Afterward
What goes up comes down. Umm.. we decorate for Christmas. Decorated. No one came to visit. The whole thing was just for us. Kids? We acted like big kids. We played Christmas music. We danced around. We had big smiles. We opened and put up (most) of our decorations. Ha ha. We are exuberant. We have bins and bins….
This year the new stuff was “carolers” that Colleen had admired but we had not bought because $$. We found a bargain. Always! You wait long enough… We don’t have that long, but…
And a few more Santas. Santa? Yeah, we started collecting Santas. Yes, we are overrun. And besides, who’s it for?
Us! I am unashamed to admit that I like Christmas and the cheer surrounding it. It makes me smile. Coleen smiles. When she smiles all is right with the world. Good enough for me!
And, don’t forget the gnomes, please.
Got Santa?
You start with getting one… for the tree top… whatever. They grow on us. Collecting? Collection? Suddenly… we looked… we laughed. Everywhere! As usual a simple idea got out of hand. Exuberant enthusiasm. No brakes!
It’s just Christmas. Nope! We collected more Santas, more carolers, more…. It would appear we are making up for lost time. We might have, could have, maybe shoulda… been together fifty years. Nope, we are just, ha ha, I am indulgent of Colleen’s whims. Oh boy! There are limits. We are not getting a Porsche.
Yes!! Oddly! Happy Valentine’s Day! True love!
Acquisition
Since we are only recently found and married together Colleen and I have a lot of decades to make up for. We both bring things to the marriage and we both are still in the acquisitive stage. For instance: Christmas.
Thank goodness we do not collect everything. But at about this time of year we haunt antique stores for Santa figures. Recently Colleen admired carolers. Too expensive $$. Then we got some in an estate sale. Cheap! And now we are acquiring them. It seems they jump out and the price is too low to resist. We do not collect nutcrackers. Nativity scenes? Nope. Not them either. Vintage mixing storage bowls – would you believe the price? Hundreds of $$ for a set. No way!! Too expensive for us. Ha ha! We do not like nor need them. Blue Willow pattern porcelain – yup. Music Christmas boxes – on occasion. And our home? It’s cozy and getting more cozy after each trip to the antique store. Ah! And it is always a photo-op.
So long ago
…way back in 2018. Merry Christmas to all!
Jules was pregnant and ready to have my first grandchild on my side of the family. Oh boy! A California Christmas. It was no white Christmas but it was unforgettable. Surfing. Fireworks. Christmas lights.
Santa makes the season unmistakable. It’s a lifetime ago. Jules has two kids. Things have changed so much in so many ways. I made an ornament. Colleen’s suggestion and idea brought to fruition. Now we gotta find more wood blocks for the grandkids. It’s been a nice few years since this one.
All the best to you and yours on this holiday.
Two years
Two years ago, covid pandemic, we ventured out – to the antique store. Cautious! Precautions! What did we see? What do we collect? Old cameras – a few. Spinning wheels – ha! Sewing machines – a few, done! Blue willow china – more please. Christmas carolers – oy, expensive! Santa – where you find one. Ornaments – ok, but of course. Beer steins – at the right price. When is enough enough? I guess it is the lure of the bargain, finding something of value for less. It’s like a lottery. Sometimes you win. Or, maybe you never do. All I can say is that I am happy to be in the game. Yeah, yeah, I take pictures in the antique store. Of course! It’s free to look!
Slow down
Though she tries, Colleen has been unable to filter me. Hey! Who doesn’t like the holidays? We like them though they are stressful and lots of work. Really? Ummm… well… we have lots to do. I am, sometimes, beside myself. Slow down! Let things unfold slowly and naturally. And, yet, we have a good time, too. That, there picture would be Charles Dickens great grandson performing a one man show of Christmas Carol. For real! Yes!
Strange things happen during the holidays. Masks were still in – style. And, the non sequiturs? Don’t ask, I take odd and strange photos, too. The pink juicer has been our unicorn for years. Buy it?!
It was the year of the gnome. What do our cats know from Xmas? Our youngest. It used to be, that you dressed up all formal for Xmas. No more. PJ’s are just fine! Cuteness is independent of fashion. Have I worn a tie since I retired?
