From the Desk of Ms. Lit Town

Growing up the middle child of a lower middle-class family, Christmas was the one time of year we didn’t feel as poor as we actually were. We had a beautiful tree we’d cut from our own farm, ornaments we crafted from construction paper and paste, and a dog-eared Sears Wishbook to keep us busy for hours each night after school. A highlight for our entire family, though, was my mother’s baking. For weeks leading up to Christmas, she’d bake hundreds...

New for 2024, a few select debuts will be available as both Standard Editions and First Editions…First Editions being limited to a production run of 560 pieces, each hand-numbered with unique bottom stamps and giftable packaging. While Department 56 has a long history of making limited editions, we don’t always make them hand-numbered. Collectively, we wanted to bring back some of the excitement collectors feel when they secure something rare and harder to find. Many things like books, art, albums...

When we think of certain iconic brands, the creator or originator often comes immediately to mind. Say Disney, and you can’t help but think of Walt Disney, think of Apple and Steve Jobs comes to mind, McDonald’s and we think of Ray Kroc. The list could go on and on. In the giftware industry, when you think of the Snowbabies brand, we immediately think of Kristi Jensen Pierro. Kristi came to Department 56 back in the mid to late 1980s...

This month Ms. Lit Town sat down with the mastermind behind Halloween Village: artist Scott Enter! Read on to see what they talked about. In addition to answering questions from collections, Scott spoke about his history of working on Halloween Village and how it all started. They also gave some sneak peaks at new pieces coming in 2024. About Scott Hired in 1990 as a photographer, Scott quickly became an integral part of Department 56. Once the creative team learned...

We know you’re pulling out your fall and Halloween pieces and preparing to set up your decor. For those of you that are short on space or would just rather add a portable vignette to your décor, Ms Lit town has you covered. After stopping by Target to pick up a few seasonal displayers, each for $5 or under, she got cleverly crafty and is here to share her creativity! Rest In Peace 2018 Crypt Pumpkin For this first one,...

As we're counting down to Halloween, we want to share our excitement with you! This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Snow Village Halloween, and in addition to our newest Halloween Village pieces, we have a pair of Limited-Edition pieces to commemorate the occasion. The Silver Bullet 25th Anniversary lighted train car, featuring special bottom stamp, and coordinating accessory the Werewolf Hunter 25th Anniversary figurine are a nod to one of the most popular subsets that we've ever done for...