Today’s guest post is from Andrea Lattanzio (aka Norton74) who share with us his tradition of building Christmas creations every year and reveals his newest Santa’s Cottage, now on LEGO Ideas.

A Christmas Creation Tradition

Christmas is likely not only the most awaited day by all children in the world, but it is also the most awaited day by all AFOLs! To me, Christmas has a special meaning linked in a very strong way to the LEGO world. December 25th was the day on which a much-coveted LEGO would magically appear under the tree. Christmas means really good memories and unforgettable emotions.

Stemming from those experiences and growing in building ability, I now test myself at building holiday-themed MOCs. In fact, in recent years I have always reserved the first days of December to reveal a creation dedicated to the festivity par excellence—the day that brings everyone together. This year, I present a new "snowy" diorama—let's take a look and discover all its secrets.

My Christmas creation this year is called Santa's Cottage and joins the series of rural houses that I have built in the past couple of years and which have had so much positive response from the international AFOL community. If you look carefully you can recognize that it is a reinterpretation of my Blue Cottage built early this year and also featured on BrickNerd.

The basic structure, sizes and general layout are the same as those of the Blue Cottage; though the colors, characters and settings are different. Color can make a world of difference.

The little house is in red and white (and it couldn't be otherwise for the holidays) with a black roof and black and white windows. Note the circular shape of the door and windows that I tried to make similar to the cozy holes Hobbits live in. To recreate them, I used the new “Tile, Round Corner” of two different sizes. Rim covers from the Dodge Challenger in the Speed Champion series find new functions inside the windows, making the thickness of the portholes circumferences appear smaller and giving the window look a more pleasant, general appeal. The door, on the other hand, is textured with some simple inverted 2 x 1 light bluish gray plates to great effect.

The base, as in many of my previous dioramas, is made up of multiple layers of "wedge plates" on a brick base, all in total white to achieve a scenic, tranquil snow effect.

Snow and ice are also on the roof. Don’t miss the Trans-Clear Electric, Train Light Prism 1 x 3 used as a piece of ice dripping from the eaves—I don’t think anyone has ever used it before this way as it is a forgotten piece that has fallen into oblivion.

The roof is asymmetrical and very sloping on one side: on the left, there are logs and wooden blocks recreated using the round tiles with the cookies and waffles pattern. To reach the somewhat battered staircase made of tile 1 x 4 with Wood Grain, you pass a pavement consisting of some gray slopes between which I have inserted white tiles to simulate the porphyry effect. I used this technique in my Magda's Garden Shed.

Featured in my previous A-frame Cabin, the dry-stone wall underneath the cottage is comprised of many Thor’s hammers, a clever technique I borrowed from the very talented builder Letranger Absurde. On the right, the white/red off-road vehicle is parked, and this time there is a spare wheel on the roof—you never know when you might need it! The vehicle is based on my Chevrolet Blazer that first appeared in Sheriff Hopper's cabin inspired by the TV series Stranger Things. It’s a truly ‘chameleonic’ vehicle that lends itself well to various customisations.

The diorama also hides some other "features" that have already appeared in previous works. Have fun finding them and all the other small hidden details! If you like this Santa's Cottage, you can support it on LEGO Ideas as well. (Thanks in advance for the support and comments!)

MOCs of Christmas Past

Over the last few years, precisely since 2016, it has become my tradition to build one or two Christmas-themed creations. Here they are in chronological order, each celebrating that most magical time of the year.

In 2016 I built two MOCs: a Santa Claus Maxifigure built with classic bricks, and a reinterpretation of my Volkswagen T2 pick-up. The Maxifigure, technically quite simple, is basically built with basic bricks and looks back to the LEGO models of the seventies and eighties—those present in LEGOLAND parks. Although simple, I am very fond of this MOC—so much that I still have it and I think I won't be taking it apart anytime soon.

The blue pick-up loaded with gifts, on the other hand, is a Christmas version of my Volkswagen T2, created in 2014 as part of a VW Workshop that gave me so much satisfaction—but that is another story for another article. The pick-up has a series of small white, red and golden details that immediately bring to mind the holidays. The bed of the truck is full of neatly wrapped gifts which really completes the scene in my opinion.

Heading into 2017, I built a small MOC in which Santa drives a Hot-Rod style sleigh in a typical winter setting filled with snow. “Santa's Hot Rod Sleigh” is a tribute to my Hot-Rod themed works of that same period. It was also my first MOC to have a snowy base created with a multiplicity of white slopes of different sizes.

In 2018, I built two MOCs once again—and both have a vehicle as the main focus of the scene. The first features Santa Claus who is looking for the right tree to decorate. He seems to have found it and loaded it onto the red and white pick-up truck, a reinterpretation of my previous Mooneyes truck. I liked the truck so much (and apparently everyone else did too!) that I published step-by-step photo instructions and it has since appeared in a few more of my MOCs.

In the second MOC, on the other hand, Santa Claus is grappling with a load of "oversized" gifts. Will he make it all fit in the compartment of his nice van? Also in this case, the van is a reinterpretation of a model that I had previously used in other dioramas. I also released photographic instructions on my social channels for the van as well if you would like to build it.

In 2019, I changed the theme up and for the first time created a "rural house" in different contexts and in different settings. My Christmas MOC was the winter version of my "Walden". Practically, it is a wooden house in the middle of the forest framed by white pines in the background. The protagonist, needless to say, is Santa Claus who is about to ride his sleigh pulled not only by reindeer but by two huskies! The whole scene is full of details and NPU (Nice Part Usage)—and was well-received by the AFOL community. Based on their reaction and suggestion, I took a night scene photo with light glowing from the frosty windows.

Since you don't change a winning idea, last year I modified my A-Frame Cabin and dressed it up for the holiday season—and that's it! I added snow on the roof, on the eaves and above the woodshed, some white pines in the background, and the brand new reindeer to keep our bearded friend company. Like the autumn version, this is also full of details and tricky NPU. The final result is one of my 10 most favorite MOCs ever!

So that is a trip down memory lane, looking at my Christmas creations of years past. All together, they form quite the unique winter village and I look forward to expanding it again next year with my next holiday MOC. (If you are curious what the MOC will be for Christmas 2022, all you have to do is follow my social pages and wait ... 12 more months!)

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

P.S. Here are a few work-in-progress photos (WIPs) showing how Santa’s Cottage was built along with some descriptions of how I did it. Enjoy!

The base is made with a lot of white wedge plates and the dry-stone wall is comprised of many Thor’s hammers.

The flooring consists of some gray slopes between which I have inserted white tiles to simulate the porphyry effect. I used this technique in my previous Magda's Garden Shed. And the outcome rocks!

Logs and wooden blocks are recreated using the round tiles with the cookies and waffles pattern. Love it! I also sprinkled broken, brittle reddish-brown shards around the woodpile to represent chips from wood chopping. Reddish-brown bricks and plates have a somewhat bad reputation among AFOLs, as they are very easily broken. I have collected these tiny pieces for years and finally found the right way to use them!

The beautiful facade is ready to be placed on the base. I also used the relatively new ‘Tile, Round Corner’ in two different sizes to create round doors and windows, reminiscent of Hobbit houses.

Rim covers from the Dodge Challenger in the Speed Champion series find new function inside the windows, making the thickness of the portholes circumferences appear smaller and giving the window look a more pleasant, general appeal.

The facade is positioned in its place above the base.

The roof is in its place! Do not miss the chimney and the smoke effect.

Last details to complete the MOC and the diorama is ready for the photo shoot!

Extra view 1

Extra view 2

What do you think Andrea will build for his next Christmas MOC next year? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, and Megan Lum to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.