CENTERVILLE —
A Mystic woman every Christmas for about the last 30 years has constructed for her family in her house what she calls a "Christmas Village."
The last eight years Mary Moorman has opened her house to the public for an open house to allow all to enjoy what she called a "labor of love."
Moorman, during the open house Saturday, said when she first started collecting all she had was basic stuff like a building with a light attached to it. Now, a lot of the display contains movement and even fiber optic lighting.
Moorman over the years has added new elements to the point where it now takes her one month to construct and one month to take down the village.
"I've been collecting," Moorman said. "It gets bigger. It grows."
The "Christmas Village" is a miniature, remarkable vision of Christmas with multiple Santas, a moving train, ice skaters, men chopping wood, sky trams, water fountain and luge sledders, to mention a few of the thousands of items. It is a child and adult's Christmas scene delight.
Every year the village takes on a different look, Moorman said, because she doesn't have a set blueprint for where the items go.
"I'll keep doing it as long as I can," Moorman said.
Moorman acquires items through the Internet and once a year she and her husband, Bill, go to the largest Christmas store in the world in Frankenmuth, Mich.
Moorman said she is always looking for something new to add to the display. However, her husband has different ideas.
"My husband says I can't take up any more room," Moorman said. "He says it every year."
Moorman called the collection "priceless" but declined to divulge it's value. "There's a lot of money there."
One year more than 100 come to view the village, Moorman said.
Did you miss Moorman's "Christmas Village" open house Saturday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.? Don't fret, give her a call at (641) 895-3509 to arrange a viewing.
Local News
Related Photos
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Mary Moorman and her great-granddaughter, Danica Havard, in the midst of her "Christmas Village" located at her and her husband Bill’s residence in Mystic. Photo by Michael Schaffer/Daily Iowegian
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A small portion of the village. Photo by Michael Schaffer/Daily Iowegian
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December 10, 2012
‘Christmas Village’ comes to life for Moorman family
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