Whispers of Winter

"There are places where the holiday season doesn’t just arrive — it settles in. It curls around you like a wool scarf, it glows like a candle in a frosted window, and it whispers stories you swear you’ve heard before. Today, we’re stepping into one of New England’s most enduring traditions: the Enchanted Village at Jordan’s Furniture in Avon, Massachusetts."

"Before we wander through the village as it exists today, let’s step back in time. The Enchanted Village began in 1958, commissioned by the Jordan Marsh department store in downtown Boston. They hired a Bavarian toymaker — a craftsman known for his meticulous attention to detail — to create a holiday display unlike anything New England had ever seen."

What emerged were 28 fully decorated scenes, more than 250 animated figures, and a world that felt plucked straight from a storybook. Families would line up for blocks just to walk through it. For many, it wasn’t the holidays until they’d visited the village."

If you or someone in your family remembers the original Jordan Marsh display, I’d love to hear your stories. What do you remember most — the lights, the music, the magic? Send me a voice note or message, and I’ll share a few in a future episode."

"When Jordan Marsh closed, the village went into storage. For a while, it seemed like the magic might fade away. But in 2009, Jordan’s Furniture stepped in. They purchased the entire display, restored every figure, every storefront, every tiny detail — and brought the Enchanted Village back to life."

"And that’s the thing about traditions — they survive because people care enough to carry them forward."

"Walking into the Enchanted Village today feels like stepping into a snow globe. The lights dim, the storefronts glow, and the animatronic figures begin their timeless routines. A baker kneads dough in a window dusted with faux frost. A little girl tugs at her mother’s sleeve, pointing at a toy train looping endlessly around a tiny track. Carolers lift their songbooks, frozen mid‑note."

"It’s a living postcard — one that’s been mailed across generations."

Beyond the village itself, the holiday traditions continue. There’s the indoor skating rink, where families wobble and glide under twinkling lights. Santa waits nearby, listening to whispered wishes. The bakery serves warm treats — gingerbread, hot cocoa, cookies that taste like childhood."

"One of the newer additions to the Enchanted Village is the indoor laser light show. It’s a kaleidoscope of color — beams of light dancing across the room, synchronized to holiday music. Kids sit cross‑legged on the floor, eyes wide, as if the lights are speaking directly to them."

"It’s the kind of moment where you forget you’re indoors. You forget the world outside. You just… watch."

"If you’ve seen the laser show, tell me — what moment made you smile the most?"

"And then there’s the 4D ride — a full sensory experience where classics like Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer leap off the screen. Snow flurries drift through the air, peppermint scents swirl around you, and the seats rumble as Rudolph takes flight."

"It’s storytelling you don’t just watch — you feel it. And for a moment, you’re part of the adventure."

"Every time I visit, I imagine a child writing a postcard from inside the village. Maybe it says: ‘The lights are warm, the air is crisp, and the world feels softer in December.’"

"These postcards — whether written or remembered — become bridges between past and present, between tradition and imagination."

So Here’s your challenge: write your own holiday postcard. One or two sentences that capture the feeling of this season. I’ll share a few in our next episode."

"The Enchanted Village is more than a display. It’s a reminder that stories live not only in books, but in the places we return to, year after year. It’s a reminder that magic doesn’t disappear — it just waits for us to come back."

"May your season be filled with postcards worth keeping, and pages worth turning."