Making up for lost decades
We met when we were eight years old. We then orbited in proximity for five years. I knew Colleen (back then), though we remained not much more than acquaintances. We lost track of one another for nearly five decades. And now? We’re trying to make up for a lot of time. Does accumulating stuff help? … a lot of stuff? I would not know. We just go with it. One Santa, two Santa… one leads to another and another. You would think we were an old married couple. Well, old yes; together, not nearly as long as we will be from now on. If I had one wish….
Years later… pink juicer
This is a tale. Ha! Colleen saw a pink juicer a long, long time ago. We have been to many antique stores since (years!!). We have never seen another. I presume she did not buy it when first seen, because it was too $$. Oh! The waiting! Don’t they sell them? They sure don’t make any! I caved. This past autumn I went on eBay. Voila! Delivered! Done! Ah! She said I was so sweet! We haunted antique stores this Christmas for Santas and other such Christmas bargains. This shop, we almost did not go into. It was the end of the day; we were tired; and, how many antique stores can one wander into? Damn! Sitting pretty! Right there on the shelf! A pink juicer! The price was reasonable. It was almost surely coming home with Colleen at about any price! And who knew there was a pitcher that went under the darn thing?
You win. You lose. We have not lost… any cats. And we are pretty much safe with ornaments (too)… so far. We got some retro ornaments. Nice. It’s nostalgic. Ha! I/we never had ornaments that looked like this when we were kids. Bargains. One Santa was a little as a $1. I made the Santa blocks. Ok, “V” is for Victor. The other letters? Dave? “U, K, B??” Huh?! And where is “C” for Colleen? I’m in deep trouble if she figures out the names of old girlfriends?! For, now I will stick with the glow of that “found” pink juicer!
Santacon 10 years on
Santacon. Carol reminded me. I was there ten years ago in 2011. Do you believe it? The affair is an opportunity for a flash mob to gather at a designated spot. No warning. No permits. Party, and drink alcohol. It’s a photo op. I was able to get there one time only. The subway to South Street was packed with Santas and their “helpers” headed to party hearty downtown. Neat?! There was no unruly action going on while I observed. It was a good time had by all.
Now, we have our own little Santacon going. Colleen got a few… then went back… and scooped up… all the available Santas for sale. Ha! Santacon Delaware style! Ray, the cat, is a bewildered participant. We have a Santa themed tree this year. Colleen is brilliant. Great idea! I do believe… I do believe.
Anything else?
Sometimes I think Colleen and I have a lot of time to catch up. That is to say – what would have had happened if we had been together fifty years? Shopping? Oh boy! The candy store is now, an antique store. We don’t buy candy. But… in an antique store Santa and Xmas is fair game. Gifts – the nativity went to a cousin. Snow globe – for Noa’s pleasure. The stone tablet, now painted – was ballast for ships coming to New Orleans. We scored a German pyramid ornament. Rare indeed to see; we have two now. Oh boy! Santa? Yes, Colleen decided to collect ones she liked. Oh boy! It means that they all don’t come home with us. The beneficiaries? My cats love siting scrunched up in boxes and baskets that we get. Yeah, yeah, I cannot blame Colleen alone; I have been guilty of a purchase or two. How about a light up Mexican style kitchen scene?
Thank you
To all of you, my audience, visitors, followers, family, and friends – Thank you. You check off “likes” and comment on my posts. All the best to all of you this Holiday Season. Happy New Year. I admit I am shy and lax about thanking each of you individually when you tell me you like a post. But I appreciate that there are those of you out there in the world who stop in and look at what I have photographed. All the best to you all. And, thank you again. The lump of coal is a joke, of course. I lost all of my ornaments in the divorce. Colleen and I have begun our own collection and traditions. Santas abound. We are simply nutty – in a nice way. It’s amazing how we are making up for lost time in such a short time. Fun? There is love in each and every goofy thing we find and do. Merry Christmas to one and all.
Craft and collect
Christmas. We collect Santas. I don’t quite know why. They are available in thrift stores or antique stores. We took a lesson in glue gun crafting for making wreaths or miniature Xmas trees. This year the craft store was out of the little wooden figures. Ok. Plan B.
