my vintage santa collection...

i am quite fond of anything vintage , but the vintage santa item has caught my eye for a few years now...

i am sharing a bit of my collection with joan and her blog "anything goes here" to celebrate in her vintage christmas monday!

it all started with this guy - the "mean santa" as my girls like to call him. actually, anyone who has seen him has questioned me as to why in the world i bought him. i saw him at an antique store back in 2004 and i just had to have him. i didn't collect vintage santas at the time but after paying $20 for him, my collection began! i loved that he was a full size doll, really something that i had never seen before.

and the collection has grown...

i found this little treasure in my grandma's basement after she passed away - i wish i would have seen these on her trees in the years before but they were packed so deeply in her basement, i am not sure she even knew where they were - there is a set of 4 of them, and i'd love to know the story behind them.

...and i wish i could say that the little cutie in the picture below is me, but i suffer from the 2nd child syndrome and have about 10 pictures of my childhood (hi mom, you know i am right!) so that is my sister who will be 40 in the upcoming year. i love this picture and can only imagine what her little mind was wondering at that moment --

and one of my tiniest yet most treasured santas...

remember this  little santa pin? one of my favorite little keepsakes from my childhood - - it used to have a white string that would make his legs kick out when it was pulled - i loved this pin and kept it safe in my jewelry box year round until i was able to wear it again the following year.

happy monday all!