Father-Husband-Marketer-Geek

Elf: Buddy the Elf gets excited to see Santa again: Notes: There were many references to other holiday films and specials in this movie...I definitely recall the George Bailey reenactment of Buddy the Elf walking on the bridge; the Island of Misfit Toys reference when the animals are floating on the broken ice float, and even the park rangers paid homage to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, I believe. I know there are others, but thus far, my Google searches have been fruitless. What others have you seen? Please comment below. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Clark Griswold lights it up A Christmas Story: Ralphie's least favorite christmas gift

Department 56 baseball is a really fun collection for baseball fans and even fans who enjoy historical architecture. I've bought both the Yankee Stadium accent for my brother and the retired Yankee Stadium from Christmas in the City. I've purchased the Fenway Park accent as a gift as well. They're great, don't get me wrong, but I think D56 can do so much more. They can start with more stadiums, sold in regional areas as exclusives. I also would like to see a scale of the entire stadium from an overhead view as opposed to just the facade. I like the idea of doing the old time parks as opposed to the new sponsored stadiums. A "3com Park" piece just doesn't have the same ring to it as a classic "Ebbets Field". Here is my list of the next five stadiums Department 56 should make: 1: Camden Yards (1992-Current, Baltimore Orioles) 2: Jacobs Field (1994-Current, Cleveland Indians) 3: The Astrodome (1965-1999, Houston Astros) 4: Dodgers Stadium (1962-C...

Matt 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 1...

What got you started collecting villages? A combination of loving miniatures, seeing villages in stores, my Mother's putz houses from my childhood. How many years have you been collecting? 10 years What is your favorite D56 series? North Pole How many displays do you build per year? Christmas is divided into 3-4-5 displays, halloween & fall, 3 easter baskets & may exclude carnival & harbor from these & do them as summer displays. Do you keep a list of all your pieces that you own? Yes, except a few small non-village accessories and handmade accessories. What's the latest piece you've bought? D56 Turkeys/Geese in the Field What's the first piece you bought? A cheap little house at the drug store. How many people have you turned on to D56 collecting? Probably not any. I'm pretty much the only one in my circle that does this. Do you keep track of values of the pieces or not? The retail price, not the sale price I paid. I haven't included the off-bra...

I remember as a child seeing my brother's collection of models he had built from the classic "monsters of the movies" - Dracula , Frankenstein , Creature from the Black Lagoon , the Wolfman , and I also remember our cousin breaking them all. What a terrible disaster, I thought. It was a marvelous collection. These reflections must be what are making me want to collect Department 56's " Universal Studios Monsters " series, which includes "Dracula's Domain" (pictured left), " Dracula's Castle ", " Frankenstein's Laboratory ", and " Creature's Lair ". There was also the retired " classic monsters " series, which included " Dracula's Castle" , " Curse of the Wolfman ", and " Frankenstein's Monster ". At Super Stop and Shop I picked up four strecthy versions of Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman and the Creature from the Black Lagoon . They were only $1.99 each and...

Sears : multiple collectors have spotted pre-lit trees already up in their local Sears stores. One person has said the new Ralphie with broken glasses accessory from A Christmas Story is available now for $ 9.99. Others have said the "A Christmas Story" stuff went on sale September 16 last year. There goes my November 19 date...bad memory, I guess... Target : all of their Halloween merchandise is out, and some of their Christmas stuff is starting to trickle out, like Ornaments. One collector found many of the M&M ornaments. Home Goods : They have a few Department 56 items on sale. "The Toy Shop" and "Town Church" accents were $16 each.

What got you started collecting villages? At lunch with a friend from work and we walked into a Stats store in CA. We both fell in love with the Original Snow Village display and each bought the same house, the Morningside House. How many years have you been collecting? Over 15 years What is your favorite D56 series? Now, it is Christmas in the City How many displays do you build per year? A large Halloween display, at Christmas large mountain/outdoor scene of SV pieces, carnival, and CIC or NP Do you keep a list of all your pieces that you own? Yes and if I looked at it like I should, I wouldn't buy so many duplicates What's the latest piece you've bought? HOWL Radio and Franky's Hot Dogs How many people have you turned on to D56 collecting? Four Do you keep track of values of the pieces or not? Just have the latest Green Book value listed. When I want a reality check, I go to eBay. What else do you collect? Armani figurines, ...