Father-Husband-Marketer-Geek

With the impending Super Bowl matchup of my beloved New York Giants and the perfection-pursuing Patriots, I started to think about the few and far between sports-themed items represented by Department 56. Sure, they do the baseball parks well. I love my Yankee Stadium and proudly display beside my desk at work. They also do Fenway Park, Comiskey Park, as well as others. Where's the football love? They could do an awesome Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers), complete with snowy conditions. Soldier Field (Chicago Bears) could also carry the requisite winter scenes. Oh, and by the way, Giants win 27-16. Find the football love for great gifts by clicking here.

One of my readers tipped us off to some department 56 sales today. Even if you don't live in the area, most stores have an online shop as well: "Went up to the Ingleside Gift Store today. They had all retired 60% off and regular D56 50% off, plus more in their shed on the outside of the store where the percentages differ. They also had some snowbabies for 50% off. Ingleside Gift Store is in Holyoke - but then you probably knew that. She also let me know about two other northeast hot spots of Dept 56 activity: "There are two places that I buy from. One of them is the Cape Cod Gift Barn in North Eastham, MA. They are currently closed until April (they will be open for Feb. vacation and they do monitor their emails). They sell retired D56 pieces for 50% off. We purchased most of our older North Pole from him. The other place we have bought from is the Department 56 Flagship Store in Myrtle Beach . They have a bunch of North pole items here for 30% off."

In a recent post, a visitor named Alice let me know about her own unique store online: "I have a Christmas Villages store online, and have Dept. 56 as well as some of the other villages. I absolutely love them! You mentioned you have a links section for online village stores, and I thank you for give me some link-space! My store is called Christmas Villages Online and its at http://www.christmasvillagesonline.com . Stop by and visit!" I think we all should oblige and check out her store!

There are a few key pieces you'll need if you're going to be setting up a display for Valentine's Day. These are also great gifting ideas if you're having trouble coming up with an original gift idea for the big day. CUPID'S CARD SHOP from Snow Village is pictured here. VALENTINE CHAPEL OF LOVE is also from Snow Village. " HEARTS & BLOOMS Cottage " is a special Valentine's Day set from Department 56. From the Krinkles line, you can pick up the Valentine Display Tree . Click here to find an always updated list of Department 56 Valentine's Day Selections

"40 Years at the kids' table" is what I would title my book if I were to write one. It would be semi-autobiographical. I think it's an excellent name for a book. I would write several chapters about all the different stages in life where I feel I've never quite fit in with the adults. I've always had a child-like zest for fun and collectibles, be it Department 56 villages, or even comic books. I've always sat at the kids' table. Even at 41, I still sit there. Every year we gather for Christmas at this big old fancy dining room table. Of course, I'll always admire it from the card table I'm sitting at. These days no one at the kids' table is actually a kid. Definitely the younger generations, in their 20s and 30s, but scientifically not kids. We have a lot more fun at the kids' table, at least I think we do. We can make fun of food or burp and no one in the elder dining zone will even hear us. Different table, different rules. While they

Well, it finally had to happen, I had to take down our 22-piece Snow Village display. With a baby on the way, we need to clear all of the empty Department 56 boxes out of our spare room and get them back down to storage. Thankfully, we have a spare bedroom, because that will become the baby's bedroom. I began the task of putting away our displays last friday night, but I wasn't able to finish on the weekend. I left the entire set of "A Christmas Story" pieces, albeit on another table, all jammed together like an urban cityscape. Those will come down this weekend, and then everything will be put away for another year. I will drag the Halloween pieces out first, so my wife and I have easy access to them next September. I'll then carefully place the Christmas storage bins behind them, making sure nothing is blocking the easy retrieval of my villages. I am extremely excited about having a baby, and now the only question remains...what village will she/he collect? My w

I've added a brand new poll to the blog. It'll be open for voting throughout the first quarter of 2008. The poll asks the question "Which strategies would help D56 the most?" The included business strategies are: * Lower Prices * Not Selling Direct * Movie/TV Placements * Less National Chain Dealers * More Creative Introductions * Lower Production Numbers Visit the D56 blog today and cast your vote!

2007 was a year which went by in a flash, for me anyway. I started blogging here in June and kept up a semi-regular pace up until the recent weeks - ironically, as the holiday season came closer, the less time I had to post about D56 or any of the other holiday stuff. I ended up setting up my Snow Village display across two tables - about 30 pieces in all. Wasn't able to get any real good pictures of it - I think our "Adventure" Orange wall, while a great background for my wife's halloween display, didn't really gel with the Snow Village landscape. In 2008, I am looking to bring regular posting back up to speed, and find more and more Department 56 bargains out there in the real world and on the web for you. I can always use more "feet on the street" so feel free to comment in with tips on sales you find, or even if you're looking to sell your own collections (humbug!). Speaking of humbug, I have to finish my republishing of "A Christmas Carol&