Owasso Woman's Growing Christmas Village A Holiday Tradition

Many people have Christmas traditions in their families. At Ella Gamble's house in Owasso, the Christmas season begins when dozens of little boxes get hauled down from the attic. 

The boxes contain a village that's been growing for 25 years. The whole thing started with one house, a gift from her son.

Ella Gamble is taking me on a tour of her Christmas Village display, set up in the living room. She said she loved that first one, then everyone in the family thought what a great gift the next one would be.

It's been growing now for 25 years. The display is based on the Department 56 Dickens Christmas Village. There are familiar names from Charles Dickens best known stories, and then lots of other stuff from Victorian England.

"You can't just have the buildings, you've got to have everything that goes with it," Gamble said.

The display comes apart, boxed up and stored in the attic. All the buildings are numbered on the bottom so they pretty much get back to the same places every year.

"They got everything here. I mean from city to country," she said.

Christmas Village Pictures

There's a sky full of clouds and a make-shift moon. They've even added some wild animals. She says there are 60 buildings and hundreds more people and animals.

Mrs. Gamble has tried to get the family to stop giving her things for the village because it's gotten so big.