The season ended today

The Christmas season begins in our household on Nov. 11th every year and ends when it ends. This year's season ended today.

We have a huge collection of lighted Dickens and Victorian village pieces including structures, accessories, trees, etc., which we put on display in our home. Previous years' displays have used two rooms, but this year we downsized a little and built it along three of the four walls in our living room. The fourth wall houses our fireplace so it was left clear.

We design a series of villages rather than sticking a piece here and there. We have to build tables to hold Styrofoam bases for the pieces and then small levels to give the village depth. We start on Nov. 11 because it is a day off work for us, or at least it was before we retired. Our goal each year is to have the village presentable by Thanksgiving weekend. We believe we offer a wonderful seasonal presentation for our friends and neighbors to enjoy.

I think this is the first year we've disassembled the village before New Year's, but the decision was made to take down one section that was a dog's tail threatened. Our daughter came over, and before this day was over, the entire village had disappeared. All the pieces were carefully packed in their original packaging, complete with the support material that came with them and returned to their storage nooks to patiently await next season's oohs and aahs.

G.D.