By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Linda Rhoades has 47 buildings and a train in her kitchen.

They are all part of a Christmas village that Rhoades has set up every Christmas for the past 14 years.

“I started very small and it’s gradually gotten larger,” said Rhoades. “It’s grown and grown and grown. It’s running me out of my kitchen.”

The village is set up on two 4×8 sheets of plywood. In addition, her countertops are filled.

Of the 47 buildings, Rhoades made 45 of them herself. They are made of plastic canvas and yarn. The other two are ceramic buildings that were a gift from her son.

She even made the working train, which has three cars and caboose.

The village has houses, a dry cleaning office, bank, train station, hospital, fire station, newspaper office, movie theater, a complete farm with a barn and animals, and other features.

All but four of the buildings are also music boxes.

In addition, the village contains people, bicycles, sleds, and even a rock that her grandson gave her.

Rhoades said it takes about two weeks to set up the village. It looks different every year.

“Once I get started, it’s like putting a puzzle together,” she said. “You never know how it will turn out.”

Rhoades said she likes to re-arrange the buildings until the village is just like she wants it.

Even though the Christmas village gets larger every year, Rhoades said her husband Danny does not mind that it takes up a big part of the kitchen.

“If I say I’m not going to put it out, he says, ‘Oh yes you are,’” said Rhoades with a laugh. She said her husband knows how much she enjoys it.

“It’s more for me than for anything. I just like knowing that it’s something I made,” Rhoades said. “I enjoy people coming and looking at it.”

Her favorite part of the village is the farm. She said it reminds her of the farm she lived on until she was 6 years old.

Also, she remembers the farm her grandparents had in Cullman County.

“It kind of brings back memories of a long time ago,” said Rhoades.

She says every year that she’s not going to make the village larger. But Rhoades admitted that she’s now wanting to add a grocery store.

Danny and Linda Rhoades live in Gardendale. They have two sons, Dan (Leigh) and Zane; and two grandchildren, Preston and Emily.