As you may recall, last year Katr fulfilled my lifelong dream of owning a Christmas village. My tiny village filled me with joy every time I looked at it and I couldn't wait until next year, when I would add another tiny residence or business to my collection.
Here's the thing: these Department 56 Dickens Village buildings are not cheapo and I figured that if I was lucky, every year, Katr would pick out a suitable building for me and that my village would grow very slowly, year over year, spilling on to adjacent windowsills, perhaps requiring a shelf at some point.
Then Katr discovered eBay.
I knew for some time that Katr was planning something special for my village this year when she informed me that I would have to come up with a name for the village, because the "planning department" needed to know. We decided that the main village (in the dining room) would be "Rosewood Cross" and that the seaside village (in the office) would be "Wintersea".
All through the run-up to the holiday season, there were strange packages arriving and clandestine local meet-ups but I remained blissfully ignorant of Katr's ultimate plans. For our wedding anniversary in November, she presented me with not one but TWO buildings for my village - a molasses factory (hahahaha) and a boarding school (where young girls discover lesbianism). I was thrilled - but I thought she was really blowing her building wad.
Little did I know.
On Christmas morning, I was already spoiled and a little drunk when it came time to open my final gift...which was a small box full of replacement light cords and a note from the Rosewood Cross Development Office. I was mystified. And then Katr fired up the Apple TV and played this video. Which she made. And did the voice-over for. In an hilarious "British" accent. Because SHE IS AWESOME.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT. I love you, Katr.
So, many unboxings and squeals of joy and pluggings in later, here is a slideshow of new Rosewood Cross and Wintersea, if you are a nerd and want to see them. You know you want to.
Also included are the photos from last year, for comparison - and because I was too lazy to start a new set on Flickr for the 2014 Village.
(Here's a link to the slideshow on Flickr if you're on Firefox and can't see it ;)
I love my village so much. Maybe a little too much. Maybe I should make year-round seasonal vignettes, like the hardcore collectors do! Ooo, there's also a "springtime" collection that comes without snow! HAHAHAHA stop me before I become one of them.
What will next year bring to Rosewood Cross and Wintersea? I can only imagine what Master Potts has in mind. All I can say is that whomever he invites to town, I say "APPRRRROVED!"
