Here’s to another 50 years!

 

I know I am a bit late in reporting this but Department 56 and the National Council of Fifty Six Clubs (aka NCC) hosted a memorable event to celebrate the milestone anniversary of Department 56 and its cherished collections in Memphis, Tennessee earlier this month.   The hosting venue was just a stone throw away from Graceland Mansion, a National Historic Landmark and the former home and final resting place of Elvis Aaron Presley, the late "King of Rock and Roll".

The gathering was well attended by hundreds of faithful Department 56 collectors attending seminars geared towards the collections, participating in make-and-take workshops, meeting Department 56’s well known representatives such as Ms Lit Town (Melinda Seegers) and various product designers and enjoying room hopping buying and selling Village and Snowbabies items (and then some!).   I am sure there will be photographs of the event popping up across the Internet highlighting these fun events very soon.

We posted photographs of special commemorative Village and accessory pieces Department 56 created for this occasion earlier this year.  Click on this Department 56 web site link to have another closer look at these special products.

And in the topics of Department 56 and Graceland, do you know that the world’s largest display of Department 56 Lit Villages is found in the Enesco Gift Shop & Gallery, a gigantic gift shop that is also very close to the Graceland Mansion?   It is the home to more than 1,500 individual Village pieces and accessories on display all year round.  Visitors to this “first of its kind” store will certainly be mesmerized by the magical displays.  If you have never been inside the store (me included), here is a youtube video taken shortly after the store was officially opened on November 16, 2023.

New Introductions for 2026

 

2026 marks a milestone year for Department 56, celebrating the debut of six charming, hand-painted ceramic buildings that sparked a collecting phenomenon fifty years ago. What began as the Original Snow Village quickly captured the hearts of collectors nationwide, growing into a beloved tradition cherished across generations.

Over the decades, Department 56 has continued to inspire with imaginative new village collections and timeless designs, bringing joy, nostalgia, and holiday magic to devoted collectors year after year. Fifty years of remarkable craftsmanship and enduring tradition deserve a celebration, and Department 56 commemorates this golden anniversary with special lighted buildings and accessories created exclusively for this historic occasion.

Here are the photographs of some of these pieces:

And the excitement doesn’t stop there.  Department 56 has been hard at work creating its annual lineup of brand-new buildings and accessories.  With so many fantastic pieces to choose from, deciding what not to add to your shopping list may be the real challenge, eh?!