A man struggles to untangle himself from string lights while decorating his home. A father and son stroll through a snow-covered church graveyard. Santa rings a bell outside a fire station for a toy drive. Skaters circle a decorated pine tree, a dog chasing them. Meanwhile, the Grinch stands on a rooftop with a big bag of toys, staring mischievously into the distance. These moments are reminiscent of the holiday season, and all are depicted in George Evans’ Christmas village.
“It brings positivity to me and the people around me,” Evans says. “I wish I could wake up to it every day.”
His collection of model buildings, figures, decorations, trains, lights, cars, and roads has grown each time he has moved. It grew large enough to require a basement when he and his partner, Marcus Johns, bought a house in Atlanta, Georgia. When they moved into their Colonial Revival home on Evansville’s East Side in 2023, the basement remained essential. (The residence was featured in this year’s “Most Beautiful Homes.”) While Evans acquired many of the components himself, friends — including those he has met since moving to Evansville — also have contributed to the collection with gifts.
The process of assembling the village starts after Halloween, and Evans tries to build most of it by Thanksgiving. He arranges each neighborhood by Department 56 themes — Christmas in the City, Dickens’ Village, and the North Pole all sit on wooden platforms constructed by Johns. Since moving to the River City, Evans has added a pickleball court made of black foam board, construction paper, and toothpicks after the couple picked up the sport last year. Careful observers also may recognize a tongue-in-cheek version of the Lloyd Expressway with construction barrels. A 360-degree spin through the streets reveals miniature schools, churches, restaurants, Christmas trees, and homes, as well as a drugstore, toy store, shops for antiques and curiosities, physician’s office, newsagent’s shop, train and fire stations, stock exchange, art gallery, furniture store, fountain, bowling alley, and inn. Recognizable names also populate the streets, including Lowe’s Home Improvement, Chick-fil-A, Krispy Kreme, and Starbucks. Only two building placements are non-negotiable: the Griswold family home and their neighbors’ house from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” Evans’ favorite holiday flick.
“It’s a world with not a whole lot of stress going on … at least, after it is built,” Evans says. “It’s a labor of love.”
“I’m very proud of George,” Johns says, adding, “I only help if he asks.”
Evans’ passion for automobiles is evident in the Matchbox cars on the roads, a nostalgic fixture of his childhood. A Carvana tower, added last year, also is filled with vehicles and gives the town more elevation, while a Pontiac dealership sits across the road. The dog dad of two corgis, Bear and Apollo, includes canines in his setup with a doggy day care and a pet parade. A cemetery pays tribute to Evans’ father, George Sr., who passed away 17 years ago, as well as Evans’ and Johns’ friends and family who have died. “So many people at Christmas miss their loved ones,” Evans says.
Remote-controlled twinkling lights, a moving train that winds through the village, and amusement park rides give the installation life. Evans also freshens up the placement of neighborhoods and buildings each year to include new elements, but the creative process behind it makes each year’s build satisfying. He compares it to building “a puzzle without a picture on top.”
“I like seeing the joy on others’ faces when they see it,” Evans says. “It isn’t Christmas unless it’s up.” Johns agrees: “It’s a peaceful thing to go down and look at.”
