Christmas past, present and future will be on display at St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, tonight and Sunday evening.
A parishioner who collected Department 56 pieces for a Charles Dickens-inspired Victorian village donated the town to the parish.
Now, miniatures of Big Ben, the Tower of London, English palaces, churches and cottages sprawl across eight snow-covered tables in the parish hall.
It took five volunteers more than 100 hours to catalog and set up the village, said Marlene Skibbe, a parishioner and one of the volunteers.
The village has more than 120 lit buildings and hundreds of small accessories, including a train, carolers, ice skaters, carriages and fountains.
The cottages of Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit of “A Christmas Carol,” along with allusions to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” are also part of the display.
The parishioner who donated the village is an avid reader and Dickens fan, Skibbe said.
“We have a Nativity set up at the very top,” Skibbe said. “It’s the focal point looking down over the little houses.”
Visit the Charles Dickens Village during the Russell Ronnebaum piano concert at 6:30 p.m. tonight or carols and refreshments at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Both evenings are free. Call 469-7835 or visit stmarkov.com for info.
