Why I Oughta...

With all the tourism that the Carousel is going to bring, one would think that Mantleburg could support a hotel.  We'll just have to see what Mayor Johnson decides.

This year, Lemax came out with another tree lot.   Last year it was Frosty 's.  This year it is Kris' - and it's more of a "tree farm" than lot. I'm thinking that there isn't enough action in Mantleburg to warrant competing tree businesses.  Poor old Frosty would starve, right?

The folks in Mantleburg are set for a Merry Christmas as we've now seen the building permits come across for the Haypenny Tavern.  The economy took a tool on the community last year, but 2012 looks like their will be growth for Mantleburg.

Take a peek at what Menards has this year from Lemax.  Me thinks that Mantleburg is going to come out of the recession with a bunch of new building permits this winter.

There's a new addition to the community of Mantleburg - Frosty's Christmas Tree Lot.  With the Menard's Dutch Auction sale on all Christmas stuff going on, I couldn't help myself with getting this piece for 50% off the retail price.  I've had my eye on it all season and it fits in nicely with a few of the other buildings in their new home down in the basement on the ledge.

Worlds are colliding.  Pizza parlors and Christmas Villages.  This one - Gfeller's Pizza Parlor - is at Lowe's and looks like it currently is $34.99 - which isn't terribly cheap.  With the basement project still underway (tapers are there today), Mantleburg hasn't been able to make it's annual appearance yet.  Nat hasn't come right out and said it, but I'm getting from her the desire to push the buildings downstairs.  Once we get the ledge up around the perimeter, Mantleburg will be back in business.

It isn't just Walmart and Lowes getting in on the "home center" Christmas Village building, Home Depot joins the party with their very own orange-tinted Home Depot building. Home Depot's  building is dated (see the 2011) by the front door, has a Santa and is the cheapest of the lot.  It really surprises me that each of the these stores have their own branded buildings - which means that people *must* be buying them, right?

Look what I found when the Babe and I were wondering around our local Walmart.  Some really cheap Christmas village buildings.  They're very affordable (more than $10 less than the Lemax buildings at Menards), but they're poorly painted.  Aside from the church building, I don't think they worth spending the money on.   But...if you were into the whole Walmart thing, I guess you'd *have* to pick this one up, right?  It was the cheapest of the lot, but I couldn't find it stocked on the shelves.  So, either it is a fast-mover or they don't really intend to sell any of them.  I'm guessing the later.  

Two weeks ago, I posted this image of the one Lemax building that I thought I'd want the most - Frosty's Christmas Tree Lot .  When I found the CaroleTown buildings at Lowes this weekend, the first thing I noticed was the copycat Tree Lot - with a different name:  Sowders. So, which one to buy?  Whichever is on sale after Christmas?  It's a deal.

(that title is - as they say - tongue in cheek.) Nat and I stopped by a Lowe's this weekend to look for a new fridge for the basement and we came across a HUGE Christmas section.  They had more inflatables than Menards by a large measure.  And look at what I found?  A pretty good selection of what looks like Lemax Christmas Village buildings.  But they're not Lemax?  They're something called "Carole Towne Collection".  But turning the box over unveils some details.  They are indeed Lemax Village buildings.  Just sold by Lowes. What does this mean for Mantleburg?  Not sure just yet.

After a quick glance, it appears that the winner this year from Lemax is this Frosty's Christmas tree lot table piece.  It isn't lighted, but it is the cutest one.

Of all the Lemax Christmas Village buildings that spoke to me at Menards, this Brewery building was one of the standouts.  There's a ton of things going on - with movement, lights, and sound so it is a fun piece.  I didn't look to see what it was priced at, but if it goes on red-tag sale, I'll try to scoop one up.  What's not to like?  Giant beer stein?  Big pipe and gnomes?  Yes, please.

They've gone ahead and set up the Lemax Christmas Village at Menards.  Yes...I'm still starry-eyed by these things.  And...yes, I'm still embarrassed to say that I'm into them.  The Babe liked them too.  There's a set of these things that are Mickey Mouse-themed, so that got her to chime in with some "Micky!" and points and grunts.  There are a bunch of structures - from all of the various collections that I'll post in the coming days/weeks.  We spent a lot of time in front of the display over the weekend as it is really big.  With the Halloween stuff still taking up prime real estate in the store, the display is in a different spot this year. So...did I buy anything?  Nope.  Not yet at least.  My (personal) rule is that I can't/won't buy anything that isn't on sale.  We'll see if my impluse resistance will stick through December 15th - when these type of things go on sale.

If you were around last Christmas, you know that I somehow got hooked on Lemax Christmas Villages .  Yes...it is embarrassing.  Yes, I know. That's why it was so hard to just walk by the huge display of Lemax stuff at Michael's this week.  Look at all that stuff.  And, there's some "exclusives" that Michael's is marketing.  I can't rationalize why I want these things, but my brain has a blip in it apparently. If I let myself go crazy, I think you could probably point to this 'hobby' as the reason for why Nat would ask me to move out. Thankfully, I've shown tremendous restraint thus far.

Last week, I went to our Sears Essentials - which is really just a KMart - to pick up an ornament box. These are tubs that have special dividers that allow for an orderly packing of all of one's ornaments.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any.  The guys there said that I had to go to an *actual* KMart, not just one dressed up as a Sears Essentials.  Bummer. But...as I was nosing around the holiday section, I came across their Christmas Village display.  And...what did my wondering eyes did appear, but a bunch of heavily discounted buildings from Lemax and Department 56.   Lots of them without boxes, some with boxes, but ALL of them at rock-bottom prices.  I'm just a novice when it comes to this whole Christmas Village deal, but the structures that Sears had on display weren't the same as the ones at Menards. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't go crazy and buy up a bunch of buildings but this stuff was cheap.  Really cheap.  Especially the ones without b