For more than 20 years, Michael and Josephine Lipari have built a village in their Bayonne living room during Christmas season.
Residents of a home on the west side of midtown Bayonne, the Lipari family’s project has become a large part of their holiday tradition.
The family is continually placing snow under the dozens of buildings that made up their ever-growing village. Early on, this was no big chore since they only had a few pieces they could put into a corner of the room and light up, getting a bit of holiday cheer from seeing them. But year by year, the chore grew as they added a piece or two. This year, putting together the holiday village has taken on aspects of a major construction project. The village – with its thousands of pieces that include models of people, benches, light posts and mailboxes – has taken up a whole side of the living room.
“When you look at it, you know it is something special.” – Michael Lipari
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But the pieces on display are more than enough, including snow, ski areas, ponds with ice skaters, people fishing, a casino, and even fireworks.
“We usually add a piece or two every year,” she said.
The first piece was the Kenwood House, a red and white residential piece that hints of the holiday. Now the collection has 37 houses and tons of accessories, with people walking around many of the features. There is even a lake with real running water, and nearly every house is lighted. The Dick Clark House plays music from “American Bandstand” – a show Clark hosted for decades.
When fully operational, the village is difficult to take in as a whole because there is something happening in nearly every corner, from movement on the ski lift to unusual pieces such as an elf taking pictures of Santa.
Many of the earliest pieces were purchased from Holiday Tree and Trim in Bayonne when it still had a store on Broadway. But the pieces have come from a number of places over the years.
On one ice pond, a hockey player tries to get his puck past a goalie. In another place, a lighthouse with its revolving light stands above several snow-covered pine trees. Built on multiple levels, the village is fully equipped with cars, stop signs, even tiny Christmas trees decorated with working lights. A train runs through the elaborate setup, coming and going from a tunnel under one of the elevated portions of the village. A full moon even hangs over a portion of the village. Some of the buildings include a windmill and a pancake house. Last year, the Liparis added a new winery.
Although recreating the village every year has become a monumental task, the final result is very pleasing, and is part of their Christmas tradition.
“Of course, it has taken over a big part of our house,” Michael said. “But when you look at it, you know it is something special.”
“I don’t think there is anything else like it in Bayonne,” said Josephine.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.