#MerryChristmas from The House of 1,000 Santas!

/ Marcia Meara

(One of My Own Handpainted Santas from 1995)

I promised you guys a longer post to share some pictures of my somewhat vast Santa collection. Do keep in mind that I’ve been collecting them for over 60 years, hence the wide variety of styles and ages. Hope you’ll enjoy seeing some of these. (I sure enjoy seeing them when I bring them down from the attic every year.) Here goes!

I mentioned recently that I have Santas ranging in height from less than 1 inch to 6 feet. We’ll start with the little guys.

This is the bottom tier of a wooden table top tree I use to display some of my smallest Santas. Note the three little Santas, bottom shelf, center. The one on the left by the green hut is just 1/2″ tall, and is my smallest one. The one on the right is a Coca-Cola Santa with a TINY bottle of Coke in his hand. He’s a 1″ tall charm. And the slightly larger one in the middle, is my oldest Santa at very close to 100 years old. The two Santa faces on each side of the picture are vintage salt & pepper shakers from the 50s.

This is the other side of the wooden tree, looking back through the passthrough window. The bookshelf beneath it is where I display what I call my Holly Jolly Santas, or those with a modern look to them. This is an older picture, but this year’s display has 37 Santas, including some really neat ones from the 50s.

One of the items on the shelf is this little Santa dish, which was my grandmother’s & dates from about 1952, so roughly 70 years old.

I display most of my Old World Santa collection on the mantle, and it has 42 Santas on it this year, down from an all-time high of 50. (I’ve started letting the grandkids pick one to take home with them each year, so a few have gone to their houses now.)

Here’s a closeup of one of my faves from the mantel collection,
a hand-carved and painted cypress knee made by a fellow crafter.
The two blue “pencil” Santas on the right are ones I painted long ago.

Here’s one I painted years ago, with a bit
of a pun for a message.

And here’s another unique Santa I really enjoy. Found him at a craft show years ago. He’s hand carved with movable arms and legs, and his beard  & hair is made of natural Spanish moss, which I thought would all crumble away over time,
but I’ve had him for at least 15 years, and it’s still looking good.
(Maybe because I don’t put him in the hot attic
with most of the other decorations.)

I painted this plaque back in the 80s,  when I did arts & crafts for a living.
I decided I didn’t want to sell him, though, so these days
he hangs in our entryway to greet visitors.

And speaking of our entryway, it always gets a mixture of Santas, including some advertising posters I’ve had for 50+ years. (Since my son was a baby.)

One more from the entryway. This poster has gone on the inside of our
front door since my son was a baby, too. It’s been taped back together
more times than I can count, but I refuse to get rid of it!

Every room has at least a few Santas, even the kitchen.

I’ll even paint empty jars and put them to use
in the kitchen, too!

And here’s  a close up of our library tree. There are somewhere between
85 and 100 Santas on this one, along with lots of other ornaments, including some more I painted, and quite a few  very old vintage ones.

Even my computer desk has some Santas to
keep me company while I work.

Bob the Skull from the Dresden Files resides in my library
all year long, and snarky or not, he demands to get in
on the action at Christmas, too!

The living room is a whole ‘nuther world, though, all done in blue, white,
and silver. I like it to look very frosty and wintry in there, just to
remind me of what Christmas is like in much of the country.

Here’s a close up of some of the ornaments.

The living room tabletop Santa is all in white & blue, too.
While there are no Santas in the dining room, I still stick
to the blue & silver color scheme, just because I like it so much,
and happily, our china matches it!

Since I started this long post off with my smallest Santas, I’m going to
end it with a picture of my tallest one. This was a display at our
local Publix store about 20 years ago, and  I told my daughter how much
I loved it. Unbeknownst to me, she went back to the store and
sweet-talked the manager into giving it to her as a gift for
her mom.  He’s been part of our Christmas ever since.
(The Santa. Not the manager! 😁)

And there you have a glimpse of some of the Santas and other things I put up every year to make Christmas as festive at our house as I possibly can. I hope you’ve enjoyed taking a peek and are now definitely
in the mood for Christmas fun!

Blessings to each of you for the Merriest Christmas possible,
and the Happiest New Year ever!

57 thoughts on “#MerryChristmas from The House of 1,000 Santas!”

