A family Christmas tradition spanning more than three decades has found a new home in the Fort Walton Beach City Hall complex.
- Tim Gibson, the city’s growth management director, has transformed a vacant office off the Growth Management Department lobby into an elaborate Christmas village display featuring hundreds of buildings and figurines, a castle and a functioning railroad train.
The collection began in the late 1980s when Gibson’s father-in-law started buying porcelain Christmas village buildings for his wife. The pieces are from the “Village Square” line sold annually through Mervyn’s, a department store chain that closed in 2008.
Gibson and his wife, Melissa, eventually inherited the collection and have continued the tradition of setting it up each holiday season.
- “It’s been fine-tuned,” Gibson said. “We’ve built onto it over the years, adding something new every year.”
The display now includes more than 1,000 items, with an estimated 250 to 300 buildings along with handmade additions Gibson has created.
Gibson, his wife, daughter Mikayle and mother-in-law Charlotte Shelton spent evenings and weekends assembling the village. Gibson said all work was performed on his own time and no city resources were used.
The display includes hidden surprises for visitors, including a “Where’s Waldo” figure, tiny ladybugs and recognizable shapes formed in the clouds hovering over the village.
“I want people to come in and experience it; every time you look at it, you see something new,” Gibson said. “I just felt like it would bring joy to people.”
The village is on display through the end of the year at 105 Miracle Strip Parkway SW. Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
