My dear readers.
I may need an intervention.
What??
A few days ago, I told you about my cutting back a bit on Christmas trees and decor.
You know, only putting up one Christmas tree instead of nine.
And I quite possibly… may have just changed out one addiction for another.
But I couldn’t help it.
I think the easiest way to explain it is to tell you about a conversation that went something like the old Dragnet detective show.
You know where Jack Webb always had a deadpan look and serious short questions and answers?
It started earlier this Fall when the Captain brought in a box that had arrived from FedEx.
Let me share with you that conversation as I was unpacking styrafoam peanuts from a previous box that had arrived.
The Captain: Another box arrived for you.
Me: Another?
The Captain: Yes, and it is about the same size as the 3 you received yesterday.
Me: The three Dickens Village houses.
The Captain: More Dickens Village houses?
Me: No.
The Captain: What then?
Me: They are houses, but not Dickens Village houses.
The Captain: Oh.
Me: They are Victorian houses.
The Captain: Like the Dickens Village houses?
Me: Well, sorta.
The Captain: Sorta?
Me: Well, they are for a Victorian Village tablescape. I have a few more houses coming.
The Captain: A few more?
Me: Thirteen to be exact.
The Captain: 13 more houses?
Me: And figurines of children.
The Captain: children figurines?
Me: And a horse and sleigh.
The Captain: hmmmmm…so more to come?
Me: Yes.
The Captain: More Victorian?
Me: No, A house from A Christmas Story.
The Captain: The movie?
Me: Mid century house, among others.
The Captain: And more mid century?
Me: No, the house and RV from the movie “Christmas Vacation, they are not mid century, they are baby boomers”
The Captain: Oh I see.
Me: Plus the figurines of Eddie and Clark and Santa and Ralphie and the leg lamp.
The Captain: Merry Christmas!!
Me: Thanks!
I think at this point, I should just show you the pictures.
They speak for themselves.
You may recognize a School, a Bed & Breakfast, a Doctor’s Office, an Inn and a historical mansion.
Chelsea Mansion to be exact, which is a replica of the house where Clement C. Moore wrote the poem “Twas the night before Christmas” in 1822 for his children.
The original title was “A Visit From St. Nicholas”!
Among the houses are a Federal House, Queen Anne Victorian, GlenHaven House, Beacon Hill Victorian, Carpenter Bed & Breakfast, Hartford House, Southern Colonial, and Christmas Lake High School!
Ralphie, his house, Clark, his house and Eddie, his RV will come later.
The tablescape:
The dinnerware is from Wal-Mart BH&G Twelve Days of Christmas this year.
The Flatware is from Bed Bath & Beyond several years ago.
Red napkins with green embroidery are from Home Goods several years ago.
Ho Ho Ho glasses are from dollar store this year.
Red stemmed glasses are from Pioneer Woman collection last year.
And now you know, the rest of the story about the Dept 56 houses and Ebay this year.
Have a great and Blessed Day!
I post almost daily to Instagram. Follow Me and My Captain on Instagram here, and Pinterest here.
Thank you to Chloe Crabtree for hosting the Christmas Tablescape Blog Hop. You are an inspiration to me.
Enjoy visiting all of the tablescapes through the links below:
Hi Kari! I love, love, love your tablescape! First, I have to apologize. I haven’t had time to comment until how; life has thrown me some curve balls this season. Anyway, I so adore your village. If you take a peek at one of mine I do every year, you’ll know I’m being sincere! http://www.myfrenchtwist.com/setting-up-a-realistic-christmas-village-2/ Last year, I made my Dept. 56 village as a replica of the city in which I live. It was such fun. So enjoyed your post!!
(from WEndy at My FRench Twist)
Hi Kari you table is so beautiful and I love you village ,I also have a lot of the Dept 56 village house way to many that I have collected over the years ,I have not done a village in the last few years due to my back pain that I have and this made me think how pretty that it would be all set up like your table with my friendly village dishes and my Ruby Red Glasses. Thank you for sharing your lovely table I so enjoyed reading your Blog.Merry Christmas from my house to yours!
