Building a winter wonderland
Lodi couple brings Christmas in New York to their living room
On a busy New York street, a small television crew is recording something for posterity. A wintry setting is displayed on the next block over as a couple of newlyweds ride a carriage down a street full of glimmering Christmas lights.
Over in Central Park, a game of ice hockey is played and small children enjoy a ride on a 19th century carousel.
Catching a glimpse of these scenes doesn’t require a crosscounty trip to New York — you can see them up close without leaving Lodi, just on a smaller scale.
Inside the home of Jeff and Debbie Lodi is a bustling village consisting of 800 department and 56 snow miniature village pieces, from small figurines to retired collection pieces like the Chrysler Building.
Three rooms are set in different themes. The largest table in the living room is home to the New York City scene, with chiming, rotating pieces and towering buildings. From a platform above the rest of the city, the tiny residents of the wealthy mansions have a view of the city. Next door is a shopping district, where tiny shoppers complete their holiday purchases. Another residential area neighbors Chinatown, which sits near Central Park. Several prominent New York City buildings are represented in the skyline. The Chrysler Building towers over the rest, along with the Empire State Building.
Times Square is featured every year during New Year’s Eve, complete with a ball that can drop at midnight.
Debbie Lodi said her display is not necessarily designed in accordance with the real cityscape, but is built with her imagination. “I created it,” she said. Over at a small armoire, a zoo and a carnival keep visitors entertained. In the next room, the Emperor and Empress of China are gazing down from wooden carvings over a scene of Key West and a ski village, complete with a towering boulder, trees and tiny skiers. A bear, on its hind legs, hides in a grove of trees.
Debbie is the brain behind the collection, and this year she spent over a month arranging her colorful, intricate pieces into small villages and large cities full of life.
Lodi described the process that went into creating the tiny world in her home: First, she created layers and platforms for the buildings. Then she constructed the town, with streets and sidewalks. To create a lake, she used a blue tarp, which she crinkled up to create waves. She grabbed rocks from her own garden, and bought a bag of sand for the beaches of Newport and Key West. The materials are also used to hide the cords that light up the hundreds of buildings.
She built wharfs and docks where tiny figures could anchor their boats. Snow, animals and trees completed the wintry scenes in the ski village.
Her husband Jeff said it’s one of the largest collections in Northern California.
Debbie Lodi has been collecting snow village pieces for 30 years. In the beginning, she used to buy them at the former drug store at the Lakewood shopping center and a store in Jackson. Now, she buys mostly from online auctions. Some of the most valuable pieces are the “retired pieces” that are only available for a limited time. She estimates the value of the Chrysler Building to be about $800.
She has several different collections and themes, from Dickens, New England, Bay City, Newport Beach, and Christmas in the city. She said her favorite is Key West. “I have always wanted to go there.” She hasn’t yet, but in the meantime, she can visit it in her own living room.