If you spent any time wandering the aisles of Kmart during the 1990s or early 2000s, you probably remember the blue-light specials and the smell of popcorn near the deli. But for a certain breed of holiday enthusiast, the real draw was the seasonal section. Specifically, the shelf where the trim a home christmas village sets lived. These weren't the high-end, mortgage-your-house Department 56 pieces. They were accessible. They were porcelain. And honestly, they were a gateway drug for an entire generation of hobbyists who wanted a Dickensian winter wonderland without spending a fortune.
Collecting these little porcelain buildings is a weirdly specific obsession. It’s about more than just decor. For many, it’s a tangible link to a retail era that has largely vanished. While Kmart has mostly faded into the history books, the secondary market for these villages is thriving on eBay and at local estate sales. People aren't just buying them for the aesthetic; they're buying back their childhood living rooms.
What Exactly Is a Trim A Home Christmas Village?
Basically, "Trim A Home" was Kmart’s private-label brand for all things holiday. It covered everything from tinsel to artificial trees, but the crown jewel was the porcelain village series. Most of these pieces were produced in China or Taiwan. They usually featured hand-painted details, though the "hand-painted" quality varied wildly depending on which factory got the contract that year.
You’ll notice that these pieces have a specific weight to them. They’re heavy. Unlike some modern plastic versions you find at big-box stores today, the vintage trim a home christmas village sets were mostly ceramic or porcelain. They came with those classic C7 light bulbs and clip-in cords that got surprisingly hot if you left them on for more than four hours.
Collectors usually categorize them by "series." You have the classic Victorian series, which looks like a snowy London street. Then there are the more Americana-focused sets—think "Main Street USA" with small-town pharmacies and fire stations. Some of the most sought-after pieces include the "Old World" designs that look like something out of a German village.
The Quality Gap: Trim A Home vs. Lemax and Dept 56
It’s the elephant in the room. If you talk to a "serious" collector—the kind who builds custom styrofoam mountains and installs realistic waterfalls—they might scoff at a trim a home christmas village. Why? Because the scale is often... well, let's call it "creative."
In a Department 56 village, the scale is relatively consistent. In a Kmart village, you might find a cottage that is somehow taller than the town’s cathedral. The paint jobs can be a bit sloppy, too. You might see a carolers' face where the eyes are slightly misaligned, giving them a perpetually surprised look.
But here’s the thing: that’s part of the charm.
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These pieces weren't meant to be museum-grade replicas. They were meant to be affordable. In 1995, you could pick up a lighted house for ten or fifteen bucks. It allowed families to add one new building every year without breaking the bank. That accessibility created a massive install base. Today, people are hunting for specific buildings—like the toy shop with the green roof or the church with the translucent windows—to replace ones that broke during a move in 2004.
Spotting the Rare Pieces
Not every piece is a winner. Most of the standard residential houses are a dime a dozen. However, some specific trim a home christmas village releases have gained a cult following.
The animated pieces are the "holy grail" for many. Kmart occasionally released deluxe sets that featured rotating ice skaters or moving trains. Because the motors in these were—to put it politely—not built for the long haul, finding one that still works perfectly is a feat. If you find an animated skating rink in the original box with a functioning motor, you’ve hit the Kmart jackpot.
Keep an eye out for the "St. Nicholas Square" crossover years or pieces that were specifically branded for anniversaries. Also, the boxed sets that included 10 to 20 pieces (trees, figurines, and buildings) are highly valued by people who want an "instant village" look.
Setting Up Your Display Without It Looking Like a Mess
The biggest mistake people make with their trim a home christmas village is what I call "The Tablecloth Flatness." They just put a white sheet on a table and line the houses up in a straight row. It looks like a porcelain parking lot. It’s boring.
If you want your village to actually look good, you need height. Use old shoeboxes, books, or even bricks hidden under your white batting or "snow" fabric. Put the church on the highest point. Create "neighborhoods." Put the commercial buildings—the bakeries, the shops, the taverns—on the lower level to mimic a town square.
Lighting is another issue. Those old clip-in cords are a nightmare. They tangle. They blow fuses. A lot of modern collectors are actually gutting the old incandescent bulbs and replacing them with battery-operated LED pucks or fairy lights. It’s safer, and you don’t have twenty wires hanging off the back of your sideboard.
