Wooden Christmas Village Scenes

Wooden Christmas villages have undoubtedly been around for a very long time. Nativity scenes could be considered to be early Christmas villages. It is likely they would have been expanded upon to include more than the traditional barn and figures. Church buildings were probably among the first of the new additions. These churches would probably have been constructed from wood. They may well have even been illuminated by candlelight.

Modern wooden Christmas village scenes are still likely to have a church building central to the display. Of course, the designs have changed considerably and can range from a solitary building to a complete street scene in a single unit.

They are most commonly constructed from inexpensive wood and are likely to be laser cut. Often, they are of a plain wood colour or painted white and may have detailing in a darker tint. They may include coloured accents, often trees in green.

Christmas Village Scenes with Trains and Music

The majority of modern wooden Christmas village decorations are lightweight, simple but elegant designs. Soft lighting adds a gentle, warming glow and provides a homely feel. Units are usually lit with LED bulbs and are battery powered. Some wooden Christmas village scenes include animated features. It might be a revolving building or often an encircling train. Wooden Christmas village scenes with a train are among the most popular. Musical models are also available.

While perhaps not as collectable or adaptable as the ceramic village collections that we feature, these wooden alternatives do provide an inexpensive yet effective option for creating a Christmas village scene in the home.

Here are some of our favourite village scenes.

Wooden Christmas Village Candle Bridges

Even more elaborate than the wooden Christmas village houses and scenes are those designs that are incorporated into candle bridges. Produced in a similar fashion, usually from the same lightweight wood, candle bridges often have a complete Christmas village scene beneath an arch. They are also often referred to as candle arches. The arch supports a row of candles which are usually LED lights.

The village scenes that are depicted in candle bridges tend to feature flat, two dimensional buildings and create the effect of depth by utilising layers. Candle bridges are more likely to be painted in colour than standard wooden Christmas village scenes.

Here again are a few of our favourites. Note that some of the higher priced items here are hand crafted from quality wood and hand painted.

Christmas Pyramids

Wooden Christmas Pyramids (or Weihnachtspyramide in German) originate from the Ore Mountains region of Germany. They are popular throughout Germany and also in the United States. They are also gaining recognition and becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

Traditionally, Christmas pyramids are driven by the sails and powered by the rising air heated by candles. Modern Christmas pyramids may also rotate with motorised assistance.

Christmas pyramids are usually hand crafted by skilled artists, using high quality materials and imported from Germany. As such, they achieve a premium price tag. They can range from hundreds to even thousands of pounds sterling.

Most Christmas pyramids would not be Christmas village scenes. Most commonly, they might feature a nativity setting. In keeping with our own theme, we’ve chosen designs that best fit the Christmas village theme. The examples we show here would be considered ‘entry level’. We’ve also included a fun replica that is nonetheless quite attractive and more accessible to the average household budget.