Kari, Your conversation sounded so hilarious, but also a lot like our conversation at home! I love all your houses and buildings, but I’m really loving those dishes and the flatware. I had a small village started years ago and when we moved and downsized, I got rid of all of them. It’s been great being in this blog hop with you. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Thank you for stopping by…don’t you hate it when you get rid of something and later on regret it? LOL Merry Christmas to you and yours.
your cutlery is to die for! I’m also super digging that Christmas village as a centerpece. Well done & happy holidays.
I love all of this Kari and the flatware is so pretty! I really want to style a table with my Dickens Village this year and hopefully I’ll have time. I had fun blog hopping with with again.
I can’t wait to add to my Dicken’s village. I will be anxious to see yours. Great blog hopping.
Kari, I love your conversation with the hubby, he is a good sport! The houses are fabulous and how wonderful that you used them for your Tablescape, it is so charming! The 12 Days Of Christmas dishware is perfect with the Victorian scene! I can imagine being a guest at your table and taking in the magic of your table…love blog hopping with you!
Thank you Pam…I can’t wait to serve dinner at this table. Blog Hopping is always fun with this group of ladies Chloe has put together. What inspiration. thanks for stopping by.
Kari, I loved how you incorporated your Victorian village into your tablescape. I set up the Dicken’s village every year and I love all the little houses and figures. It’s like a wonderland on your table. It works so well with the reds and plaids.
I love the whole town you built! I guess it takes a village!! Your UPS man must love you! I am so crushing on your flatware. I looked all over for some red checked or plaid flatware this year and never found any. I have enjoyed your stop on the Hop! Merry Christmas.
What a great way to incorporate your Christmas village. I often see these on side boards or formal living rooms coffee tables, but this allows you guests to enjoy the village in a functional way! I especially love your twelve days of Christmas place settings, those are absolutely gorgeous!
Oh the Captain is a gem of a man…but I’m sure you know that already. What a fun tablescape, the only downside is that your guests may be too busy spying different movies/books/shows to eat! But then again…(hmmm) the easiest dinner party ever!
Merry Christmas.
Lynn
You are right Lynn and that is part of the plan…though we will definitely enjoy a “period” dinner to go along with the Victorian era. Thank you for stopping by and Merry Christmas!
I well know about swapping one passion for another, but the houses are too magical to ever stop collecting them. I love your houses! My Mother’s neighbor used to put up a whole Dept 56 town in her den, and it was a tradition to visit. Wishing you a happy Christmas!
Thanks Michael Lee and I adore your new fur babies. You are indeed an inspiration to all of us. Merry Christmas from our house to yours.
Kari, your table is outstanding! That conversation reminds me of a conversations I had with a “Captain” years ago. lol I love seeing the Twelve Days of Christmas plates. I received mine last week and look forward to putting my table together next week. I always enjoy your post and I cannot wait to see how you display the RV and items from Christmas Vacation. I know it will be amazing! Merry Christmas to you and The Captain.
Catherine
Smashing Plates Tablescapes
Thanks Catherine for your kind comments. My Captain is off flying as we speak but he always checks out my tablescapes and is constantly encouraging me. Before he left he suggested I remove one of the side pieces that he felt were not “period” and he was right. He is very supportive. As I said the other houses will be posted soon. Thanks for stopping by. Merry Christmas from a fellow Floridian.
Your table looks amazing. I love the idea of putting the houses as the centerpiece on the table. What fun it would be to join with family or friends, sit around the table eating a good meal, and enjoying the christmas houses. So fun blog hopping with you!
Thank you Tammy, it was such fun to put together….as well as receiving the boxes via the delivery man. I had Christmas every day for a few weeks. Thanks for stopping by. Merry Christmas from our house to yours.
How fun it would be to dine at this fantastic tablescape! Love all the houses and how you displayed them. The Victorian charm is so evident and one would feel like they were a passerby walking down the snow-covered street enjoying all the pretty lights. You’ve paired this terrific centerpiece with equally wonderful coordinating dishware, stemware and flatware. Once you had the tablescape all ready to go, your hubby must have realized “all the box deliveries” were so worth it! 🙂 It was a lovely stop here on the Blog Hop!
Lori I do believe he has learned over the years if you can’t fight it, join it. LOL He enjoys the tablescapes as much as I do and we love to sit and imagine what would have been happening behind those brightly decorated doors and windows so many years ago. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!
