We got a new Santa

We used to have a big plastic light up Santa for the front porch. He lit up the porch in CA when we lived on a hill. He lit up the front porch when we lived in a big farm house in WA, way out in the country. He lit up the porch when we moved in town into a cute little 1920s Craftsman cottage - yup, you heard right, Craftsman - like the Sears tools. You could order a whole house from Sears, they would deliver it to your site and you put it together by number and with an instruction sheet. But I digress - then one night - no Santa - no light - NO SANTA?????? Where could he be? Did you see him running by? Was he kidnapped? Did he want to go back to the North Pole? No Santa - we looked up and down the street - no sign of him - we walked around the neighborhood, hoping to find him - no Santa. (Did we really think that whoever stole him would just put him out on their porch?)

Our name for our Santa was Giant Tacky Plastic Santa - and we loved him so. Everyone is the family has been searching for another Giant Tacky Plastic Santa. We had bought him at KMart in CA and had never seen another since then. Until later that same season we saw one sitting on a deck, far, far from our house. Don offered them a princely sum for their Giant Tacky Plastic Santa - even throwing in our sob story - but they loved their GTPS too much to part with him. GTPS owners are that way - they love their GTPS.

You know I love Santas - I have Santas with sticks . . .


A Santa that is a teapot and cup . . .


Santas that are small and light up and live indoors at christmas time . . .


I have painted wooden Santas . . .

Teeny tiny Santas to wear on your ears . . .



I have a quilt with Santas on it . . .

Rolly Poly Santas...and friends . . .

And a Santa that Rusty made when he was in grade school -
made from a candle jar . . . we put Chex party mix in this Santa every year,
his hat lifts off for filling . . .


Here is Don's dad's Santa, used in place of a christmas tree when Don was 12.


I take photos of Santas when we travel . . .
There are Santas that I want to make someday . . .


And my cousins even made Santas out of pine cones -
like old timey ones (and I don't have any of those!)

And even a picture of Don with Santa when he was a darling little boy - dressed up in his fancy duds - but no more Giant Tacky Plastic Santa. Our son-in-law searched for another GTPS and if he can't find it, it can't be found.


So now I am a little happier - I have Medium Tacky Plastic Santa - although it is tempting to call him Medium Giant Tacky Plastic Santa. He is about 3 1/2 feet tall, GTPS was 5 feet tall. I hope that where ever he is - he is happy - and the ones who stole him from our house on Broadway feel very very bad about it. Don't you think that is a dandy Medium Tacky Plastic Santa - or MTPS? I especially like his friend the reindeer. Now Christmas can begin - I have a good Santa.