Another Season’s Changed @ Department 56
Greetings collectors! It’s been a moment since we’ve connected, and while I hope you’ve enjoyed your summers as much as we have, our excitement for the changing seasons is difficult to contain. I wrote previously about rushing seasons, but there’s growing excitement for the back half holidays that is palpable, and it makes our jobs here at Department 56 even more fun, and busy!
Easy, breezy summers do not exist when you’re in the Seasonal industry; while most folks are working on tans or perfecting a winning BBQ sauce, we’re hard at work ensuring our newest collections are pulled together and ready for debut. That annual sense of urgency is amplified this year with our 50th Anniversary coming in 2026, and along with it a multitude of spectacular introductions and surprises. But more on that later!
For now, and in the spirit of touching base, I wanted to share a sneak preview of my newest article that you will find in the recently revamped and relaunched Village D-Lights Magazine. For those who are unaware, Village D-Lights Magazine is a quarterly print and digital publication created specifically for enthusiasts of Department 56 Villages. It is unaffiliated with Department 56 and exists wholly out of a shared love for our Village product, by collectors, for collectors. We could not be more humbled! Visionary new owner and publisher, Benjamin Osten, recently purchased the publication, and as part of the new launch I agreed to write an article each quarter to debut exclusive sneak peeks separate and apart from what you will find in my blog.
I invite all of you who are not already subscribed to check out Village D-Lights Magazinebut in the meantime, please enjoy A PEEK INSIDE with September’s article:
For anyone who has followed my A Peek Inside blog on Department56.com, it is no secret that Fall is my favorite season. I love the “ber” months, and when I see the tips of the trees begin to tinge rust and ochre, I’m twitterpated. Don’t get me wrong, summer is great; the volume of basil and tomatoes I’ve harvested this season has provided more pesto and caprese salads than I thought I could eat in a lifetime! But there’s something about a mug of chai, brisk starry eves, and long bonfire conversations that make Fall the most magical season for me. Of course I was born at Halloween, so birthday presents may have something to do with my bias! But kidding aside, I’m not alone in the popularity of the season.
Research has long shown the popularity of Halloween and Fall décor rivaling Christmas, and it only takes a walk through the aisles of your favorite retailer to see the influence of the data. According to trend, 70% of Americans are planning to participate in a Halloween celebration in 2025, while 80% plan to participate in a Thanksgiving celebration. In fact, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Mother’s Day round out the next three most popular holidays in America after Christmas, which gave me pause coming into Department 56. Knowing how wildly popular our Halloween lines are, was there a whitespace opportunity with Fall?
You, the collector, answered my question with a resounding “YES!”. When we debuted the “Gather ‘Round for Thanksgiving” house in 2023, we had the distinct vision that collectors would be able to display this house alongside the pumpkin and pecan pies or graciously gift it to the host whose home you were visiting. The interior scene was meticulously crafted in a combination of sculpt and high-resolution decals, while the exterior was painted in the most popular exterior paint color in America to help spark familiarity. Your love of the piece gave root and rise to our Snow Village Harvest collection that debuted in 2024.
But we secretly tested a second harvest theme in the 2023 Snow Village Halloween series – “Make & Take Scarecrow Shack”. You see, our team was certain that harvest was a whitespace opportunity, but we didn’t know exactly what type of harvest theme you’d like best. We debuted a traditional Thanksgiving scene, but also a more festive “day out with the family” piece, too. To our delight and honor, both pieces have done exceptionally well, so when we looked to debut Snow Village Harvest officially, we maintained both themes in 2024 with “Friday Night Fanatics” and “Oktoberfest Beer Garden”.
I’m excited to share an exclusive with you that 2026 will see us bridge these two themes together – the traditional and the festive – with a handful of pieces we hope you will love! First, I can share there will be another home on the street we established in 2023 where a young heartthrob dreads that it’s November 13th again (hey Siri … what happens on November 13th??). We also have a fun new piece for the festival side of things featuring a new collaboration with Airstream®. But the true “bridge” between
the traditional and festive comes by way of a set of 2 figures comprising “Headin’ to the Fest” … a father who, to the dismay of his child, uses his red wagon to cart his “precious cargo”, along with a figure of two excitable dogs chasing a string of brats. The concept is that the neighbors are on their way to the Oktoberfest celebration, helping blend the two themes into one fabulous Fall neighborhood!
A hot take, I can share with you that we will be retiring our “Gather ‘Round for Thanksgiving” piece later this year. This is the first you’re hearing of one of our upcoming retirements, and though the piece does well, we made the choice to retire it to make way for some new pieces as we look ahead into 2027. We’ll continue our wildly popular “Full Moon LIT Backdrop” and “A Splendid Fall Landscape Set” into 2026, but you’ll see big changes coming to our Cross Product category in general. I cannot speak more about this just yet but stay tuned to future announcements from Department 56 for what we have in store. I can share, however, that we will be continuing new development of both Fall and Halloween accessories, harvesting new fencing, new lighting, and some spectacular new accents including a new trio of “Festival Barrels” from Senior Artist Paul Lundberg.
And I’m very excited to announce what is bound to be another popular addition to our Scenterville series, “The Harvest Market Purveyors”. A small roadside stand selling all manners of gourds and pumpkin spiced drinks, this next Scenterville installment is paired with an adorable figure of a mother picking out a pumpkin with her daughter. If you’re struggling to find the perfect host or hostess gift for your 2026 Thanksgiving celebration, look no further than this gorgeous gem; the only shame is that we all must wait a full year to get it!!
As the seasons change, trust that we’ll remain consistent. We’ll continue to deliver the design, the craftsmanship, the quality, and the charm that you’ve come to know and expect from us. Next year ushers our 50th anniversary at Department 56 and along with it many more secrets and surprises I cannot wait to share with all of you! This article showcases a sampling of pieces we’ll debut in a few months but with the seeds we’ve sowed, next year will be plentiful! We’re looking forward to the anniversary harvest as much as you are, but things need a bit more time to ripen before I can offer more.
Until we gather again …
