Gene Dickey says:

Not sure I’m clear on what difficulty you’re having on contructing a winter scene. I do know that Dept 56 is not HO scale, so do try a larger scale.

Woodland Scenics offers “snow” in their large containers, which can be sprinkled on the ground, trees, and rooftops. They also sell figures in victorian clothing and contemporary figures in coats/boots, Santas, kids throwing snowballs, etc.

Also, in October, most craft stores begin carrying small Christmas items for gift package decorations, jewelry making, etc. Look for small wreaths you can glue to buildings, tiny gift packages work great stacked together and set outside storefronts to mimic commercial seasonal decor. Tiny light strings strung across streets work nice, too (they’re battery operated).

Almost any seasonal decor used for holiday tabletop trees can be used, i.e., for Halloween. I’ve found tiny pumpkins/candy corn and other decor items, for Easter I’ve found small dedorated eggs, etc. Granted, most items are too large to be used except for exterior commercial decor, but with a bit of imagination, almost any look can be obtained.

Thinking “outside the box” of only model train stores, and visiting crafts stores (like Michaels)with my wife, really has provided options I’ve never thought of before.