What’s going on at Christmas Place today?

Glad you asked!  Train rides, cookie decorating, popcorn & hot apple cider & hot cocoa.  A brand new tree lot – shipping is free for all trees 7′ and taller!  Love the scent of the wood fire in the courtyard.  And then, a visit from two Snowbabies, helping us celebrate their 25th anniversary with some special store promotions.

Hey, you haven’t missed it yet!  Come back on Saturday – we promise to do it all again – and maybe add a few more surprises!  (Rudolph in the house!)

Our 15″ Guage Live Steam Engine Train

(Free cup of cocoa for kids 10 & under if they will decorate their own cup!)

(Free bow when you purchase a Christmas tree!)

This litte Snowbaby has wings!

And this little Snowbaby has a backpack!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Fall Sweepstakes Time

Admittedly, we prefer selling things, but we do enjoy giving things away from time to time, too!  Check out our two current sweepstakes:

Just for fun and creepiness – a Department 56 Halloween house, the Retching Pumpkin Diner!  I don’t know about you, but it’s awfully wretched-looking to me.  Please, someone, win it and take it home with you.  Enter once a day through Friday, September 30th, and we’ll award it to one lucky creep winner on the first of October.

If something on the sparkly side is more your style, be sure to enter our 25th Anniversary giveaway, celebrating both Christmas Place and Snowbabies turning 25 this year!  The happy winner will receive a “Joy for You and Me” SnowDreams figurine from their glittering anniversary collection and a beautiful, red Christmas Place 25th anniversary t-shirt.

Any time we are having a giveaway, you’ll find it in the “What’s New” column on our home page.

Also going on right now, a 20% off sale on almost 3,000 ornaments – both in the store and online – including lots of your favorite styles for personalization.  Remember, ornament personalization is free.  We carry a broad selection of family ornaments, for personalization of up to 15 names!

Just to get you excited, let me remind you that Christmas is less than 100 days away!  Yippee!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S. More newly-decorated Christmas trees coming next week!

What’s New? A Lot!

When you come to the store for you next visit, you may not recognize us – except for all the beauty, of course!  We’ve got that and are adding more every day .. but the elves have been so busy this winter & spring rearranging, it’s like a new store!

Just a teaser of a couple of pictures to start things off .. here’s my new favorite tree in its “naked” state:

Have you ever seen one this white and lush?  When you come, it will be transformed into an undersea vision of Christmas!

Over in Department 56, we’re getting in lots of new products as well.  Here’s one tiny peek into how the process begins when we rebuild a display from the ground up.

Lots of possibilities.  Does it fill you with anticipation to see the finished display??  I think this is the new home of North Pole Village.

Here’s another favorite of mine – the Winters Frost collection.

Look at how our designer, Kristy, has amplified the cool factor by filling a crackled glass urn with icy white lights and using it as the base for a house.  She did it again in this scene for the new Snowbabies “SnowDream” collection – Snowbabies highlighted with vintage silver glitter.  A  mirror framed in silver and used as a table top reflects the sparkle and brilliance of these figurines, and two votive candle holders turned on end display a couple of charming Snowbabies at different heights so each is a standout - copy this trick at home!

Here are a few more SnowDream pieces displayed on glass bricks (hmmm, we just pulled several of these bricks from a house- now I know why we need to keep them around!).  I love the Dream Glitter House, Barn, & Church accessory sets – each set includes a building, one tree, and an accessory figurine.

I’d better not show much more until the designers are finished with their handiwork - the final displays will be brilliant, though, I predict!  Next week I’ll show some pictures of Santa’s newly redecorated performance stage, including the animated reindeer flying overhead.  The kids will be enchanted!

Happy Collecting!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Snowbaby Giveaway!

Are you a Snowbabies fan?  This charming colletion of porcelain bisque figurines representing the innocence of childhood fun in a gentle, wintery style has been around for almost 20 years.  In themes from Animals, Christmas and Hobbies to Love & Friendship and more,  they are perfect for sharing memories of special times, whether given as gifts or collected for yourself.

