A Dickens of a
brother-in-law
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PDF
version
BY ANN HAUPRICH
When I first began telling editorial associates I'd acquired
"a Dickens of a brother-in-law" after my sister Charlene tied the knot in 2007, some wrongly assumed I had
fingered her
beloved
Rodger as a Fagin or at the very least an Artful Dodger.
While his first name does rhyme with the latter, earning him the affectionate
nickname
Rodger Dodger, the truth is that Rodger is more of a Pip who shares nothing more
in common
with the Dodger of Oliver Twist than a mischievous grin. Like Pip (short for
Phillip Pirrip in
Great Expectations), our family's
Rodger Dodger is a living, breathing creation
of
brilliant complexity.
The truth (which is stranger than fiction) is that Rodger Dodger is "a Dickens
of a
brother-in-law" because each December, the former US Marine, Rotary District
Governor and
furniture store proprietor, brings scenes reminiscent of a Dickens' Christmas
village to life in
his upstate New York home.
This is accomplished via a magnificently displayed collection of miniature
shops, taverns,
churches and other landmarks one would associate with A Christmas Carol.
Victorian
streetlights illuminate figurines in period costume engaged in a diversity of
seasonal activities.
So lifelike are the characters one can almost hear the carolers singing. Those
lacking such
imagination are aided by the traditional carols Rodger pipes into the room by
way of modern
electronic
miracles.
Something tells me the first words out of the mouths of Tiny Tim, his father Bob
Cratchitt
and Post-Ghost Ebeneezer Scrooge upon seeing the images that follow would be a
jolly good
chorus of "Merry Christmas! And God bless us every one."
And God bless every one who has been fortunate enough over the decades -- long
before Rodger Dodger won my sister's heart -- to enjoy the magic of Christmas
Past through
his snow-covered Dickens- era village and Christmas Present through the gift of
his uplifting
(and occasionally mischievous) presence. I'm looking forward to many a Christmas
Future in
settings that include this Dickens of a brother-in-law who is truly a character,
in the finest
sense of the word.
More images from Rodger's Christmas Village can be viewed when clicking on the numbered text links below.
1.) Miniature Christmas Village - Dickens' gateway
2.) Some Village homes and shoppes reminiscent of a bygone era
3.) A church and peaceful miniature holiday village scene
4.) Scrooge and Marley's office visible behind the church
5.) An old-time Salvation Army band can be seen playing in this scene
6.) Another street scene like those in Dickens' story A Christmas Carol
7.) A little carriage ride through Dickens' Village
8.) The Old Curiosity Shoppe and a townsperson thatching his roof
9.) The Hose & Ladder Co. and the General Store
10.) The marina end of Rodger's Christmas village, complete with a little ship
The video footage of Rodger's Christmas village that appears below as well as the images appearing on this web page were shot by Rodger's sister-in-law, Mary Hauprich Reilly, in 2014. Most images in the PDF version of this story were shot in 2017 by Ann Hauprich, with the exception of the photo spread that accompanies Ann's story on the opening facing pages of the PDF, which Mary also snapped in 2014.