    • Thanks, Janet. I’ve enjoyed adding to this collection over many, many years, and while I don’t know if my grandkids will start collecting, per se, but I’m sure they’ll be happy to have at least a couple of Santas from Granny to put out at Christmas, anyway. In the meantime, they always seem to get a kick out of coming to see us over the holidays, and oohing and aahing over all the trees, etc. (We have two big ones and four small ones, including a Wizard of Oz tree. )

      Thanks for stopping by this morning, and glad you enjoyed taking a quick “tour.” Merry Christmas!!! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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  2. Wow!! That is a lot of Santas and a terrific Christmas display. Well done. I think it is good to start letting the grandkids take a Santa home to start their collection. AS you are happy to have the dish from your grandmother, they will be delighted to have some of your Santas to display and show their kids. Merry Merry Christmas my dear friend!!

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    • Thanks so much, Darlene, and I agree that passing some of these Santas on to my kids and grandkids is a good plan. In fact, this year, I may just let them pick out two or three. I ran out of steam after nine days of decorating, and even ended up putting some boxes of them back in the attic unused. That tells me it’s time to cut back a bit, and give myself an easier job next year. As long as I know the Santas will be going to loving homes, I’ll be happy!

      Here’s to a wonderfully Merry Christmas to you, too, and the happiest of New Years!
      😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • Thank you so much, Yvette! I love my collection dearly, and every one of my handpainted Santas was a labor of love, too. I painted on wood, slate, and toleware for years, and sold tons of it at local craft shows. Plus, I taught painting classes for beginners, too. It was always fun, and I only quit when I decided I REALLY wanted to write more than anything else. I’m glad you enjoyed seeing a bit of my work in this collection.

      Here’s to a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • Lovely to know your mother was a fellow Santa lover, Annette. And what a wonderful way to pass on memories of her, too! I’m going to continue finding new homes for mine in the next few years, and hope my children and grandchildren will love them as much as I do.

      Thanks for stopping by, and here’s to a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
      😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • You’re welcome, Craig. I’m glad you enjoyed seeing it, even if you are now convinced and totally OCD over Santas. (It’s true. I admit it.) But the my kids loved the growing collection when they were young, and the grandkids love it now, so that’s the best part of it!

      Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas & a super Happy New Year! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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      • Just saw I made a typo in this, Craig. It was supposed to say “even if you are now convinced I’M totally OCD over Santas.” DOH! I suspect that doesn’t necessarily apply to you. Sorry! 😀

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    • Thanks, Antoinette. It’s been built over more than 6 decades, and it’s pretty expansive. And nope, it doesn’t take up the entire attic, even though there are 35 storage containers full when it’s all packed away. (So it DOES take up a big chunk of space, for sure.) None of the paper/cardboard pieces (like the 6′ tall Santa & advertising posters) go into the attic. The heat would destroy them. Those generally stay under one of the beds all year.

      I’ve enjoyed collecting these most of my life, and now I’m ready to pare back considerably. With my whole family coming to see us this year between Christmas and New Year, I suspect there will be several more heading to other homes soon.

      Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • I’ve never counted all of them, Joan, but I know there are definitely hundreds. Probably 300 or 400, counting all the little ones. But it FEELS like a thousand by the time I get them all out! 😁

      And yep. I did decorative painting for a long time, then met a TV artist (Brenda Harris) from back then who showed me how to teach beginning acrylics on canvas painting. I traveled with her to a few places across the country, and met nearly all of those tv artists, including … some will know exactly who I mean, here … BOB ROSS! Yep. He of the big hairdo, and the quiet voice. He came to my house once while Brenda was visiting, and I almost fell over when I opened the door!! Those days were TONS of fun, for sure, in all sorts of ways. But then I decided it was time to do what I’d always wanted to do … WRITE! And I haven’t looked back, except in fond memories.

      (And that’s way more than you probably wanted to know, but hey. I’m a writer, now. I’m WORDY! 😂😂😂)

      Thanks so much for stopping by, Joan, and for visiting me on my new Facebook page. It’s always great to see you! Have a VERY Merry Christmas and a SUPER Happy New Year! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • What’s not to love about a Santa, right? 😁Glad you enjoyed seeing some of my collection, Denise. It would take pages and pages to share them all, but I think I’ve pushed my Santa Obsession about as far as I can get away with for this year. 😂

      Thanks for stopping by, and here’s to a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • Thank you so much, Bette! I’m glad you enjoyed the “tour” and I’m wishing YOU a “Most Merry Christmas” and a “Wonder-filled New Year,” too! (I love the sound of both of those!!) Thanks so much for stopping by!! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • You probably won’t see this, Cousin Karen, but I just found it awaiting approval. I’m so sorry I missed it, but I still appreciate it very much! Thank you so much for the kind words, and I hope you had a warm and peaceful holiday! 🤗❤️🤗🎄🤗❤️🤗

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    • Aw, what a sweet thing to say, Gwen! I’m glad you enjoyed seeing some of this year’s decorations, and that you liked my inclusion of several of my own artworks. I loved painting for many years before I finally decided to go after the thing I’d wanted since the age of FIVE … writing books!! And now, I’m enjoying that just as much as I did the painting. Creating is such fun, isn’t it? (Except, of course, when it’s darn hard work! 😉)

      I’m wishing you a blessed and healthy Christmas, too, Gwen! Take good care of yourself, and let’s hope for a joy-filled New Year ahead!! 😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • Nothing makes me happier than doing something that makes someone else smile! So glad this post did that for you, Luna! I’m very glad you enjoyed it and that my grandkids are on their way to starting their own collections. 😀 Thanks for stopping by to let me know.

      Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!!

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  16. That’s impressive, Marcia. Two nights ago, we had a significant earthquake, and my wife lost all her snow globes. Every room in the house was affected. It’s been a big job cleaning it all up, but the main thing is we’re okay.

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    • Oh, thank heavens you’re okay, Pete! Yes, that’s the most important thing, of course. But it still hurts to lose special belongings, especially things you’ve collected for years. I’m so sorry that happened. Man, earthquakes scare the heck outta me. Much more frightening than hurricanes, because you don’t get any advance warning.

      I hope you never go through another one, Pete, and again, I’m so glad you and your wife are okay! Good luck with the clean up, and stay safe!!!

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  17. These are amazing, Marcia, from your own beautiful creations to your teensiest and biggest. We still use the decorations we bought secondhand on our first Christmas together in 1975. The number has grown considerably over time (though it looks pretty puny next to yours!) and every year as I take each one out it conjures up memories. You must have some incredible memories attached to yours.
    Here’s to a Merry Christmas and may 2023 be a happy, healthy and productive one.
    😀 ❤ 🎄😀 ❤ 🎄

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    • Thank you so much, Trish! I’m so glad you enjoyed seeing some of my Christmas faves, and I’m delighted to know that you cherish your special decorations and ornaments, too. Yes, they bring back many memories, and it always makes me smile to see them in each room. This year, I confess, it also made me TIRED, by the time I got everything set up. Still, it was worth every one of the NINE days it took me to do it. I may be moving slower than usual, but I stuck to my plan, by golly, and got most everything out. (ALL of the Santas, for sure.)

      And thanks for the lovely Christmas and New Year’s wishes, too, my friend. You know I’m sending the same ones right back to you! Have a wonderful holiday, and enjoy every single minute! And yes to a healthy and productive New Year for BOTH of us! (I think we’ve earned it!) 🤗🎄❄️🤗❄️🎄🤗 (Added a new one for ya!) 😍

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    • Ooooh, I’d like to see some Christmas crockery, Carol. That sounds like … like … like something NEW I could add to my own collections! Hahahaha. (My husband would protest vigorously if I added anything else to the boxes in the attic!) Seriously, I’d love to see some pics. Kitsch is great fun, even when it’s not Christmas-oriented.

      Glad you enjoyed seeing some of my collection, and thanks so much for stopping by! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! 😊🎄❤️🎄😊

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    • Haha. Dust? For the month that it’s out? I don’t THINK so. (Most of our dust ends up rolling around on the floor as part of a hairball, anyway. 😂😂😂) My whole collection would have taken up many, many more photos, but you get the idea, I’m sure. Definitely OCD for Santa! 😁

      Thanks for stopping by, Debby, and Merry Christmas back atcha! 😊🎄😊

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  20. God blessed you with awesome artistic talent, Marcia. I am challenged when it comes to decorating. I used to have my children do it. Now I have my grandchildren do it! Your home is a wonderfully inspiring place to celebrate Christmas.

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    • What a lovely compliment, Nancy! Thank you so much. As for decorating, I just really love setting everything up, though this year was a bit more challenging (challenging = tiring). 😁 But it makes me feel very happy to be surrounded by Santas, and my family has always loved them, too. I’m glad you enjoyed seeing some of the collection, and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
      😊🎄❤️🎄😊

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    • It IS a month-long deal for me. We get everything down the day after Thanksgiving and it usually takes me from 5 days to a week to get it all set up. But the unpacking of “old friends” again and placing them on display or hanging them on the tree is half the fun for me. Then I relax and enjoy being amidst it all until after New Year’s Day. Packing away isn’t as much fun, but by that time, I’m okay with it and ready for things to return to normal … until the next year, of course, when it’s time to do it all again.

      Glad you enjoyed seeing some of what goes on around here, Diana. Sometimes when I look back on the pics, it makes me want to take up painting again, too, though I doubt that will happen. There comes a time when you have to pick and choose where you want to invest your energy, and I’m okay doing that.

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