LACONIA — The volunteers who organize Christmas Village have given children and families of the Lakes Region 50 years of holiday cheer.

Christmas Village began in 1975. Originally inspired by Santa’s Village in Bristol, as a way to tell the story of Noah’s Ark, it’s become an annual tradition in the city and cherished by the masses.

It’s run entirely by volunteers, who work most of the year to organize it and make the necessary preparations. Many of them have been involved for decades, some since they were just children, and their team transforms the Laconia Community Center on Union Avenue into a striking approximation of the North Pole and Santa’s workshop.

And it’s all free.

Children can meet Santa Claus, who this year was relaxing jubilantly alongside his wife, Mrs. Claus. Every ch

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