Merry Delight: Castle Noel’s Christmas Wonderland

At Castle Noel, see the beloved Nutcracker story unfold as you stroll past window displays with ornate re-creations of iconic scenes — from Drosselmeyer gifting Clara a Nutcracker to the Sugar Plum Fairy dancing. The set of five scenes, from Saks Fifth Avenue’s 1997 Nutcracker suite, lives on — having been painstakingly restored by Castle Noel after being discarded in a warehouse. Over an entire summer, Castle Noel co-owner Mark Klaus resculpted the doll’s faces and fixed broken limbs, while his wife, co-owner Dana, cleaned the delicate costumes.

“The woman who was responsible for this set … stood here and cried because she was so happy,” says Klaus, whose white beard resembles Santa’s. “She believes this is the most valuable set of New York City windows ever made because they used a Broadway costumer and a French sculptor from Paris.”

That is the magic of Castle Noel — not simply collecting Christmas memorabilia, but restoring every detail, so rescued American treasures shine on.

A master sculptor for the Home Shopping Network and QVC for 23 years, Klaus’ first pieces were foam doughnuts from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He watched the movie, seeing the doughnuts in the first scene.

“I bet you people would love to see all this stuff,” recalls Klaus, who first launched a public holiday display in 2008 and then opened Castle Noel in Medina in 2013. “Now we have the world’s largest privately owned collection of Christmas movie props and costumes.”

At 40,000 square feet, Castle Noel boasts several rare, original pieces — including Will Ferrell’s costumes from “Elf,” displayed in front of a newly acquired Candy Cane Forest background, and the Grinch’s infamous snowmobile sleigh. Plus, watch a snowman lunge forward with glowing orange eyes as the “Christmas with the Kranks” clip featuring it plays, and spot “Snow White” and “101 Dalmatians” Disney World Main Street windows — two of only 11 to ever leave Disney. Tour guides deepen the experience with interesting background information.

Immersive environments add to the wonder. The experience starts by traveling through a dizzying, spinning blizzard vortex tunnel. In Toyland, enter through five rings lined with over 1,000 Mega Wheel Hot Wheels rotating over a colorful walkway. You’re surrounded by display cases of nostalgic toys, from My Buddy to G.I. Joe, and a ceiling and walls covered in cards, play money, game boards and more — all individually glued on. In another space, look up at over 100,000 glass ornaments covering the ceiling over an inflatable Santa’s chimney squeeze you can shimmy through. In an infinity room with spinning Bloomingdale’s holiday displays, Klaus and his sister added between 3,000 and 5,000 jewels to each of the two-sided snowflakes — hung so that you can see their reflection in a mirrored ceiling.

Klaus’ biggest undertaking yet is the new, awe-inspiring Gingerbread Theatre — it’s taken two years and counting to construct. Every nook and cranny is lined with frosting — Klaus designed and cast 10,000 pieces of it — and is adding around 30,000 more pieces of candy. The “Santa Claus’ Party” show includes an animatronic eight-legged creature, Grubby, a yeti, Teddy Ruxpin, a polar bear — voiced by Fox 8’s Kenny Crumpton — a singing penguin trio and an impressive 10-foot-tall Lord & Taylor gingerbread house that rises from the stage floor.

“Since I built this place, this has been in my head,” Klaus says. “As over-the-top Toyland is, that’s how over-the-top this will be.”

This year, he’s adding a Santa’s virtual reality sleigh ride in a space that’s complete with a Santa’s list machine. There’s also the new Polar Bear Club, an Arctic cocktail bar that comes alive with a fiber optic star ceiling, animatronic squirrels playing the banjo and a turn-of-the-century gold miners’ theme.

Now you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Starlight room — with a ceiling lit with 10,000 lights that run multiple shows — in igloos on the patio or in the never-before-opened Cousin Eddie’s RV. And as you enter this year, see a new, hand-painted Victorian red, green, white and gold glimmering gift shop storefront.

To cap off a magical day, guests can visit Santa until Dec. 24 and go down a red slide like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story.” Its oldest rider was 101 1/2 years old. It creates an unforgettable experience.

“It’s become such a tradition for families. … It belongs to them,” he says. “We have a responsibility to keep making it amazing. It means something to people.”

Reservations only, 260 S. Court St., Medina, 330-721-6635, castlenoel.com