Lemax, Department 56 and Luville are the three Christmas village brands you will meet in UK shops, and they are not interchangeable: Lemax is the mid-priced, widely stocked range with the most collections and the biggest UK garden-centre presence; Department 56 is the American original, dearer, more detailed and sold in the UK mainly through Enesco’s online shop and specialist Christmas shops; Luville is a Dutch brand with European-themed villages and a smaller UK footprint. They can sit side by side, but they differ in scale, power and price, so most collectors settle on one. Here is the comparison, with the caveat that Sapcote Garden Centre stocks Lemax only.

The three brands at a glance

Lemax: the collector’s village with the most to choose from

Lemax’s strength is breadth and availability. Eight Christmas collections plus Spooky Town for Halloween, hundreds of new pieces a year, a UK stockist network with the villages running in store, and a price that lets a family add a building each Christmas without a conversation. The animated Sights & Sounds pieces and the Carnival rides are something the other two brands do not match. Quality is good rather than exquisite: porcelain or resin buildings with painted detail, designed to be looked at from a metre away under a lamp. Our guides to the Lemax collections and what a Lemax village costs go deeper.

Department 56: the original, at a price

Department 56 invented the modern lighted village in the 1970s, and its Dickens’ Village and Snow Village lines are what American collectors mean by “the village”. The buildings are larger, more detailed and more expensive, with a secondary market for retired pieces. In the UK it is a specialist purchase: Enesco, which owns the brand, sells it through its UK online shop, and a few Christmas shops carry it, so there is rarely a display to see before you buy. Pieces imported from America need a UK adaptor and sometimes a different bulb. If you want a heritage village and are happy to collect by post, it is the connoisseur’s choice.

Luville: the European alternative

Luville is Dutch, from the Edelman group, and its villages are European rather than American or English: Molendam with its windmills, Schneewald in the Alps, and the Efteling theme-park collection. The pieces are porcelain and polyresin, priced between Lemax and Department 56, and sold in the UK through a small number of garden centres and online shops, often with European plugs that need an adaptor. It suits a collector who wants a Dutch or Alpine scene; it is harder to find and to add to than Lemax.

Can you mix Lemax with Department 56 or Luville?

You can put them on the same table, and many collectors do, but they are not made to the same scale: Department 56 buildings are generally larger than Lemax ones, and Luville sits in between, so a Dickens’ Village pub next to a Caddington cottage looks like a different street. The power systems also differ (Lemax 4.5V adaptor sockets against Department 56 mains cords), so each brand needs its own supply. The workable approach is zones: one brand per area, with roads, trees and snow blankets from any brand tying them together.

Which brand should you collect?

• Lemax if you want to see the village running before you buy, add to it every year from a local shop, have children who like the animated pieces, and keep the cost of a building under £40.
• Department 56 if you want the most detailed buildings, a heritage collection with a resale market, and do not mind buying by post at two or three times the price.
• Luville if the Dutch or Alpine look is the point and you have a stockist nearby.

Most UK collectors end up with Lemax for the simple reason that it is the brand they can see: Sapcote Garden Centre’s Lemax Wonderland on Hinckley Road, Sapcote, Leicester LE9 4LG has all eight collections running and 398 pieces in stock, two minutes from junction 2 of the M69. Our UK stockist guide lists the others by region.

Quick answers

Is Lemax or Department 56 better?

Department 56 buildings are larger, more detailed and two to three times the price; Lemax has more collections, animated pieces and UK stockists, and costs £25 to £60 a building. For most UK families Lemax is the practical choice; Department 56 is the collector’s choice.

Are Lemax and Department 56 the same scale?

No. Department 56 buildings are generally larger than Lemax buildings, so the two look mismatched side by side; display them in separate zones.

Where can you buy Department 56 in the UK?

Mainly through Enesco’s UK online shop, which owns the brand, and a small number of specialist Christmas shops; it is rarely on display in garden centres.

What is Luville?

A Dutch Christmas village brand from Edelman BV, with European-themed collections such as Molendam, Schneewald and Efteling, sold in the UK through a few garden centres and online shops.

Which Christmas village brand do UK garden centres sell?

Lemax, almost universally; it has just over 50 authorised UK stockists. Sapcote Garden Centre in Leicestershire stocks Lemax only, with all eight collections on display.

Andrew Porwol

Andrew Porwol is an expert on gardening, plants, garden design, and outdoor furniture. He is the owner of Sapcote Garden Centre, Sharnford Garden Centre, and Garden Centre Shopping. He’s regularly featured in expert publications, like Forbes, MSN, and Better Homes & Gardens.