products. "We wanted to make it easier than ever for our customers to find - in as few clicks as possible - exactly what they're looking for," said Dan Schutzman, vice president/consumer direct of Lenox Group Inc...click here to read the entire news article about the Lenox redesign Looking at the redesigned website, there is not a mention of Department 56. Digging into the tab deemed "Collectibles", and then into "Buildings", you can finally find a few Department 56 houses within the inventory. No brand promotion at all. The Department56.com website, on the other hand, has recently updated itself with quite a bit of halloween content.

The Department 56 store in Myrtle Beach is offering a "Buy 5 Current Village Buildings to receive a FREE accessory" special. Each time you order a current building we will punch your card and on the 5th building we will give you a free accessory of your choice -- Free accessory is limited to non-electric accessories with a value less than $35. Every time a member from your group calls to place an order we will put in another entry for your group to win the raffle. Here is what you can win: The winning NCC Club will receive a Snow Village Halloween Victorian House signed by the artist who designed it, Scott Enter. Entries for the raffle will be taken from September 15th – September 27th Be sure to mention what group you are with... Department 56 – Myrtle Beach - 843-626-2143 Related articles by Zemanta A Tale of Two New England D56 Dealers and their Sales

Browse the many versions of " A Christmas Carol " in print Browse Dickens' Village buildings and accessories from Department 56 Read Chapter One Read Chapter Two Read Chapter Three Read Chapter Four Read Chapter Five Read Chapter Six Read Chapter Seven  Read Chapter Eight They left the busy scene, and went into an obscure part of the town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, although he recognised its situation, and its bad repute. The ways were foul and narrow; the shops and houses wretched; the people half-naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offenses of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling streets; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery. Far in this den of infamous resort, there was a low-browed, beetling shop, below a pent-house roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal, were bought. Upon the floor within, were piled up heaps of rusty keys,

Image via Wikipedia The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc. , (JLOCC) has set the date for The Christmas Company , its annual shopping extravaganza. The event will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, - Sunday, Nov. 16, at the OC Fair & Event Center located at Fair Drive and the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa . Sandra Thompson, Ph.D, is chairing this year's event themed, "A Holiday to Remember." "In our 33rd year, The Christmas Company, a holiday shopping event, will have a contemporary new look," says Thompson. "We're planning an exciting fundraiser that incorporates new activities with long-standing traditions. We hope you'll join us to share in our success!" Sponsors include: - Gallo Family Vineyards - Panera Bread Company - Tigo Gifts, Inc. - Winchell Chiropractic - Orange Coast Magazine JLOCC projects include: - The Kinship Project and Bridges to Higher Education, both offered through Orangewood Children's Foundation - Higher Educa

If you've received this post in your email or RSS feed reader, you may not be able to view the news feed unless you come back to our blog: The news feed is dynamically updated and features the latest news stories on halloween decoratives, collectibles, toys, movies, books, etc. Please bookmark this post and come back to read your latest news. You can also add the gadget to your iGoogle page or website

Hooked on Department 56 has a great article on tips for creating your halloween village . The article features tips and informative links on all of the wonderful and scary options for outfitting your decorative halloween villages, including haunted sounds, spooky lights, and flying witches. The story also features information about The 2008 Haunted Rails Engine & Coal Car, and Rickety Railroad Station, two of Department 56's Halloween village pieces created to mark the ten year anniversary of D56 Halloween. While the train itself is ceramic and non-working, you still get the feel of the haunted railroad. The also is not limited to just D56, as it also mentions Disney Villains from Hawthorne Village. An excerpt from the story: "In 1998, Department 56 introduced the first Halloween village collection. Department 56 Halloween Village features spooky castles, flying witches, skeletons, and gravediggers. Many of the buildings are lighted with fiber optic light effects, that fli

When you think christmas ornaments, you think Christopher Radko. Christopher Radko began designing and producing keepsake holiday ornaments, gifts and home decor items in 1986. Today he focuses on design and consulting services. Christopher Radko started out creating hand crafted glass Christmas ornaments that have become standards in many collections. The ornament firm was sold in 2005 but now he may be ready for a new venture. "While it's very early in the process, I can tell you that I'm working on some ideas that are rich in history, art and nature," Christopher says. "We all realize the importance of good friends in our lives and now that I've had a chance to visit with dear friends scattered across the world and hear from others via email, I've decided to develop products that can be used to honor friendships with elegance and in a unique and personal style." - Click here to read Christopher Radko's Blog - Click here to visit the corporate

