Add some extra flair to your holiday village display by including some Christmas village accessories. Accessories make your village more realistic and completes your entire village scene.
Village Landscaping Accessories
To make villages look like they are set in a scenic winter wonderland, you will want to add some landscaping features. Setting the village up on your end table, fireplace mantel, or dining room sideboard requires adding a few touches to cover up your furniture. Put the village on a tiered platform to add some depth, and cover the area with faux snow. Some platforms may be designed to look like mountains or have landscaping built in, such as steps. In these cases, use snow to accent the design of the platform.
Other landscaping accessories to look for include:
- Street materials - cobblestone, dirt/gravel, brick
- Sidewalks
- Greenery - trees, shrubs, hedges
- Ponds, lakes, rivers - usually made of mirrored glass
- Benches, steps, walls, gates, fences, bridges
- Backdrops - wall hangings placed behind the village
Match your accessories to the type of Christmas village you own. For example, a rustic country American village, set circa 1920, would look odd with an English cobblestone pathway or Victorian-era benches.
People, Animals, and Activities
Create a bustling village by adding in some people, animals, and activities. Snap up some accessories of children sledding or people loading cars with packages. Country villages may even have livestock near a barn on the edge of the town.
By adding in some activity accessories, your Christmas village will look lively-almost as if it is a real village. Activity scenes usually have one-two people featured, along with a small structure. Often, they will be shown atop a base that will fit into the rest of your village scheme. Activities to include are:
- Playing hockey
- Skiing
- Visiting Santa
- Walking the dog
- Shoveling snow
- Building a snow fort/snowman
- Caroling
- Sleigh rides
- Fire/police stations with people
- Filling up a car/truck with gas
Animated accessories with moving parts are perfect additions for a miniature town. Spinning Christmas carousels and moving ice skaters really make a village come to life. The moving pieces often need to be plugged in, so set up the village for easy outlet access. Animated pieces may also cost somewhat more than other accessories.
Buying Christmas Village Accessories
Most companies that offer villages have lines of accessories that match their particular sets. Lemax, Department 56, and others will create accessories that can be purchased separately to accent their unique village designs.
Enrolling in a subscription plan, like the Thomas Kinkade Collectible Village Collection, often means that you will be issued accessories along with your main pieces. This type of plan is perfect for someone who wants an entire set to match, with little fuss on their part. While you still have to pick up platforms, snow, and a backdrop (if you wish), it makes the entire process easy.
General accessories, which will complement a wide-range of villages, can also be purchased. Landscaping items usually work with a variety of village brands and scenes. Signs, vehicles, and other items can also cross brands and work for a number of villages. Buy accessories for your Christmas villages at these online retailers:
- Made to Fit Mini's: General village accessories, like Christmas signs, lawn and tree decorations, and even holiday barrels (including reindeer feed) are available.
- The Village Peddler: Features accessories mostly from Lemax, from lighted and animated accessories to simple trees and vehicles.
- Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland: General village accessories, like trees, walls, and lighting, can be picked up from Bronner's.
Christmas village accessories will liven up any holiday village display. New pieces are available every year, allowing your village to grow a little each season.