Perfect subject
Panorama. It’s never too late to learn a new trick. Colleen suggested… inspired, a true muse. Right time, right place, right subject, a panorama is not for every image. You are looking for something that does not require height and is long (width). Great idea! The mantle Santas were perfect! The room was too busy. And the Santa’s on the table were not squared away. Close but no cigar. That reminds me of Three Kings of Orient are smoking a rubber cigar… till there were none…. Silent Night. Right subject… it makes a rather stunning panorama. Perfect. Apple iPhone has had this trick for a while; it’s easy. Photoshop? You can do it. It’s work. I have lured into how easy Apple is!
Alternately, the images don’t make themselves. There is some planning and thought involved. I got down closer and squared. So, it’s still a work in progress.
… not as I do/did
Don’t go out. Do what I say. We have admonished all our family. It’s dangerous out there. Covid. We’re out in the antique store. Yes, we have/had masks on. Carolers – collectible. Colleen took notice. No! we got no room. Honest. Thankfully, we passed on mangers/nativity too. Santa? We somehow got to collecting them a couple years back. It was sneaky, insidious really. They just seem to show up….
We got this set, too many, in three or more trips. She felt guilty acquiring them in one haul. Ha ha.
White pine
We debated whether to get an artificial tree. One-time cost, done. And each year we get a tree from… We have been away the past few Christmases so it is not always necessary to decide since we have spent the holiday in front of someone else’s decorations. Seniority has its privilege. Ha ha. Colleen saw an ad for a tree farm and was fixated on a white pine. Fresh cut! Fraser fir was my most recent go to tree. It is very amenable to decorating. But, one follows the whims of the beloved wife (in order to keep peace, and to stay alive). First tree she saw, of course, and it was a tall one. As you can see it is way tall above her head! I was not sticker shocked. ??? dunno, it wasn’t worse than the big box stores price. That sucker was so tall I needed a small child to get the angel to the top. Ha ha, we didn’t have one and I couldn’t borrow one so it went up crooked.
In the short years/seasons we have shared – about 5 – we have accumulated an eclectic mix of things. Colleen has collected Santas. They drape the mantle and otherwise are dispersed throughout the house. We had fun with a glue gun and made our own weaving themed wreath – courtesy of a library program. And, furthermore, i used the glue gun inspiration to decorate a mini tree from the craft store. Whatever! In a few short years we have made and feel at home. That would be about as good as it can get. Happy!
Ok! This post is running long on words and pictures – one last thought. Who gets the Xmas ornaments when you split? My ex-wife, by default, has hung on to all of the ornaments I had. She’s slowly giving up a few to my daughter. Colleen brought her ornaments – those the kids did not destroy or run away with. And! We collected a few. Ha ha. It’s more like we cleaned out the antique store collection – of Santas. It took a few trips. She – my dear wife – was feeling guilty – about the expense? or indulging her wish? I won’t deny that I enjoyed letting her run wild and we are the happier for it all.
Xmas cheer
Have you ever known me to be at a loss for words? Ha ha. I had no post scheduled for today. Lucky. I just noticed in time yesterday. Ummm, the last sentence would be frowned upon disapprovingly by Miss Digman my seventh grade grammar/sentence diagramming teacher. Her best trick was that she could/did rest her hands atop her bosom as she taught. (Hey! I was impressionable in seventh grade!) Everything I know about grammar…. Meanwhile, we made a Christmas raid on the antique shop – their advertisement in the local paper beckoned. Santas abound at this time of the year. Tryouts! Some few did come home with us. Not all. Ha ha. And, there are nativity scenes. I want to steal little baby Jesus from each, but Colleen stopped me. Darn! (No baby Jesus was harmed in the making of this post.) We’re doing what we can to keep spirits bright right about now. Carol commented it was a Zoom Santa conference. From a certain point of view….
