Christmas village keeps growing

Christmas is a time of hope, and that is especially true for Vernon resident Rosanna Craven.

She was diagnosed with late stage melanoma at Christmastime 16 years ago.

After the diagnosis, Craven was at a store with her husband, Joseph, and she noticed a Christmas village.

She was raised by a single mother and her grandfather in a small apartment in Hoboken, and it was her dream then to own a Christmas village.

Joseph bought her three houses and an ice-skating rink so she could fulfill her dream. They went home and displayed the pieces on the fireplace mantel.

Craven had two surgeries on her back and lymph nodes. After further testing, she received a call from her doctor telling her that the cancer had not spread and it was not the late stage melanoma that they thought it was.

She then had a CT scan every three months for one year, then every six months, then once a year. She stopping having scans a few years ago and now just has to go to a dermatologist to check her body.

“You really need to appreciate life because everything can change in a minute. That’s why I live big,“ she said.

Craven has continued collecting Christmas village pieces since the first ones her husband bought her. Her collection now fills a room.

She receives some as gifts and she buys a couple each year.

Many of the pieces she purchased came from Kohl’s and Walmart, and she bought many of the accessories on Amazon.

“You can do it without spending a fortune.”

Her most expensive piece is the Times Square building with the ball dropping, fireworks and 2024 lit up.

She also has the Salvation Army volunteer ringing a bell for donations and a stand selling roasted nuts. This was a discontinued piece that she had to purchase on eBay.

Her favorite piece is a police officer directing traffic for a parade because her husband was a Hoboken police officer for 30 years. They moved to Vernon after his retirement.

To set up the village, Craven works 12 hours every day. She begins in October. This year, it was completed by Nov. 14.

She has the many pieces set up on a few tables along the perimeter of the room with a winter backdrop.

Craven has been working on her Christmas village every year since her diagnosis, except for 2018, when her mom died.

“I promised myself to be more like my mother. I have been spending time to help people, especially in December, because it makes me feel good,” she said.