5 Star Story: Christmas Villages at Graceland

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A new record-setting holiday display at Graceland opened in mid-November which celebrates the holidays year-round. This week’s 5 Star Story goes inside the world’s largest display of designer Christmas Villages, now a permanent part of the Graceland experience.

As many Mid-Southerners know, the holidays in Memphis wouldn’t be the same without the seasonal display at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Whitehaven.

From the blue lights lining the driveway and nativity scene outside, to the poinsettia-lined stairway and lavishly ornamented trees inside, it’s all proof of the King’s love for the holidays.

Now, Graceland can celebrate the holidays year-round thanks to the huge display of lighted Christmas villages at the Enesco gift shop and Department 56 gallery across the street from the mansion.

Michael Griffith is the president of Enesco, a giftware distributor that’s also the parent company of Department 56.

“So the fact that we can be here, you know, on property of the home of Elvis Presley who loved Christmas, so much, it’s just... we think it’s a perfect marriage,” he said about the move to Memphis.

Department 56 has created holiday villages for almost 50 years and this new Graceland exhibit shows the collectible company’s story through over 1,500 themed displays and vignettes featuring its beloved holiday hand-crafted lighted villages.

“So basically, you’ll see everything from how we make our products to the history of the company. And then a little bit about how the product has changed over the different years, and then you’ll see representations from all of the core collections that we come up with, as well as the things we licensed, things like Harry Potter and the Grinch and Disney and many others, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, several things like that,” described Griffith.

Members of the National Council of 56 Clubs or NCC, which is the umbrella organization for 56 villagers, or collectors around the world, were on hand for the unveiling and say the gallery in Memphis will likely become a villagers’ mecca.

“It’s a place that we can travel to and not only enjoy the beauty of Graceland, but also see our villages from a different perspective so to speak, but see it, the history and the nostalgia of Department 56, it’s a home for us now,” explained NCC President Brandon Taylor.

Other NCC executive team members believe the new Graceland additions will attract not only collectors but also anyone who has a love for the holidays.

As club secretary Jeffrey Kirchner put it, “The tradition... it brings back old memories from your past of growing up.”

NCC Vice President Anna McPherson added, “There’s a magic in the glow when you put it on and it’s the only thing in the room kind of like a Christmas tree, right?”

It’s a Winter Wonderland fit for a king! And another reason the Christmas celebration at Graceland is like no other.

And as Graceland Archives and Exhibits Vice President Angie Marchese told us, “Christmas was his favorite holiday and it really... I think it all goes back to him being a giver. And (he) loved to get people’s reactions when he would give them things. So decorating for people who came out here to see his house was something that was really important that he wanted them to have that Christmas message, that Christmas feeling. So it really is Elvis’ home is everyone’s home. And everyone’s welcome here at Graceland, so being able to share Christmas with everybody is always a lot of fun.”

This year, Graceland is nominated for the USA Today’s Reader’s Choice award for the Best Holiday Historic Home Tour.

You can vote through November 29, 2023, by clicking here.

For more details about the Enesco store and gallery or Graceland, click here.

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