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Sylvan residents displaying 17 foot Christmas village

While some Sylvan Lake residents have taken the time to create a festive look on the outside of their homes
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Tammy Smith and Kent Haeberle

While some Sylvan Lake residents have taken the time to create a festive look on the outside of their homes, Tammy Smith and Kent Haeberle have done just that inside theirs.

Together, using a variety of Christmas ornaments and figurines, they created a small village, complete with a ski hill, a Christmas cookie factory, a skating rink and a train station — as well as many villagers who make use of those amenities.

The village fully covers a 17 foot table, which runs from their kitchen to living room. Almost every piece is at least partially functional, including a choir that actually creates music and a photographer whose picture-taking is accompanied by a real flash.

Haeberle and Smith have created similar village displays in the past, and decided that this year, after taking a three year break, they would build one again.

Doing so took between three and four hours of work, according to Haeberle.

“To set this up, we started on Sunday and finished (Thursday),” he said. “We haven’t done it for three years now, so we decided to do it this year, because Tammy’s nieces and nephews are getting a little older, so they will appreciate it more.”

The couple has collected pieces for the village from various department stores over the years, and added several new items to this year’s display.

The urge to keep adding is always strong, said Smith, even when space is limited.

“You’ve got to quit adding, because you’re running out of room,” she said.

Recently, Smith and Haeberle have been letting neighbours and friends into their house to see the display. They are willing to also show it to members of the public who phone them ahead of time at 403-887-2661.

Although not required, donations to a charity such as the humane society or the food bank would be welcomed.

The display will likely be kept up until early January.