Many people have Christmas traditions without which the holidays just wouldn’t be the same.
For Sudburian Chris Romanyszyn and his wife, Angela, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the elaborate village that takes up most of their basement.
Romanyszyn said he never would have thought he'd be the curator of hundreds of pieces that include homes, carollers, bushes, and, of course, his favourite part, the train and tracks that surround the village.
“I've always been really into Christmas,” Romanyszyn said. “Our home is always pretty much decorated top to bottom.”
It was about 10 years ago that Romanyszyn said he was inspired after visiting a family friend who had their own smaller Christmas village.
“For whatever reason, it really just kind of piqued my interest,” Romanyszyn said. “As I looked into it a little further, I found out that this is kind of a pretty big hobby for some people.
“I started coming across different pieces, and where to purchase them. I started off small, and just added a couple pieces here and there, and then it just continued to snowball. It's gotten to the point where it's kind of taking a life of its own.”
The village measures 10 feet by six feet, taking up a large portion of the couple’s basement. It has a train that actively travels the full length of it.
Romanyszyn can’t say for sure, but he figures he has spent in the range of $10,000 to $15,000 on the village (shhh, don’t tell his wife), replacing older pieces with newer ones as the need arises. Check out the video tour below.
“My family is well aware of my affinity for Christmas villages, so I tend to get pieces as gifts at the holidays,” he said.
“Seeing the joy it has brought not only to my wife and I, but to nieces, nephews, family, friends, neighbours and coworkers has become a yearly tradition that many look forward to every December.”
Do you have a Christmas village you are proud of? Wanna share it with our readers? Send us a photo to [email protected].
