What does Christmas look like to you?

It was the late 1960s and Joyce Byers, an amateur artist with a degree in fashion design, was disappointed in what she was seeing in the stores: aluminum tinsel trees with garish blue lights. She was looking for holiday decorations with warmth that showed respect for timeless traditions and her own memories of Christmas.

The first Carolers, dressed in plaids and cheerfully singing (because that particularly reminded Joyce of Christmas), were made with simple things from around the house. They graced the Byers' dining room table that Christmas, and received compliments from all the relatives. On a tight budget, Joyce knew what to make for presents the following year. A neighbour suggested taking some to a local store, where they sold quickly. Soon a couple of dozen stores around the country were asking Joyce to supply them with Carolers.

Joyce pressed her husband, Bob, and their two sons into service to help produce the figures each autumn. It wasn't long before the Carolers overwhelmed their dining room table so, in 1978, the couple hired their first employee and turned the garage into a workshop. The unique appearance and hand-crafted quality of the Carolers quickly gained a following. Each year, Bob and Joyce would work with their crew of trained artisans up until Christmas Eve putting the finishing touches on Carolers.

In Pennsylvania, the family now oversees a team of 180 artisans who hand-craft those same creations that started out on the dining room table many years ago. And although the Carolers are sold in thousands of fine gift stores around the world, the company still holds true to its starting roots: producing a quality product at an affordable price, and remaining dedicated to serving its customers and the community in the spirit of Christmas.