In many respects, the little unnamed community is just like any other small town or village, though perhaps a little prosperous for its population size.

Not many small towns boast their own distillery and brewery, after all, or a bustling train yard. And many Saskatchewan communities would consider themselves lucky to have a full-time fire department, let alone their own first-rate general hospital.

It sounds all very nice, indeed. Too bad it's not real.

This is the Christmas village of Brian and Heather Glass. Though both hail from the United Kingdom (Brian from Ireland, Heather from England), they are both long-time residents of Weyburn.

Their little community has pretty well all the amenities. Amidst the rows and rows of houses and tiny streets, there are post offices, restaurants, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, a bank and even an old-fashioned English antique store.

For recreation, the biggest draw appears to be the ski hill outside of town, where skiers and sledders alike jockey for position on the slopes.

Of course, if skiing's not your thing, you could go skating, listen to carollers, hang out at the local pub or go see a movie.

And the snow removal seems top-rate. It is Christmas-time in the small village, and while many rooftops are covered in snow, the streets and sidewalks seem relatively free of the white stuff.

For the past seven years, Brian and Heather have been building this village from the ground up. In its beginning, Brian and Heather's village was small enough to fit on a coffee table; now, it takes up most of their front room, covering four large tables.

"When we started it, it was supposed to be one new piece each year," Heather says.

Brian and Heather purchased most of the buildings and toy animals themselves, though a few pieces have been donated by friends. One standout on the table, a beautiful "Lion King" fibre-optic movie theatre, was donated by a friend from Moose Jaw.

Most of the streets and buildings have no names, but a few carry titles that have some personal significance with Brian and Heather. The local bar, for example, is called the Victory Pub; it is named after the HMCS Victory, located near Portsmith, England, where Heather hails from.

The distillery is called Bushmills, named for Brian's hometown in northern Ireland. The local barber shop is named for Heather's grandfather. And the local Freeman ice-fishing shack is named for the friend who donated their movie theatre.

One might assume Brian and Heather created this village out of a love for the holidays. Instead, it comes from a deep sadness that is linked to the Christmas season for the Glass family.

Brian and Heather began building the village following the death of their teenage son, Will, who was attending the Weyburn Comprehensive School.

Will was born Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 7, not a week after turning 18, Brian says. Will's photo sits on a shelf overlooking the whole display, a reminder of the village's tragic origins.

Heather says they chose a Christmas theme for their project "because Christmas is Will's favourite holiday."

Were the tragedy of Will's death not enough, Brian says his aunt died just recently, and her funeral was held on Dec. 7. Not long after, Heather's aunt was hurt in an accident.

All things considered, Brian says that Christmas is not a very good time for either of them.

"This whole month is not a very good month. So this takes our minds off it, you know what I mean?"

Though the Glass family will always be marked by terrible tragedy, Brian and Heather say it provides some joy to others, such as members of Brian's dart club and the children who visit their home.

"Everybody seems to enjoy it," says Heather.