Santa

The Swedish Santas & Tomtes

Ever since I was a kid I have loved Santa. I think I knew from a really early age that he wasn't real but I loved the idea of him anyways! When my kids were little I always tried to make a big deal of Santa ... from leaving cookies and milk out (and then having to remember to get rid of it before the kids got up!) to sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn to making Santa's foot prints on the carpet. My kids humored me for a long time, way past the time their friends quit believing in Santa. I told them that once they stopped believing then Santa stopped coming. But someone here must still believe because he still stops by our house every Christmas without fail!

Sometime soon after Tom & I were married I started collecting Santas. I must have a hundred of them! Every year I bring them out and put them on every shelf, table, window sill, ...... Last year I was feeling Scrooge-y and I did no decorating, no baking, no Christmas cards. I didn't even bring out the Santas!! So today when I opened their boxes and unwrapped them it was like seeing old friends after a long time! So here are some of my favorites! And some weird ones for fun!

Okay since I don't know how to caption the photos I will take them from top left and just go down the page.

So this is the white chocolate outhouse with a Santa in it. I have never unwrapped it because I don't want anyone to eat it! In front of him are some of the tiny Santas.

Next is the feathery white Santa - don't even know where he came from but he always makes me smile!

Then there is the black shiny Santa that I got in WV made from what else? - coal!

Below him is a Santa made from the ash of Mt St Helens. Seriously!

Then there is the Santa on a corn cob that came from Williamsburg.

The next photo has a Santa made from a 100 year old cedar vineyard post from PawPaw, MI.

And there is Coke bottle Santa - the coke is beginning to evaporate!

Next to him is a salt glazed stoneware Santa from PA.

I'll post more photos another day......there are a lot more......timer Santa, hunter Santa, bare bottom Santa, musical Santas, African American Santa, antique quilt Santa, light up and bubble light Santas!