Yellowknife (Dec 06/06) - It took a team of 12 volunteers nearly 10 months to put together the colourful Christmas wonderland visible through the picture window at Diavik Diamond Mines' office.

"We're hoping to make it a Diavik tradition," said Cindy Gilday, manager of community affairs at Diavik Diamonds.

Volunteers used to work solely on the annual Christmas float, but as many of them were coming from the mines they would miss the display of the final product. The window display on Franklin Avenue allowed those workers to see the outcome of their efforts.

"Kids stick their noses at the window, it's really popular with the kids," Gilday said.

Six-year-old Dylan Byatt certainly appreciated the company's festive project.

"The trains and everything looks so real," he exclaimed.

Peter Heine, an information technology manager, attributes the attention to the motion aspects of the display - four mechanical train loops.

"Somehow trains draw people in, I don't know why," Heine commented.

The display is intended to reflect life in the North.

It starts at one end as the North Pole, and works towards the city, including a replica of the underground diamond mine.

While the Christmas exhibit includes many fantasy themes such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the team also attempted to bring in some more faithful northern elements such as a dog sleigh built by a local artist.

Heine explained that planning begins relatively early on, but the final product is usually far from the original conception.

"It goes through a bit of an evolution," he said.