FAYETTE, Ohio — For more than 30 years, Judy Leady, of Fayette, has turned her home into a mini version of the north pole.
Inside - there's snow villages, trains, beauty salons, stores, a skating rink and even Christmas trees.
The pieces even move like a real life village. Leady told WTOL 11 she calls it...Christmas magic.
"We invite people in to see the village and see our decorations and we just have a really fun time most of the time. We're just trying to celebrate Christmas," said Leady.
She said she started preparing in October because it takes her around 24 days to deck the house out.
The collection is her pride and joy, one that grows every year.
In 2023, for the first time in 30 years, all the Christmas magic was suddenly put on hiatus when Leady went into cardiac arrest.
"I was gone and they brought me back, thank God I was already in the hospital for another procedure," said Leady.
Leady expressed it was a long road to recovery. Despite some early concerns from people close to her, she decided nothing was going to get in the way of opening her Christmas Village again.
"So, my village is my pride and joy and I told the kids if I possibly can put it up, I'm going to put it up this year," said Leady. "I'm going to do what it needs to do to be enjoyable. And so, I started it and I finished it and it took me about double the time it normally does."
The work was a little harder than normal but Leady took it day by day.
"I'm doing so much better. I do everything that I want to do. I just have to do it in little bits and pieces and I'll get it done," said Leady.
So now, once again, her Christmas Village is alive and well, just like she is.
"I enjoy everything about Christmas, just everything. Christmas is so special to me and my family and to what we do around here," said Leady.