Mary with Santa

 This past summer, I came across this vintage Real Photo Postcard of a young girl with Santa Claus.

Trashed Santa

 Not a Santa that went on a bender, but rather a Santa literally thrown in the trash.

Last winter I while driving my daughter to school, I saw a debris pile in front of a house being renovated.  Actually, what caught my attention was a large dollhouse next to the pile.  I thought my youngest daughter would enjoy that, so I stopped to pick it up. After loading that up, I glanced through the other items thrown out and saw a Santa Claus figure covered in snow and leaves.  I initially dismissed it as a modern decoration, but figured I might as well take a look.  As it turned out, it was a Harold Gale piece, made most likely in the 1950's.

Here he is, still covered in dirt and leaves.  He stands 22" tall to the peak of his hat.

Here Comes Santa Claus

It's Christmas Eve and Santa is frantically preparing his sleigh and packing all the toys for good girls and boys.  This Christmas chime demonstrates how fast a plump, jolly old elf can run.

Magic Memories

Yesterday's blog about Christmas memories reminded me of something that happened this past year. Something magical, you might say.

Way back in 2012, I posted about some magic sets I'd found at sales over the years. One of the sets was one I'd picked up even earlier, probably in the early 2000's: the Remco Sneaky Pete's Professional Magic Show.

Christmas Ad Templates

Time for this season's dose of the newspaper ad templates I found this past summer. These date from December 1968 and '69.

Days of Santa - Harold Gale

Before last year, I'd never heard the name "Harold Gale", but now I consider myself to be a champion of his Santa Clauses and somewhat knowledgeable at recognizing them.

The first time I encountered a Harold Gale Santa Claus was at a garage sale last year when I bought a motorized store display.  I blogged about it here.

I found this all white one about a month ago.  I would guess he dates from the 1950's.

Days of Santa - Christmas Wishes for You!

This fold-open Christmas card probably dates from the 1940's or '50's.

Days of Santa - A Penny Saved

I found this Santa Claus cast iron bank at the same sale as these postcards.

Days of Santa - Taiwan Junk!

The previous owner of this light (or "lite") strand left his opinion marked on the box.  For some reason he didn't throw them out.  The lights were still in the box and true to his word, they didn't work.  These date from the 1970's.

I love Santa on the UFO.

Days of Santa - Legos

This Santa and snowman companion were loose finds at a sale about a month ago.  I'm not sure when they date from.

Days of Santa Day - Dairy Queen Santa Glasses

I recall this design from some glasses my grandparents had when I was little, but I don't believe theirs were marked Dairy Queen.

Days of Santa Day 2 - Signs of Christmas

This home-made painted Santa measures 24" tall by 18" wide.  Painted on a thin sheet of plywood, he's very well done and reflects a talented hand.

The Twelve Days of Santa (minus a few) Day 1

I didn't find enough Santas to create a full twelve posts, but I thought I'd start sharing them one by one.

First up is this rubber-faced Santa.  His beard is made from material that reminds me of a dust mop.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day... 13?

Think of it as a "baker's dozen".  Here's a bonus Santa Claus I found at the same sale as yesterday's.  I believe this is also a Harold Gale Santa.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day 12

Good day and welcome to day 12.  It's Christmas Eve and I hope everyone's been a good boy or girl.  If not, it's too late.  Better luck next year.

This past fall, I attended the annual Gramond Street neighborhood garage sale.  The size and participants in the sale have declined in the past few years, but it's an old neighborhood and I almost always manage to score at least one good item.  This year was no exception.

While working my way through a long line at a sale, I could see what was clearly a vintage Santa Claus  across the table from me.  It looked homemade, but I liked it and my anxiety increased as each person in front of me stopped to look at it.  Fortunately, everyone passed on it and I was able to grab it.  It was priced at $5.  When I picked it up, Santa moved and seeing an electric cord, I knew it was mechanical.  And he's very large, standing at 2 foot tall and 2 foot wide.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day 11

Today's Day of Santa features record albums sporting Santa in his many guises from Bing Crosby to Colonel Sanders to The Pink Panther.  I have a fairly large record collection from sales over the years and Christmas is probably the biggest genre in it.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day 8

These winking Santa Salt & Pepper shakers were an estate sale find for $1.  They're marked 1960 and were sold by the Holt-Howard company, importers of pottery pieces from 1949 to 1969.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day 7

This is a smaller piece measuring about 6 inches tall.  It's an advertisement for The American Exchange National Bank and demonstrates how much you can save for Christmas by contributing various amounts throughout the year.  It probably dates from the 1940's or 50's.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day 6

This somewhat stoic looking Santa probably dates from the 1940's or '50's.  He's surprisingly clean and in good condition.

The Twelve Days of Santa - Day 5

This ginormous Styrofoam Santa head wall hanging measures 18 inches tall by 12 inches wide.  The gold beard is an odd touch.

***Update.  Based on this Santa's incidental inclusion in this picture from the Rankin/Bass Historian, the gold beard is no manufacturer's fluke nor owner customization.

***Update #2. Additional confirmation in this random picture from 1970.