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A Livingetc report describes how Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have renewed attention around Christmas village displays and helped collectors share the hobby with wider audiences. Collectors say nostalgia and community are central to the appeal, while one collector reports that sought-after secondhand pieces have become harder to find and more expensive.
Christmas village collecting is finding a wider audience on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, according to a Livingetc report on the hobby and its online community. The report highlights collectors who build detailed seasonal displays, including one creator whose nearly 300-piece collection is mostly from Department 56, a brand with roots in a 1976 miniature-house collection.
Livingetc describes social platforms as helping renew interest in Christmas villages and inspiring more people, including younger creators, to build and share miniature festive scenes. The report presents the online following as a community formed around nostalgia, creativity and seasonal traditions, rather than providing audience data or sales figures to quantify the trend.
One featured collector, Holly Hessler Lubrano, who posts as @villageatrois and lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, has nearly 300 village pieces, almost all from Department 56. She told Livingetc that her interest is tied to childhood memories of her mother choosing a new piece each Christmas. Lubrano began collecting for herself after finding a Department 56 building that her mother had wanted, an item she bought for $20.
Lubrano says most of her collection has come from secondhand sources, including antique shops, Facebook Marketplace and gifts from other collectors. She told the publication that she no longer spends time searching thrift and antique shops because prices have risen and pieces are harder to find. That is her account of the market, not a broad price survey. She also said collectors sometimes pass pieces on when they no longer have the space or ability to display them, allowing objects linked to family traditions to be used in new displays.
The report points to a shift in how seasonal decorations are displayed and discovered: a hobby once built around family collections and annual purchases can now be shared with audiences well beyond the home. Social posts give collectors a place to show their layouts, exchange ideas and connect with people who recognize the pieces.
For collectors, the appeal is also practical and personal. Displays can preserve family memories, while secondhand exchanges help older pieces find new homes. Lubrano told Livingetc that she has met people through sharing her creations online. The report does not establish how many people collect villages or whether online attention has increased sales, but it illustrates how social media can make a niche decorating hobby more visible.
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From Putz Houses to Department 56
Livingetc traces the tradition to putz houses, small Christmas structures made from materials such as wood and cardboard in Germany and parts of Central and Eastern Europe. The term comes from the German verb “putzen,” which the report translates as “to decorate” or “to clean.” The custom later reached the United States with Moravian immigrants.
In 1976, Minneapolis florist Bachman’s produced six miniature porcelain houses under the name The Original Snow Village. The collection was listed as department number 56 in the company’s numbering system, giving Department 56 its name. The brand is now widely recognized for Christmas village collectibles and other seasonal lines, according to Livingetc. The report also notes that today’s displays range from traditional-looking cottages to more polished designs sold by retailers such as Anthropologie and Fortnum & Mason.
““So, there’s a real sense of nostalgia.””
— Holly Hessler Lubrano, speaking to Livingetc
What the Trend Data Does Not Show
The report offers collector accounts and examples of online displays, but it does not provide platform engagement figures, sales data or survey results showing the scale or pace of renewed interest. It is not clear whether secondhand prices have risen across the market, how availability differs by Department 56 collection, or how much of the online attention comes from new collectors rather than established fans.
Livingetc also does not identify a single event or launch that triggered the increased visibility. Its account describes a trend and community, not a measured market shift. Lubrano’s comments about secondhand prices should be understood as her experience rather than a verified industry-wide finding.
Collectors Keep Building and Sharing
No specific product announcement, company response or upcoming milestone is identified in the report. For now, the development is the continued sharing of displays through social platforms and the way collectors exchange, gift and source pieces. Department 56’s secondhand-market role is a point Lubrano wants the company to address more actively, but Livingetc does not report a company response or any planned initiative.
Whether online attention leads to a lasting rise in participation or affects prices more broadly remains to be seen. The report’s examples show collectors continuing to build displays from both new and pre-owned pieces, with social media connecting people around a tradition that spans generations.
Key Questions
What is the news about Christmas village collecting?
Livingetc reports that social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have renewed visibility for Christmas village displays and helped collectors share the hobby with wider audiences.
What is Department 56?
Department 56 is a Christmas village and seasonal collectibles brand whose name traces to a 1976 collection of six miniature porcelain houses made by Minneapolis florist Bachman’s. The collection was identified as department number 56.
Why do collectors value Christmas villages?
The collectors featured in the report describe nostalgia, family memories and creative display-making as part of the appeal. Some pieces also connect generations through annual traditions and hand-me-down collections.
Are secondhand Department 56 pieces becoming more expensive?
Holly Hessler Lubrano told Livingetc that prices have risen and pieces are harder for her to find secondhand. The report provides no broader pricing data, so it does not establish whether this is true across the market.
Source: livingetc.com