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The Problem with "Snow"
Don't use that loose, glittery plastic snow if you have pets or small children. Just don't. You will be finding that stuff in your carpet until July. Instead, use the rolled-out cotton batting. It gives a nice, clean base for your trim a home christmas village and keeps the buildings stable.
If you really want that "frosted" look, you can use a spray-on snow on the roofs of the buildings, but be careful—it’s permanent and can ruin the resale value if you decide to part with your collection later.
Why the Resale Market is Booming
You’d think that since Kmart is gone, these would be worthless. It’s actually the opposite. Scarcity drives the market. There is a huge nostalgia boom right now for "Millennial Christmas." People who grew up in the 80s and 90s are now at the age where they want to recreate the holidays of their youth.
They don't want the sleek, modern, minimalist ceramic houses you find at Target. They want the colorful, slightly tacky, brightly lit trim a home christmas village pieces that their grandma had on the mantel.
On sites like eBay or Mercari, individual buildings usually go for $20 to $40, but the shipping is what kills you. These things are heavy and fragile. If you’re looking to start or expand a collection, your best bet is actually Facebook Marketplace or local thrift stores in late October. Most people don't want to deal with shipping porcelain, so they sell them cheap locally.
Maintenance and Storage
If you own these, please stop storing them in the attic. The extreme temperature swings in an attic can cause the glaze on the porcelain to "craze"—which is when those tiny little cracks appear all over the surface. It also makes the old glue brittle. You’ll pull out your favorite gazebo and find that the tiny plastic Victorian lady has snapped right off her base.
Store them in a climate-controlled part of the house. Use the original boxes if you have them. If not, get some plastic bins and wrap each piece in acid-free tissue paper. Don't use newspaper; the ink can actually transfer onto the white "snow" paint on the roofs over time.
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Making It Your Own
One of the coolest trends I’ve seen lately is the "village hack." People are taking these old trim a home christmas village pieces and repainting them.
If you find a piece that’s chipped or has a terrible paint job, you can spray paint the whole thing matte white or even black for a "Gothic Christmas" look. It’s a way to keep the nostalgia of the form factor while updating it for modern home decor. Some people even use "rub 'n buff" metallic finishes to make them look like solid brass or pewter.
The Emotional Value
At the end of the day, a trim a home christmas village isn't about the monetary value. It’s about the ritual. It’s about the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving when you pull the boxes out of the closet. It’s the sound of the porcelain clinking as you find the perfect spot for the general store.
It’s about turning off all the house lights and just letting the warm glow of those tiny windows fill the room. It’s a little slice of a world that feels simpler, quieter, and maybe a bit more magical than the one we're living in right now.
Actionable Steps for New Collectors
If you're ready to start your own village or revive one that’s been sitting in the garage, here is how you do it without losing your mind.
- Check the Cords First: Before you set everything up, plug in every single cord. Look for frayed wires or cracked plastic. If the cord feels brittle, throw it away. Replacement C7 clip-in cords are cheap and available at any hardware store.
- Scale Matters (Sorta): Don't worry about being perfect, but try to group like-sized items together. Put the smaller "Trim A Home" houses in the background to create a sense of forced perspective.
- The "Three-Deep" Rule: When placing figurines, group them in threes. A single caroler looks lonely. A group of three looks like a scene.
- Use Power Strips with Timers: Don't be the person who has to crawl behind the sofa every night to unplug the village. Get a smart plug or a mechanical timer so the village wakes up and goes to sleep on its own.
- Documentation: Take a photo of your setup once you like it. Next year, you won't remember where the "Post Office" went, and having a reference photo will save you two hours of frustration.
- Inventory Your Bulbs: Buy a box of replacement C7 bulbs now. Nothing ruins the vibe like the "Main Street Bakery" going dark two days before Christmas and having to hunt for a bulb in a picked-over store.
The real joy of a trim a home christmas village is that it's never really finished. You can always add a tree, move a fence, or find that one elusive piece at a garage sale that completes the set. It’s a living, breathing part of your holiday tradition. Keep it simple, keep it glowing, and don't worry if the scale is a little wonky. That's just character.