Charles Dickens comes alive in a Tulsa home

Most families have some sort of holiday traditions. For Mike and Cindy Taylor and their kids itâ€™s a huge Dickens Village that's taken over the living room. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Rick Wells

Friday, December 23rd 2005, 9:27 am

By: News On 6

Most families have some sort of holiday traditions. For Mike and Cindy Taylor and their kids itâ€™s a huge Dickens Village that's taken over the living room.

News on 6 reporter Rick Wells stopped in to have a look.

Walk into the Taylor's living room and all you can say is 'Wow.' It surrounds you.

Cindy Taylor says she's not sure of the number probably more than 200 buildings, and with the people and accessories there must be more than a thousand pieces. "We started of course with one piece, and each year it grew, it grew." That first piece is the Old Curiosity Shop; her mother gave her that back in 1982.

About the only duplication among all these is the updated version of the same shop. The newer buildings she says have a great deal more detail.

The concept is from Charles Dickensâ€™ London and many of the spots you'll recognize from his stories. There is Fezziwig's warehouse and Scrooge's house with the ghosts dancing in the bedroom and if you look closely you can see the smoke from the chimney at Bob Cratchet's house.

Cindy Taylor: "We have a Blacksmith shop harness maker boot and cobbler, everything you need."

Rick Wells: "Is your town missing anything?" Cindy Taylor: "I donâ€™t' think our town is missing anything, at least anything we deemed important. It's our town we can do what we want.â€ You can indeed.

Many of these pieces were gifts; some were bought to celebrate a particular event. The village and its pieces are part of the family. "The more you look at it the more you see."

Again, it started in 1982 with one piece and has grown into the center piece of the Taylor family Christmas.