We’re giving away a grand Snowbaby figurine on August 15th!  Click here to enter our sweepstakes.  You may enter once a day during the sweepstakes period, and the winner will be notified by e-mail.

Good luck!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Two for Tuesday

Okay, I’ll just tell you how it is .. we have bits of snow still hanging around on the ground even after a day of sunshine followed by a day of rain .. and the truth is we are all wishing for more snow!  Not to keep us inside against our wills, but because it’s so pretty and it’s been so long since we had a good, snowy winter.  We were rooting for that groundhog to see his shadow, and our wish came true, but we’re holding out for the serious white stuff now.  When it comes, here’s what we plan to do:

Cherish the Moment

We can find a couple of evergreens and a hammock around here, not to worry!

Need I remind you that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner?  Here’s a very cute little guy who’d be happy to deliver a heartfelt message to your sweetie for you!

We’ll wish you sunny skies if you’ll wish us another round of white flakes ..

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Calling All Department 56 Collectors!

It’s new 2010 collectibles release time for both Villages and Snowbabies from Department 56!  Although they won’t ship the merchandise to us until early summer, we’ve seen pictures, and there are a lot of great new buildings, accessories, and Snowbabies figurines on the way.

We have a special offer for Christmas Place customers - pre-order your 2010 pieces now, and we’ll include a free gift with your qualifying purchase.  In addition, we won’t bill your credit card until the merchandise is ready to ship from our store!

With a $100 Village order of 2010 items, we’ll include a bag of Fresh Fallen Snow, a 3-socket replacement, and a 3-pack of replacement bulbs.  With a $50 Snowbabies order of 2010 items, we’ll ship a 13″ pine tree in a gold urn and the newest copy of the Discovering Snowbabies collector’s handbook.  These free gifts are only available while quantities last, so get your order in today.

We’re also offering free freight on all orders over $100, another Christmas Place perk of which you’ll want to take advantage.

Here are a couple of highlights from among the new releases.  Check out “SVPD Precinct 76″ police station, keeping the peace in Original Snow Village style.

From the Winters Frost collection that was introduced last year, “Winter’s Light” features a rotating beacon light in the top of the lighthouse tower.

 

“Better Watch Out” Coal Mine in the North Pole Series ~ almost buried under an avalanche of snow!

Snowbabies offers about 40 new figurines, ornaments, and water globes this year, including “Trust Me – Wear This”, as Snowbaby helps a snowman attach his carrot nose.

Nativity collectors will appreciate the charm of the “Babies in Bethlehem” tableau.

New for 2010, Department 56 is introducing a porcelain village collection titled “A Place to Remember.”  The intricately detailed and painted buildings range in size from just under 4″ to as much as 11″ wide side-to-side, but are only about an inch thick, and mounted to bases that are between 2″ and 3″ deep – perfect for display on a narrow shelf, mantle, or ledge.  There are three series in the introduction:  An Evening in Paris, The Hills of Tuscany, and Carmel by the Sea.  Below is the large An Evening in Paris piece, and it measures 9.5″ wide by 8.5″ tall (all three buildings are in one piece).

 Snowbabies collectors will be interested to know that Department 56 has upgraded the product packaging this year to match that of Villages, with a printed sleeve wrap featuring a photo of the figurine inside.  The photos have been enhanced to highlight the building or figurine, making it stand out from the surrounding graphics.  You’ll easily be able to sort your stored pieces, and keep your collection up to date.

 Follow the links, and place your pre-order today.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Weekly Deals at ChristmasPlace.com

LED Lights ~ time to stock up!  Through this Friday only, buy 2 strands and get a third strand of the same lights free.  That’s a great deal for these long-lasting, economical decorations.  Check out all the colors and styles available this year.

