WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — There is holiday cheer all around Central Georgia in the days leading up to Christmas.
This year, one man has brought some holiday festivities to the residents of Summers Landing of Warner Robins with his Christmas village.
The village has over 100 pieces and features three unique scenes: a town square, a main village and a carnival. There is also a Polar Express train that runs through the town square and puffs out real steam.
The display includes many moving pieces as well such as a working fountain, spinning carousels, a Santa with a sleigh of toys and many, many more.
Ashley Alston says that he began his first village on a bookshelf in a family members home.
“I always told him, I said, ‘Hey, I want a village at least as half as big as yours.’ He had maybe 40 pieces and I surpassed that within the first year,” Alston said.
This village took Alston three weeks to fully set up. There were many late nights and he even made custom tables to hold his 20-foot display.
The Christmas village is housed at an assisted living community because Alston ran out of room for it at his home. His girlfriend works in the community, and with the go-ahead from the facility, he began working on the biggest village he’s ever created.
“It became a passion and then it became a hobby, and now, I kind of combine the two and it's gotten way out of hand,” Alston said.
He says he gets pieces for his display from around the world, individual dealers or as gifts that people have given him.
As far as prices, elements in a village can range from $60 to $600, depending on the rarity of the piece or what kind of village someone is trying to construct.
Alston says his advice for anyone who wants to start their own village is patience.
“Lots and lots of patients. Like I said, up under these tables, it looks like circuit city. It’s about 200 outlets, probably a mile worth of wires under there, so it’s a lot of dedication, a lot of patience,” he said.
Alston has already been invited back to Summers Landing of Warner Robins to put up the Christmas village.
He says he loves that more people are getting to see the village than they would if he had just set it up at home.
“It's just gratifying to see all my hard work and dedication pay off, and, you know, to give the residents here a positive experience,” Alston said.
He plans to make the Christmas Village twice as big next year.
RELATED ARTICLES: