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Just a Few of My Favorite Christmas Things

For the past few weeks–ever since American commerce started showing Christmas movies, running holiday-themed commercials, and piping in Christmas carols–I’ve been humming one song or another.

One melody, however, keeps popping up and very probably with good reason. Not only do I fondly remember The Sound of Music as a childhood favorite, but I also love the sentiment of “My Favorite Things.”

Beloved objects and memorable experiences stay with us in our lives and in our hearts. Having them, enjoying them, and recalling them all give us pleasure and comfort.

And as a committed collector, I can assure you that my favorite things bring additional happiness, merriment, and joy to my life.

What’s even better is that I can appreciate holiday collectibles whether I actually collect them or I only see them in antiques shops or in others’ homes.

Of course, my husband and I collect a great variety of Christmas decorations and holiday items, and I certainly appreciate even more–as a list of some of my favorite things shows, so, without further ado, here they are:

  • Christmas cards, Christmas seals, and Christmas stamps
  • Antique holiday postcards, vintage holiday ads, and retro holiday signs
  • Christmas histories, cookbooks, and coffeetable books
  • Wrapping paper, scrap-booking stickers, and family photos
  • Classic Christmas albums, more recent CDs, and DVDs of favorite holiday films, both old and new
  • Vintage cookie cutters, wooden rolling pins, and red-handled kitchen utensils
  • Jell-o molds, Bundt pans, and box graters
  • Depression Glass in ruby red, forest green, and milk white
  • Vintage tablecloths, damask linens, and cutesy napkin rings
  • Crystal candlesticks, creamware serving platters, and novelty salt and pepper shakers
  • Teapots decorated in holiday motifs, shaped like holiday characters, or given as holiday presents
  • Bottle-brush trees, pre-lit artificial ones, and fresh-cut spruces and firs
  • Vintage glass baubles, plastic figural ornaments, and those handmade by loved ones
  • Tabletop decorations, wall hangings, and accessories large enough to be free-standing, like 6-foot tall nutcrackers
  • Toy trains, teddy bears, and winter gardens
  • Blow molds, inflatables, and wire-frame yard decor
  • Elves, reindeer, and polar bears
  • Stockings, and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus

As another song says, “Tis the season to be jolly,” and those of us who love Christmas and all its trappings have many, many reasons to be jolly.

Merry Collecting, Everyone.

Patti
The Committed Collector

Are you crazy for Christmas like I am? If so, why not leave a comment, and list some of your favorite holiday collectibles, too?

© 2019 The Collectors of Western New York.
All rights reserved.

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Two Ways to Corral Collections

The brutally cold weather we’ve been having in Western New York has kept me at home lately, which has been rather helpful.

Since my resolution is to spend less time adding to our collections and more time curating them, staying in and organizing what we already have is fine by me. The only problem has been deciding how to rearrange some of our collectibles.

You see, there seem to be two main systems of corralling collections: segregating them or integrating them.

I used to think it made more sense to segregate pieces, which means dividing up collections and then storing like things together, especially when it comes to boxing up collections.

All my postcards (even the seasonal ones) are in their own albums, for example, and our holiday decorations are boxed up not only by holiday, but also by type, such as “Plastic Figural Christmas Ornaments.”

(Yes, we really have several boxes labeled “Plastic Figural Christmas Ornaments.” Labels that actually identify what’s where are imperative, regardless of which system you choose.)

On the one hand, this storage system divides up items in a collection; on the other hand, it places similar things together, which often saves time and space.

I relearn this every time we move. For example, plates and bowls and cups simply have different shapes and don’t want to cozy up to each other efficiently. Since getting various shapes to fit nicely in the same box is a challenge, it’s faster and easier to wrap and pack dinner plates in one box and cups in another.

The problem, however, comes later, when all the various cartons need to be located and unpacked simultaneously to put a collection back together.

After segregating some of my china before we moved in 2011, I went without the saucers for one of my favorite patterns for two years. I found the individual boxes with the plates, the cups, the bowls, and the serving pieces, but I just couldn’t find that last box with the saucers.

We also decorated our Christmas tree with only our collection of plastic figural ornaments until 2017, when we finally unearthed our boxes of glass ornaments and were able to change things up.

Clearly, dividing up collections and separating them into similar pieces has its drawbacks, so now that the wintery weather is keeping me in, I’m rethinking my system.

I now wonder if integrating my collections would be more efficient—especially since our goal now is to use them or display them.

We’re not planning to move any time soon, so we want to have easy access to our things, which includes being able to retrieve what we want when we want it, which means my “china closet” needs some work.

I currently have my sets of china separated on their own shelving units, and my glassware on different units. I know where my sets of china are, and I know where my stemware and tumblers are.

Likewise, all my vintage tablecloths are together, and all my vases are on yet another set of shelves, and my husband’s assorted Currier and Ives tins and trivets and plaques and pictures are stored as tins and trivets and plaques and pictures (rather than farm scenes or city scenes).

Now, I’m thinking about integrating together the various pieces that I use together.

If my blue glassware were lined up next to my Poppies on Blue china—and my blue tablecloths and napkins were folded on the top shelf—wouldn’t it be easier to set the table for a family dinner?

If I included the two rose bowls that are in the exact same shade of pinkish red as the poppies in my china, I’d have easy access to them, too, and a ready-made excuse to pick up a bouquet of posies while I’m grocery shopping.

Similarly, if I reorganize a couple of shelves to house my mother’s Apple Blossom china and the soft pink glassware and vintage ivory linens I’ve collected to go with it, I’ll be all set for my next tea party—especially if I add my gold luster teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl to the mix.

I also have a few postcards with sprays of apple blossoms on them, so they could join the party, too—and our Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas postcards could be stored with our other Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations. No need to hunt, no need to make an additional effort to bring all of our displays together.

Perhaps that will be how my resolution plays out this year. With each season and holiday, I could reorganize our collections so storing them takes a backseat to using or displaying them—which is why we have our collections after all.

Happy Curating to you,

Patti
The Committed Collector

And how do you organize your collections? Do you keep like things together, or do you store things that go together–together? Please leave a comment. We’d love to hear how you organize your treasures.

© 2019 The Collectors of Western New York Museum.
All rights reserved.

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The Best Reasons to Collect

A collecting friend and I were talking the other evening about ways to explain our interests to others, who have yet to be bitten by our particular collecting bugs.

She mentioned that people often become interested in collecting antique postcards (which is one of her areas of specialty) when they come across ones from their hometowns.  Maybe they were just wandering through an antiques store or show and noticed boxes of postcards, all nicely categorized.

From there, they probably noticed the boxes labeled by state and then the cards groups by cities, towns, and major attractions.  Once they realized they could recapture images from their childhood, they’re on the way to being hooked by the various charms of postcards.

However, reawakening childhood memories isn’t the only reason to collect.  In fact, I can think of several other excellent reasons to shop, buy, display, and store far more than anyone really needs.

The Best Reasons to Collect

1. Memories—As just mentioned, collecting items that bring back memories and feelings of nostalgia are popular reasons to buy vintage and antique items, especially toys.

2. Souvenirs—Likewise, picking up mementoes and other trinkets that will remind us of our current travels and experiences are reasons to shop—or to hang on to things like maps, tickets, and show programs.

3. Adventures—Collecting, often called antiquing, can be an adventure in itself and can get us out of the house and encourage outings to shops and markets near and far.

4. Usefulness—Collecting things we can actually use around the house means our money goes twice as far, so feel free to amass kitchen gear, wicker baskets, and antique furniture.

5. Holidays and Seasons—Linking our collecting with our family celebrations and traditions is another way to make our spending do double duty: We get the thrill of hunting and gathering as well as the feelings evoked by seasonal collectibles.

6. Attractiveness—Investing our time and money in beautiful items that can be considered decorative accessories and even works of art means we can surround ourselves with things we enjoy seeing.

7. Other Sensual Appeals—Likewise, collecting music or wind chimes is something auditory people will do, while buying games or puzzles that can be played is something experiential types will enjoy, and collecting textiles and stuffed animals is for tactile types.

8. Shared Interests—Another way collecting can help us feel things is by sharing our interests and adventures will like-minded people. The only thing better than an afternoon antiquing is an afternoon antiquing with a shopping friend.

9. Personal Emotions—Of course, the best reason to collect any genre is because of the way the things make you feel. Maybe colorful teapots make getting out of bed worthwhile.  Perhaps humorous ties make getting dressed up for the office bearable.  Perhaps landscape drawings make coming home even better for you.

No matter what you collect, or whatever reasons you have for owning things, ultimately it’s the positive ways they make you feel that are truly important, so make sure to take time to enjoy your collections.  You built them for a reason—or two.

Patti
The Committed Collector

How about you?  What are your reasons for collecting?  Please leave a comment and let us know.  We’d love to hear about your interests.

 

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum.
All rights reserved.

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Collecting Comes Naturally

Since I’ve been struggling with the consequences of having built several extensive collections, it’s been easy to write about the difficulties associated with collecting.

