I Love Christmas Collectibles!

19" St. Nicholas

Back in 1984, Judi Vaillancourt received 3 antique chocolate molds from her husband. Little did they know it would launch a unique business in using these special molds to create fabulous figurines and ornaments out of chalkware. Each one is handpainted, and they are absolutely beautiful! This is one of the last ornament makers to keep their manufacturing here in the US, in their shop in Sutton, MA. These special Santas sell all over the world, in fine gift shops, and via their store online.

They are also very collectible, as these special Santas have a character that you can’t find in modern molds. Judy has over 10,000 of these antique molds from which to cast very beautiful items - mainly Christmas, but also other holidays.

There are different lines of Santas, from Old World influenced figures to more modern themes of Golfing Santas etc. They all have that Victorian look, however, since this is the period when the molds were made. They give tours of their facility, and if you’re a Santa lover and in Massachusetts, you must check it out!

If you want to collect these fabulous folk art Santa Claus figures, you can go to website at their website or use their store locator to find a retailer near you. But they are quite expensive, and you can get them at big discounts on eBay:

Below are a couple of different Vaillancourt Santas. The first one is a classic American Santa, while the second is Father Christmas.

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Of those in our world who collect things: stamps, coins, art, perhaps one of the most interesting is the gatherer of Santa Claus collectibles. With a wide range of items available, these folks should be awarded for keeping the holiday spirit alive all year round.

When Christmas is only a month or two away, lovers of the holiday are in their glory. In particular, there are the folks who enjoy Santa Claus collectibles. This is the time for them to add to their collections and seek out new and interesting pieces. The market does not lack for various items to please these collectors. In fact, many collectors acquire new pieces for their collections all year, as they find them.

Certainly there are hundreds of different ornaments of the beloved character.  Almost everyone who has a Christmas tree in their home has one or more of these, whether professionally produced or homemade by children in school art classes.

In gift shops and online stores we find Santa Claus figurines galore. There are pieces that represent the various cultures of the world and their particular conception of Santa: Pere Noel, St. Nikolas, Father Christmas, Sinter Klaas, etc. He can be found in his traditional costumes as well as in sports uniforms, or enjoying other out of Christmas season activities, like vacationing on the beach or even hot tubbing with Mrs. Claus!

Even the popular bobble head community is inhabited by representations of the holiday symbol. Toys: stuffed, dolls, battery run, and even computer generated or operated, are certainly not lacking. These can please everyone from the youngest child up to the technically minded celebrator of the Yuletide season. For those who like things a bit more peaceful there are candles and even bubble bath in Santa decanters to enjoy while using the candles!

It goes without saying that these items are produced by all kinds of companies which themselves have their own following of collectors. Hummels, Precious Moments, Schulz’s Peanuts, and Boyd’s Bears are just a few of the popular collection trade names that produce specialized Santa ornaments and figurines all in their own styles. Not the least of the posters, plaques and other pictures are the works of Norman Rockwell. People who collect these popular items are sure to have at least one Santa representation.

Ordinary home decor items like bedding, rugs, towels, flags and banners, welcome mats, shower curtains can all be found with Santa on them. Clothing, of course, is well represented in a Santa collector’s closet, with t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, pajamas and more.  Even foods can be decorated with Santa, or shaped like him: cookies, cakes, candies to name a few.

Collectors of stamps, coins, and most other items can display their wares all year long and not think twice about it. The keeper of Santa collectibles has a decision to make about whether they will keep their treasures out just during the season or all year long. Those who choose to do the latter are the most daring and will perhaps be considered eccentric. Most collectors are passionate about their collections and take great pride in keeping them at hand to be shown off to others.

It has been said often and by many that the spirit of Christmas, of love, of generosity, and of family, should be kept alive all year round. By keeping their special collections out all year, the fans of Santa Claus collectibles can do their part to keep cheer alive from January to December, year after year. May the object of their pleasure bless them with a special treat in their stockings!

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photo credit: tomsaint11

This blog is about mainly about Santa Claus (and Father Christmas, and Pere Noel, etc) as the most iconic symbol of Christmas and its collectibles.  We’ll talk about Santa ornaments, tree toppers, yard decorations, costumes, snow globes, and just about anything else you can slap a Santa on and collect. So welcome to Santa land!

I’ve made this blog a DoFollow blog so that it will encourage readers to post comments, thereby adding to the quality of the blog. As a reward, you get “link juice” back to your site as this one grows in page rank. Its a way of saying thanks to the participants who help make this site worthwhile.

For my first post, I’ve pulled in one of my favorite feeds from eBay, which shows which are the hottest (defined as MOST EXPENSIVE) Santas currently on eBay. It’s always great fun to see that crazy prices people can pay for their Santa addiction, and I hope you enjoy taking a lot at what’s hot. Some things of course will not be a Santa item at all, but an imposter listing trying to grab traffic by using the Jolly One’s name to draw traffic. To them I say, pfffft! May a reindeer doot fall on your head on Christmas Eve!

Right now, Santa costumes are pretty hot. Santa is always a favorite Halloween costume, and it’s good until the end of the year so you are all set in the costume department once you’ve bought your Santa outfit!

So without further ado, here it is, the list of the hottest Santa items on eBay. Note, these are always the most current listings, as this is a live feed:

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