FWB Director Shares 30-Year Christmas Village at City Hall
What began as a simple holiday hobby more than three decades ago has grown into a dazzling Christmas tradition—one that Fort Walton Beach Growth Management Director Tim Gibson and his family are sharing with the public for the first time this year.
Tucked inside a vacant office just off the Growth Management Department lobby, visitors will now find an elaborate, meticulously crafted Christmas village featuring hundreds of porcelain buildings, figurines, a grand castle, handmade details and even a working model train weaving through the snowy streets.
For Tim’s wife, Melissa, the tradition traces back to the late 1980s. “It started with my dad buying these Christmas houses for my mom,” she said. Over the years, the family lovingly collected the Mervyn’s “Village Square” holiday buildings and figurines— seasonal favorites from the now-closed department store chain.
When the collection was eventually passed down to Tim and Melissa, the couple continued the legacy, fine-tuning and expanding the display each holiday season. “We’ve built onto it over the years, adding something new every year,” Tim said.
Today, the village has grown into a breathtaking miniature world with over 1,000 individual pieces, including an estimated 250 to 300 buildings and countless handmade additions crafted by Tim himself.
This year marks a new chapter: instead of assembling the village at home, the Gibson family chose to bring the magic to City Hall. Tim, Melissa, their daughter Mikayle and Melissa’s mother Charlotte Shelton spent evenings and weekends assembling the display—an entirely personal project created without the use of city assets.
The village also includes whimsical “Easter eggs” for sharp-eyed guests to discover: a tiny Where’s Waldo, hidden ladybugs and several cleverly sculpted shapes tucked into the cloud backdrop. “I want people to come in and experience it,” Tim said. “Every time you look at it, you see something new. I just felt like it would bring joy to people.”
See the Christmas Village
The display is open to the public now through the end of the year at the Growth Management offices in the Fort Walton Beach City Hall complex, 105 Miracle Strip Parkway SW.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