“Lots and lots of Santa’s. Your photo is very apropos for 2020. looks like zoom Santa conference
🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅”
🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅
🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅
Santacon
“This must be what it felt like watching the moon landing. It was a historic scientific achievement that you just know a bunch of idiot jabronis are going to say was faked.” — SETH MEYERS
“You know that 2020 has been weird because I’m looking at a person in a face mask getting injected and I’m thinking, ‘I cannot wait for that to be me.’” — JAMES CORDEN
“This is a relief. I would hate to start another week of shows without talking about the same election results we’ve all known for the last month and a half.” — JAMES CORDEN
“At this point, Joe Biden has won the election so many times, he’s our 46th through 51st president.” — STEPHEN COLBERT
“This is also big news because this means after six agonizing weeks, the election is finally over. Stick a fork in the president; he’s done. Also, keep that fork handy because poking him in the butt might be the only way to get him out of the White House.” — STEPHEN COLBERT
SantaCon. I was there once. Look it up. It’s an enormous bar crawl. It sure is colorful. Halloween style costuming in December. It’s a guerilla event, a pop-up. Everyone knows but no one does. It’s quite the thing. I went once. Yeah, yeah, I (famously) don’t/can’t drink. I went for the pictures.
Santa
Colleen got one (ornament) a while back. There were still some on display and for sale when we returned (antique store) about a month later. Indulgence. I did (for her). I admit it. I’m helpless. So, I let her go wild. She got the rest…except for the pink one. She hates pink. Okay! What was the internet price for my moment of weakness? 2X. The ‘net price was double what we paid. Something only has worth if it is something you desire and will cherish. So, it was a bargain at any price, but, I do like a savings, of sort.
History
I think of history as old and ancient – time. Colleen and I have been together a few short years. Yet…. all the ornaments I had went with Lisa. Colleen brought some and we acquired a few (lot), just like we acquired a few (four) more cats. As you see, we get a lot of help. That would be Nutley (aptly named).
Santa? A friend collected them. I never paid much attention. Colleen got an interest. And off we went. When we visited Winterthur, it seems that Mr. Dupont collected Santas too. How’d we compare? Not too bad. My hat’s off to Colleen’s sharp eye. I may find them but she’s the one with final approval. Honestly, I am impressed with how quickly our collection has accumulated in such a short span. Call it, making up for lost time. Mr. Dupont’s Santas are to the left.
Antiques
What’s antique? Technically, it’s more than one hundred years old? Loosely, it’s anything that’s old. Oh boy! The photograph is black and white with some colorization. Your parents? Hey, it’s for sale. $18. Sad? Oh yeah! All of the family has passed on? I find it sad that this picture is for sale and there is no one left to care. I once saw and entire family album of black and white photos for sale in Camden, Maine. I suppose the family is all gone. It haunts me still.
And? WWF wrestling Santa? Oh my! Is that old? Not too much is around that doesn’t have a twist? Some good, some bad. Bad taste?
Santa
I got lost. Lost track of time. I had scheduled posts back in December until now and did not realize that I have not posted in several days. It’s been hectic. But not too bad… catching up. I know. I know. It’s long beyond Christmas. But I just came across this image. Origin: Antique Store – Ohio. We had one growing up. It’s not exact but a close facsimile. Enough to trigger a memory. We fought over it. I know this. I do not remember what the dispute was about. By default my brother Eric has the Santa. He’s the last one home. I’ve seen him light it at Xmas time. Nostalgia.
Speaking of tardiness: We did not return home from travel until December 20. Try and buy a Christmas tree in Rehoboth, Delaware then. Nope. We did Lowe’s and Home Depot. They carry fresh trees at reasonable price. Nope. There were a few “Charlie Brown” trees. Sadly. And for $60. Oh boy! Plan B. We drove 50 miles north to Dover. Ha! Double ha ha! We found a few trees at Home Depot – $60 – semi acceptable. And Lowes? As we walked in, the sales clerk said, “Half price, everything just went half price.” Clearance! We got a tree, a large poinsettia, and several other small live trees/bushes for the mere price of $39. Yes! A fortuitous bargain. The tree turned out to be perfect after we trimmed it. I’m too OCD to wait again. Next year I’ll remember to get a tree sooner.
Santa
I know. But I had a post for Xmas. So, I’m squeezing this in at New Year. Happy! I’ve been in a lot of stores around Thanksgiving. Santa shows up before turkey. Turkey is for eating. You sell Santa for the holiday. Happy! … that would be all the holidays. This new year will be different… and better.
Santa
I was wandering another antique store. I’m trying to stay away. (No more sewing machines, please!) And it’s Xmas. And there are a lot of old Xmas decorations. And among them are a lot of Santas. Ya gotta love it!
photobackstory 