Been stalking this thread recently and forgot to check it for a few days and magically pictures appear! I love the Winter Village sets - they're the sets that got me into collecting and LEGO again.
I have all three sets, and looking forward to adding the Cottage to the Christmas display, though I think my mantle is too small now.
As for the piece count - there are approx. 77 1x1 square tiles in the kitchen floor, at least 20 pieces in the string of lights (I think, didn't count closely), so it does take that many pieces to build a finely detailed set.
As for people looking for the Toy Shop... I have a sealed set in my cupboard...