Snowbabies “In a Spin” figurine – 50% off – what a cutie, Snowbaby in a real knit cap, spinning with a penguin pal on a snow disc.  To complement your Snowbabies ornament collection, how about a  13″ tree from Department 56 specially designed to display them to best advantage?  It’s well-priced this week at only  $6.98!

Also, be sure to check out the “Christmas in a Box” gift sets for the troops ~ we still have some available, and time to ship them out before the holidays.

So many things going on of which you can take advantage – hop over to the site and register for the Week 2 Gingerbread Giveaway – ornaments, ribbon, and stems this week! 

And don’t forget, free shipping on all orders over $100, and free gift with your online purchase, either an ornament or an angel. 

* 47 Days! *

~ Janet @ The Christmas Place

Two for Tuesday

Calling all Peanuts fans!  Here’s a cute cute cute figurine that includes Linus and the faithful Snoopy, raiding Santa’s chocolate chip cookies under the tree – are you sure you want to be on the naughty list, Linus??

Share Christmas Joy

I guess I’m on a cute theme today………

Snowbaby is decorating his favorite moose for Christmas in this chilly scene – glad everyone is warmly bundled!

Festive Attire

Not to mention that I just love those red sisal trees.  I will definitely have some of these among my decorations in December.  And check out the green tinsel trees, too – these are so fun!  Have I mentioned before my mad love for things on a small scale??

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Waiting for Snow

They started it last week, issuing a winter storm warning for us for tonight and tomorrow.  That got the rampant speculation under way.  This morning, the forecasters said we’d start with rain and end with snow tonight, with no accumulation.  But reports are coming in of snowing-like-mad and an-inch-on-the-ground-and-still-coming-down.  We’re making excuses to walk by the window and peer out, looking for our share of the white stuff – at the first sign of which we will no doubt head out for supplies and the kids will anticipate a day or two out of school!

In a Spin, 2009 Snowbabies

Didn’t you love snow days when you were a kid??  I think that no matter how much you loved school, you still loved not-school even more!

I remember sledding down the hill on a big, flat piece of cardboard with my visiting-from-Florida cousins!  Sled til you’re soaked and frozen, then come in for barely long enough to dry and warm up, and out the door again.

If you’re hoping for snow, may your dreams be coming true today – school’s out in Sevier County.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

How to have a good time at The Christmas Place

Pick a day of perfect weather – sunny, high in the 70s to low 80s.  Add several artists from well known companies like Ne’Qwa Art and Department 56.  Set up a tent in the courtyard for long-time collectors to bring out their favorite retired pieces.  Add a family of entertainers wandering the courtyard and store.  Serve up a taste of homemade fudge (all flavors!).  Top it all off with a basket full of treats delivered by a character in a puffy white Snowbaby suit, and everyone’s enjoying the party!

Trieste of Ne Qwa signing an ornament

Kristi Jensen Pierro signing a SnowbabyEntertainment by Team Kirkwood

It was a beautiful day for a Secondary Market

Department 56 collectors selling retired pieces

A portion of the proceeds from the sale was donated to Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Medical Clinic in Sevierville, Tennessee.

The pièce de résistance, Snowbaby on Santa-s knee

Okay, yes, there was a bit of competition as to who has the rounder belly, but Santa claims his is the only real one in the photo!  We just have to share a couple more photos with you.

Our Snowbaby handing out treats

Kristi Pierro with Christmas Place Staff

It was a terrific day, thanks to all of you who came to the store and joined in the fun of having an ornament, Snowbaby or village house signed by one of the artists.  Pebbie Mott was on hand, too, signing her painted backgrounds for Department 56 villages.  She’s added quite a few for the new year, including a Snow Village Halloween backdrop.

Although the leaves are changing more slowly than I would like, the crisp mornings and evenings are so lovely in the mountains this time of year – arriving home around sunset one night last week, the wood fire smoke was hanging blue in the air, skimming the valley – a site that makes me very happy, and is not to be missed!  If you haven’t yet, come on down to the mountains and take in a little early fall for yourself.  It’s almost Wednesday!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place