A Celebration of Firsts @ Department 56
As I begin my next blog, we are experiencing our first snowfall of the season here in the greater Minneapolis area. I realize I’m in the minority, but I love the snow! It’s fitting considering the nature of Department 56, but it is a bit disorienting to see jack-o-lanterns with snowcaps. It looks like I may be adding mugs of hot cider to the Trick-or-Treat offerings this evening!
But there’s nothing like a snowy day, bundled in your gloves and hat and watching your dog goose step through the frozen yard, to get you in the mood for the holidays. In honor of our first snow and the festive vibes, I thought I’d share A Peek Inside on some more holiday firsts from Department 56.
As many of you know, 2024 marked my debut Village launch as Vice President of Product Development for Enesco. After nearly 50 years of incredible designs and intricate details, coming up with “newness” was not an easy feat, but I am proud of a few firsts that we were able to slip in:
- 6013601 “TOUCHDOWNS, TURKEY & PIE” was our first Village figure to feature a five o’clock shadow on the male. We worked with the factory for nearly 2 months to perfect this tiny detail that had to be painted, not decaled.
- 6014663 “KATRINA VAN TASSEL” was our first Snow Village Halloween figure to feature blue eyes. We wanted her to have natural beauty, so we chose blue eyes because science tells us they are among the most attractive.
- We continued the eye color experiment with 6013585 “GETTING OUR STEPS IN” by painting the girl’s eyes green. Green represents new beginnings, and she was the coordinating figure to our green-based 6013584 “FRANKIE’S DOG WALKING” which was an inaugural piece purposed to be smaller like our popular Dickens’ Market Booths but in the Original Snow Village.
Definitely watch for more colored irises on Village figures moving forward, especially when we want to convey a hidden meaning!
- 6013404 “87 WEST 56TH STREET” was one of my favorite developments in 2024 because it was the first time we introduced white poinsettias and snowberries into Christmas in the City. Love it or hate it, the modern farmhouse aesthetic is still one of the most popular décor trends, and we wanted a neutral-colored design that would be attractive to those with a more neutral home palette.
The design has proven very popular with our collectors, and as such, we’ll be introducing the neighboring home, “89 WEST 56TH STREET” in our anniversary year, 2026.
- Experience led to two more firsts in 2024: 6015583 “D56 LANDSCAPE SUPPLY MULCH – BROWN” and 6015584 “D56 LANDSCAPE SUPPLY MULCH – BLACK”. After setting up my first showroom in our Eden Prairie office, I longed for something I could use to help hide cords in our Snow Village Halloween set, and mulch was the answer. Our challenge was to develop a product at a scale that looked like actual bark mulch, and I think you’ll agree we realized the challenge well with our rough-chipped foam solution!
Watch for the emergence of our “D56 LANDSCAPE SUPPLY” as a new brand in 2026 as we seek to reshape our cross product to bring you the completion accessories you’ve been requesting in a categorized, easy-to-shop format.
There were many other firsts in 2024, too – things like our Aerials, licenses like PEZ and DUM-DUMS, inaugural Feline Noir and Father Christmas series – but if forced to choose, I would say that my favorite first in 2024 was 6013599 “SANTA COMES TO TOWN”. Designed by our talented Kiri Namtvedt, it was our first in this series to feature a simple poem that I wrote: “For the ones he’s proudest of, Santa gives the gift of love!” It’s a double-entendre: you don’t know if Santa’s proudest of the children or the pets, but what makes this piece extra-special for me is that it’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just last week, I was “Santa’d” an early Christmas gift … a baby Scottie pup that I named “Holden Mitchell.” This piece will forever be a reminder of the year I got my beautiful baby boy, and the frigid morning when I ended my blog just before grabbing his little leash and introducing him to a first of his own: Minnesota snow!
When you think about it, the enduring irony of Village is that every piece is a first in that it connects to something special for you or for someone you love. It might be the dress on a figure that reminds you of your prom, a house that reminds you of a place you once lived, or perhaps it’s Santa holding a little Scottie that reminds you of the day you received your own pet. At Department 56, we’ll continue to work hard to develop literal firsts to surprise and delight, but my sincerest hope is that each of you will continue to remember the emotional firsts you felt when you originally selected the pieces you did for your collections.
Until we gather again …
