Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Christmas Things I Collect

MerryChristmas I collect a lot of Christmasy items. Of course, my biggest collection consists of my Made In Japan figurines, and I have at least 200 of them all crammed into a china cabinet. They give me pleasure 365 days of the year, and I'm a sucker to buy them at yard and garage sales (even the ones who've been broken and not-so-carefully glued back together). But they're not the only things I have stowed away in my closet. I have boxes of old wrapping paper, gummed Christmas labels, and to-from cards to put on Christmas gifts. But I also collect old Christmas cards.

Xmascard1 There's something sweet and charming about the cards that were sold in the 1940s, 50s, and early 60s. Whenever I find a batch (whether they are unsigned and "prinstine" or signed "Love, Aunt Ruth, Uncle Jimmy, Rose, Frank and Elwood"), I snatch them up.

Most of the cards are yellow with age. They were printed in the years before acid-free paper, but through the years they've managed to maintain their allure.

I'll be putting up a bunch now through the 25th (and maybe I'll sneak in a New Year's card on Jan. 1st, too.)

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