When introduced to my antique Santa decoration, many reacted with the word "creepy." In fact, my husband swears that the red-eyed St. Nick is evil. Although he isn't a fan of the Claus sitting on a little tin chimney, I still try to put him out every year.
I could use this to my advantage and terrify my children into being good, but I don't. My feelings towards this bell ringing Kris Kringle are not of the scary variety. I honestly have fond thoughts when seeing him sitting out at Christmas time.
You see, this dingy faded Santa Claus is a part of my past. When I was a young girl, an identical one could be found in my childhood home at Christmas time. My mother received it from one of her grandmothers and cherished it. If only for the fact that I adored my Mom and my great-grandmother, I also loved the antique Father Christmas.
A number of years ago, my Mom purchased a matching Santa from a dear old friend of her's. Knowing how much I admired the antique Claus, she bestowed me with it as a gift. It is not the original St. Nick from my childhood, that one remains with my Mom, but it is still a significant object in my home. Every year when I pull it out of our Christmas storage, I think fondly of my great-grandmother and remember how just how thoughtful my Mom was the year she delivered a Santa Claus just for me.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Does my story change how you feel about this antique Santa? Does the true story make him less frightful? Are their any childhood decorations that were passed on to you? Any decorations from your childhood that you miss? Please, tell my one special thing about any of your childhood Christmases.