Kari, I got a kick out our your dialogue! Your hubby seemed to take it in stride, “Oh I see” 🙂 I love the charm and ambiance of your houses on the table. They make for such a festive centerpiece and I’ve been admiring those BH&G 12 Days dishes online. It’s always a pleasure to blog hop with you! Keep Calm and Village On… Merry Christmas ♥
Thanks Mary…those dishes are still on sale and are to pretty. Thanks for stopping by, and you are right…hubby has learned over the years that my passion is playing with dishes and now little houses. I think he feels it is a trade-off as he is a corporate jet pilot and flies 7 days on and 7 days off….the blog keeps me busy and happy while he is away.LOL
What beautiful photographs, and such a pretty tablescape! I am swooning over your wonderful collection of Christmas Houses! They are gorgeous! I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!!!
thank you Shannon, and we send Christmas greetings to you and yours. Have a wonderful Holiday.
Don’t you just hate it when boxes arrive when your husband is home 😂 He must be a real sweetheart! How much fun you will have playing with your beautiful houses and figurines! I love the boys decorating the tree, so sweet! Your plates are so pretty and different too, just outstanding Kari!!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna…the Captain is a real sweetheart as he never complains, he just brings in the boxes….and there are a lot o boxes as any blogger can attest. I will always be a kid at heart because I love not only playing with dishes but playing with the little houses too. The Captain has commented many times that it doesn’t take much to make me smile. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!
Hi there Kari! How funny that conversation must have been. I just try and sneak things into the house when my hubby isn’t around, too bbad you got caught! Your home must be beautiful, all decked from top to bottom with all of fun houses! Your table is absolutely lovely! I love the glow from the houses down the middle of your table! Thank you so much for joining us again for another hop! Merry Christmas!
Thank you Chloe for another fun blog hop. I don’t know how you find the time for all you do.
I do believe the delivery men know me by my first name because I have always ordered on line….at least for the last 20 years and I am sure the brick and mortar buildings owners cringe. IF I happen to have a day when a box does not arrive….the delivery guys ask if I have been ill. LOL.
Thanks again for hosting. Merry Christmas!
I honestly do not know how many houses I have at this time. I need to offload part of my collection to the children. Love the tablescape – the ordering is reversed in our home.
thanks for stopping by, how wonderful that you have these little houses too. They are such fun to just sit and look at. Merry Christmas!
Oh my….what a wonderful collection! (I am envious.) You did such a beautiful job incorporating all of these lovely buildings into a tablescape. I could sit for hours at the table and enjoy browsing through the village. It certainly takes me back to another place and time. I love the little children around the campfire. Gosh, I feel like I am right there among them. So nicely done. I am glad your husband enjoys them too. It is a wonderful setting for both children and adults. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Oh Marsha you can see that I am clearly addicted. I do sit and stare at the houses imagining what was happening when they were alive with happy families at Christmas. Thank you so much for your kind comments. Merry Christmas to your family from ours.
What a fantastic table, love all the houses!! I can see why you needed each and every one. I wanted one more pic, of the overall table from a bit farther away to see the village with the settings. Love your flatware, and your glasses, and those plates!! So pretty lit up at night, love it all!
Hi Carole, thanks for your comments. I added another pic a little farther away at your suggestion..I hope this helps see the whole “picture” LOL I just love playing with dishes and tablescapes. I am hooked for sure.
Oh Kari, that exchange was thoroughly and wholly entertaining…..and generally a bit familiar (“whad’ya order this time?”, says mine, lol). The table is absolutely a charming and delightful open book of storyline! Wow. I’d have a blast playing dishes with you! I see all kinds of potential future combinations there! I think you’re going to need a few more tubs for storage. 😉 Merry Christmas!
You are right Rita…I need to make more room on my shelves! LOL I will be posting the Christmas Vacation/Christmas Story movie (I am combining the houses, one on each end of the table to separate the eras) but it is such fun. I guess you can tell I love to tell stories too…and by writing this blog I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Writing and playing with dishes.,…..and yes, there are many stories yet to tell. It is always fun blog hopping with you. Merry Christmas from our house to yours.