Photos by Cynthia Furlong-Reynolds
Christmas lights shimmer in windows bedecked with wreathes. Carolers wander down village lanes singing. A young man has dropped onto one knee to propose to a delighted woman. Families of all ages gather to decorate trees on a village green. Choirs sing to the heavens near a nativity scene. Farmers tend their herds and flocks by lantern light. Others tap maple trees outside a cozy sugar house. Children cling to sleds as they careen down a snow-covered hill, while in the distance, skiers slalom and snowplow their way to a cozy inn. Carousels spin. A Christmas train filled with happy passengers winds its way through the valley, while an ancient locomotive arrives with holiday visitors. And everywhere, charming Christmas villages and farms range across Michigan-style hills.
For forty years, Bob and Elsi Sly have designed, built, and erected an ever-expanding Christmas village display in the home they call Hickory Lea. But this year, the couple, 86 and 85 years old respectively, have created a one-of-a-kind Christmas extravaganza…