It’s merry. It’s bright. It’s tiny!

We’re talking about the newest addition to Winterlights presented by Bank of America. The McCaw Collection Charles Dickens Village brightens the Lilly House library, nestled in a reading nook where JK Lilly, Jr. once kept his desk in the 1930s. It’s a homecoming of sorts. Eli and J.K. Lilly were ardent fans of Dickens: Among the many handsome volumes in the library are 21 original Dickens books and a first run edition of A Christmas Carol.

In the spirit of the giving season and sharing stories… pull up a chair, grab a cocoa or something mulled, and learn how the village came to be part of our Winterlights tradition.

Newfields’ festival design team (led by Erin Kilhefner and Erin O’Rourke) weave a story with the Dickens Village featuring downtown London (including Big Ben), the greater surrounding area, and beautiful rural scenes (thatched roofs and all).

Bruce McCaw began collecting Department 56’s Dickens Village homes over 40 years ago. His story begins when the first person he met in college, David Biddinger, was so like a brother to him and actually became a fraternity brother. David took Bruce home that first Christmas to Indianapolis and Bruce fit right into the family.

Bruce’s mentor, Noble Biddinger, was the original collector in the family and instilled this love in Bruce. Bruce saw how the Biddinger family donated many ornaments to the Indianapolis Zoo as well as trains to The Children’s Museum. So Bruce and his wife Jaime, newly married and settling into life in Indiana, were gifted a wonderful example of giving back to their community.

Since building up quite the collection, Bruce and Jamie have set up Dickens Village annually with the display being celebrated at the annual McCaw Open House in December. Now with a family full of grandchildren, they decided to downsize and to leave a legacy in the process.

The McCaw Family, Christmas 2024 (photo courtesy of the family).

Dickens Village (Bruce’s favorite, the first and the largest of their illustrious collection) was generously donated to Newfields, North Pole Village to The Children’s Museum, and then Christmas in the City (featuring New York City) is the one village they’ve kept for now.

The route to Newfields came through the Lilly family heritage. After Bruce learned of the Lilly’s affinity for Charles Dickens through his own research, he made a few calls. Mutual friends connected him with Newfields staff, and we started exploring possibilities inside Lilly House during Winterlights. Bruce and Jamie were excited about finding a place that could receive the collection while preserving, expanding, and caring for it properly.

Bruce and Jamie McCaw officially open the McCaw Collection at Winterlights (December 2025).

These collections have brought joy over countless years to the McCaw family home, which “sets the tone for the holiday season” among their friends and family. After years of helping Bruce organize and decorate, Jamie loves that she only had to put up one village this year. In her words, “It’s nice to know that it’s gone to a wonderful home.”

Bruce concludes, “This is as much a tribute to the man I called my father as it is anything else. It’s seeing Christmas through the eyes of children. That was important to him, and it’s important to me too.” Newfields is honored to care for this lovingly curated collection so that everyone can enjoy it for generations to come.

See Dickens Village at Winterlights and so much more, book your tickets now.