  You may recall last year's list of halloween piece ideas - there was some pretty creative ideas. My wife was the creative source for "Smokey Bones Crematorium". This year we're keeping up the tradition by coming up with five more halloween buildings for Department 56. Bats in my Attic : it's an attic residence over a garage, and you are able to see bats hanging in there. You can also see an almost-hidden coffin in the corner. Spooky Bowl : This piece would recreate the look and feel of a football field on a graveyard setting, complete with skeletal quarterback. Jack's Pumpkin Painting Palace : This is an expansion of the Jack's Carving Studio, and features multiple creatively painted pumpkins surrounding a studio. Landing in The Scarefield : It's a landing strip with a half of an airplane and skeletal pilots. A crow sits on one of the wings, and grass grows along the sides. Mummies Curse Club : A table for four, where mummies play with a voodoo doll

Sad news...another store is closing for good. "All the Hoopla" in the Orlando Mall is closing 9/30/08. Currently they are selling everything at 40% off even new items. Their phone number is (407) 856-7767. It's a sad state which I know is indicative of the economy. Luxury items just aren't making the tight budgets anymore. Does any have any store openings to report? New websites? Let's have a round of good news. Related articles by Zemanta Man Cuts Gas Costs By Stealing 800 Gallons At A Time Inflation near target

One store is unfortunately closing and the other is holding a nice sale. In another sad sign that economic downturn has hit the luxury gift industry extremely hard, another Department 56 shop is closing. The Holly Loft in Killingworth, MA, is discounting 50% off Department 56 merchandise and 30% off everything else. The store is located on 163 Route 81 in Killingworth, CT , 06419 and the phone number is (860) 663-1166. I couldn't locate their website. Their going out of business sale has been going on for almost two months, so inventory is probably depleted. The other sale is 35% off on August 17th at the Myrtle Beach Department 56 store.

In some stunning and horrifying news from the weekend, Todd Bachman , formerly of Department 56 in the 1970s, was killed in Beijing while at a tourist site while attending the Olympics. Todd was the CEO of Bachman Floral in Minnesota. Bachman's Floral was the sponsor of the Bachman Gatherings (of D56 Collectors) in Minneapolis for many years. Here is a feed of the latest stories (you may need to visit the actual web page to view. Sometimes the feeds do not show up in email or newsreaders):

If any of you use iGoogle for your personal home page, you know you can bring lots of widgets and gadgets with dynamic information such as news, email, facebook or myspace messages, weather, maps, etc. One of the nice things is you can also customize the appearance of your page, and they offer a great header theme which shows a wintery village. You can click here to get the theme . Related articles by Zemanta Hints of iGoogle Turning Into Its Own Social Network

Discovered this news item late last week: Lenox Group Inc. Provides Update on Strategic Alternatives Review Process . An excerpt: " Lenox today announced that it had been unsuccessful in finding a buyer for the company (Department 56) as a whole, at an acceptable price, but continues to actively explore other strategic alternatives.... click here to read the complete story . My two cents -- In trying to consider potential buyers, how about: - the employees themselves - a large distributor such as Sears - a consortium of Dept 56 dealers - a group of funded collectors - an entertainment company such as Disney - a movie studio looking to cross-promote holiday movies such as Universal Studios Related articles by Zemanta Lenox trying to sell Department 56 Taking Advantage of Slow Ebay Auctions Wall Street Results for Department 56 (Lenox)

The Department 56 Webring regularly showcases some nice websites related to D56 and other collectibles. J&D Hobby is located in the Smoky Mountains. J&D was founded by avid Dept 56 collectors who enjoy building large Dept 56 displays and also American Civil War and WWII dioramas. They offer a large number of homemade accessories depicting as much realism as possible using a very hard plaster called Hydrostone. They have built accessories for not only Department 56 , but also model railroading, wartime dioramas, civil war soldiers, war gaming and dollhouse displays. Related articles by Zemanta Ken Burns new doc series for PBS The National Civil War Museum Lenox trying to sell Department 56 Celebrate independence with D56 & More What they're saying on Twitter about Department 56