North Pole Christmas Village rings in the holiday season in Chilton

CHILTON, Wis. (WBAY) - It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Chilton.

Dozens of families from across northeast Wisconsin visited the North Pole Christmas Village on opening night after finishing their Thanksgiving meals.

It’s a poorly kept secret in East Calumet County.

The North Pole Christmas Village welcomes visitors every holiday season to step into their own snow globe.

Every year, Troy Campbell places his own creative touch on a growing holiday gem, building authentic Christmas characters and displays for the community to enjoy.

He says his secret is leaning into his inner five-year-old.

“What they want is what I provide, and I have as big of an imagination as they do, but we have everything for everybody,” says Campbell.

For many families, it’s become a yearly tradition.

“It just brings so much joy to everyone, and it’s so much fun to look at everything, and there’s a lot of people who love coming every year, like I do,” said one kid.

This Christmas Village has grown to welcome more than 50,000 people per year, but the North Pole wasn’t built in a day or even a decade.

Campbell began building the North Pole 19 years ago in Kaukauna, when it was just a few lights, a chair, and himself in a Santa costume.

Since then, he’s added on every single year, always thinking of the next decoration he can make that will catch someone’s eye.

While Campbell loves building Christmas spirit every year, his work holds a greater meaning.

“I lost my son, he passed away, and then my mother and dad passed away, and so they were the foundation of our Christmas, and I am now going to carry that on to my grandchildren, and other children who don’t have anything. They can come here whether you have bad times or good times, and you can forget all your issues,” says Campbell.