SANTA HIS-STORY...

pic taken 12.10.11

I don't remember when I began my SANTA Collection ~ I don't think I intentionally thought about it?? until about the early 1990's. 


When I first married in 1971, our Christmas decorations were minimal & if the ornaments were purchased, it was from Pic n' Save (similar to the Dollar stores). Most garlands (remember popcorn & cranberries) & ornaments were handmade...


When the girls were little, I began tucking a new ornament in their stocking each year. All three of us (ACE, SLE & myself) have a SANTA tin filled with ornaments; each lovingly wrapped in pieces of tissue. ACE collects snowmen & penguins.... while SLE's ornaments are more eclectic.

Over the years, my SANTA collection has grown, so the small tree ornaments are stored in the SANTA tin!


the "large" SANTA's are wrapped in tissue & stored in flat boxes.


My "large" SANTA's are created from a variety of materials ~ some are soft sculture, a few are painted canvas, several are made from metal or wood --- ALL were selected for their unique features.

Lydia calls this "Scary SANTA" --- perhaps it WAS scary??  lucky for me! I purchased it after Christmas (Providence, RI). 

JPE bought "Glittery SANTA" to celebrate our first Christmas together. He's always on the look-out for a unique SANTA to add to my collection.


I'll share another episode in the "SANTA His-Story" series later this week... BUT, you may be wondering how I keep track of my SANTA's?? 


Look back up at the first blog picture: on the bottom (or backside, any discrete place), I put the date + name of the person who gave the SANTA as a gift; or where I purchased the SANTA.  For example: the ornament on the left was purchased in Big Bear this past summer; while the ornament on the right was a gift from Jackie (one of the girls in my Camp Fire group) in 1997... 


How do you keep track of your collections?