Welcome to Port Piscaquoddymoggin, a little New England town where lobstermen and fishermen bring in their catch by the harbor, as the town prepares for its annual Christmas parade.

Or swing by its sister town, the farming village of Mount Piscaquoddymoggin, which brings in tourists to the Piscaquaddymoggin Ski Restort via the Portsmouth & Portland Railroad for Christmas vacation.

Then again, why not visit both? After all, they are within feet of each other, set up in the Jaffrey Historical Society room, which is displaying his Christmas villages through Dec. 21.

Piscaquoddymoggin – a made-up Abenaki-inspired word meaning “Nearby Navigation is Impractical,” or, more commonly, “You Can’t Get There From Here” – is the fictional name of a sprawling Christmas village created by JHS President Peter Lambert.

Lamber said it all began with a single piece – a lighthouse he purchased shortly after moving into his first apartment 25 years ago, when he was looking for some decorations for his new home. He found the lighthouse, complete with a Christmas wreath, in a shop in Keene and bought it. The next year, he bought a church to join it.

He said he really started collecting in earnest in 2014, when his nephews were born. He said he wanted to have enough for a village by the time they were old enough to see over the table.

“That’s when it started expanding exponentially,” Lambert said.

And then, during COVID lockdowns, Lambert needed a project, and threw himself into building out his villages.

“It started to outgrow my house,” Lambert said.

He offered to move his setup to the Historical Society last year, to share the display with the public and bring visitors to the lowest level of the Jaffrey Civic Center to view not only the village, but the rest of the Historical Society collection.

“Come for the village, stay for the history,” Lambert joked.

As a nod to his love for history, Lambert has created a fictional history for his two villages, describing their founding and a bit about some of the Easter eggs hidden among the sprawling streets.

Usually, Lambert buys pieces second-hand. Often, they stay as is, but he often buys lots with more than one piece and sometimes gets repeats, or buildings he already has. Then, he might repaint it, or add small personal touches. One building was transformed into a doughnut shop, “Duncan’s Donuts,” whose color schemes might be recognizable to those familiar with the similarly named Dunkin’ Donuts. A Russian tea room was repainted and now is a Ukrainian tea room. After adding a few too many churches to his collection, he turned one into a synagogue, preparing for Hanukkah.

The display is filled with small details. In Port Piscaquoddymoggin, a whale-watching boat in the harbor is getting lucky with whale sightings. The St. Nicholas Catholic Church is preparing for its live Nativity, but the three wise men have yet to arrive. The town firemen are rescuing a cat from a tree and are going to be late for the Christmas parade. In Mount Piscaquoddymoggin, the town is holding its annual lighting of the Christmas tree. Families are reuniting for the holidays at the train station.

Some of the pieces reference famous Christmas movies – those with sharp eyes might spot the house from “A Christmas Story,” or the RV from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

“My nephews look at the details closely, and yet, they always find something else they didn’t notice, every time they look,” Lambert said.

Residents are welcome to view the Christmas villages behind glass any time the Civic Center is open, Wednesday through Friday noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If Lambert is present, the Historical Society doors will be unlocked for a closer view. Lambert will be present during the Currier and Ives Cookie Tour on Dec. 14, during the Civic Center Craft Fair Saturday and during and immediately after the town tree-lighting Friday until about 9 p.m.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.