Department 56 began in 1976 with the introduction of six hand-painted lighted ceramic buildings..the first pieces of The Original Snow Village.  As this collection continued to grow, so did the company.  A leader in the industry by developing creative and innovative lines.

Welcome to the North Pole Series where everyone has holiday spirit and the magic of childhood fancy becomes real.  Here, with Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves, and reindeer, is a whole enchanting frozen kingdom where snow never melts and Christmas never ends.  The series, introduced in 1990, is a collection of brightly colored buildings, candy cane lampposts and benches, and fun-loving, top-of-the-world dwellers.  While the elves make and test toys, run deliveries, and prepare Santa's sleigh, the reindeer practice their flying skills.  The town offers much to do, like sample gingerbread, observe the night skies, or shop for greenery.  The scenes created here become enduring symbols of Christmas spirit and childhood dreams, spreading joy to all.

Characterized by the matte finish, extensive research contributes to the charm and detail of each individually hand painted, porcelain piece.  Cast into the mold is the Department 56 logo - a guarantee of authenticity.  Every year pieces are retires from production and the molds broken.  This limits the number of pieces and allows for new additions.