If you’re an avid collector, committed to tracking down additional items for your collections, you know what I mean. We easily spend a good deal of our free time surfing the Internet or going from shop to shop looking for our next favorite find. We willingly invest our weekly pocket money in acquiring additional pieces, and when we become more knowledgeable about our areas of collecting, we willing spend even more to procure better items.

We serious collectors also willingly use up a good part of our space to display our large collections. Some collectors, like me, run out of space and even end up renting storage units. Packing up collectibles uses up even more of our time, while paying the rental fee each month uses up even more of our hard-earned money.

And at some point, we longtime collectors must forego, however reluctantly, starting new collections or even adding additional pieces to our current collections.

Just yesterday, for example, I was in a suburban department store and had to restrain myself. First, there was a display of summer dinnerware with a vibrant floral motif, and I absolutely love dishes, but there’s absolutely no room to bring a new set into my kitchen. There was also an array of tempting red, white and blue merchandise left over from the Fourth of July, and I so love decorating for every holiday, but I already have more than enough decorations to fill the “Patriotic” box stored in the attic.

After having to resist these recent temptations—or more likely because of having to resist my inclinations to acquire more—I can also write about how easy collecting is for true collectors.

Again, if you’re a longtime, serious collector, you know exactly what I mean: Collecting simply comes naturally to many people—to collectors like me and maybe to collectors like you.

We’ve been collecting one thing or another for as long as we can remember.

• We’re the kids who brought home pretty seashells or autumn leaves and pocketsful of sundry other items.

• We’re the ones who cut pictures of cars or animals or cartoon characters out of newspapers and magazines and kept scrapbooks of them.

• We somehow decided that our toys were both for play and for show, so we took good care of them and probably kept them long after we outgrew them.

We’re hard-wired to want variety and multiples and things in their entirety.

• While other people can choose one of something, we natural-born collectors are attracted to all the colors and sizes or other features of our objects of desire, so we collectors want every variation. We readily recognize similarities among items as well as differences.

• While other people believe one of something is sufficient, we collectors want both, each, every, and all. We like pairs and sets and series. We believe that things that made to go together should stay together.

• While other people can give up one thing and replace it with a newer, better, or different version, we collectors believe “the more, the merrier” and have sound reasons to have duplicates, replacements, and spares.

We dyed-in-the-wool collectors automatically recognize opportunities to assemble collections.

• For most people, their acquisitions fulfill specific, practical needs. If they need a hammer, they buy a hammer, use the hammer, and forget about it until they need it again.

• For natural collectors, however, life is a series of opportunities to remember items and to consider others in relation to them. If we collectors need a hammer, we buy a hammer—and then we notice every innovative version at the home improvement store as well as every vintage one at the antiques store—and we’d probably like to have one of each.

• For me, each stage of my life has been marked by opportunities to start new collections.

o My first apartment meant I could collect dishtowels for every holiday and every season as well as ordinary ones for everyday use.

o Our first house with its full-sized kitchen allowed me to have different sets of dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

o A larger house meant my husband and I could collect different styles of Christmas ornaments and put up three trees.

o A larger yard permitted me to plant more pink and purple and yellow rose bushes each summer.

o And an unfinished garage allows us to pick up rustic baskets of all shapes and sizes for storing a variety of practical things.

For me, and for many others like me, collecting comes naturally, so amassing collections happens easily. That’s why we serious collectors can always find something of interest, something to delight, and something to intrigue us.

That’s why I seriously need to open my new business, The Collectors of Western New York, and get my prized possessions out of boxes and on display.

Signing off for this week.

Patti
The Committed Collector

If you’ve seriously pursued a collection or two, please leave a comment and let us know what you find easy to buy—yet difficult to let go of.

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery. All rights reserved.

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Patriotic Collections

Happy Fourth of July!

I love the Fourth of July and all of its trappings. That’s why I’m dismayed to realize I have only one box of decorations suitable for July 4th and the other patriotic holidays—and I’m known for my excess of holiday decorations.

Although I’ve obviously been remiss in my collecting, I love the Fourth of July for many reasons. Of course, there are the bits about fighting for democratic principles and achieving our national independence that are so very worthy of celebrating. There’s the appreciation and pride so many of us feel for our military and veterans and the nostalgia evoked by happy childhood experiences as well as the continued opportunity and hope that exists today, yet for me the Fourth of July is all about family.

For a good decade, between the time I was 12 and 22 or so, our Independence Day celebration included a family reunion after my older brother and sister-in-law made the long, hot drive from Upstate New York to Northern Florida to spend their summer vacation with us.

Mom and Dad devoted weeks to getting the house ready and stocking the pantry, especially as the number of grandchildren increased. One of my summertime chores was to give the picnic table a fresh coat of stain, so it would be ready for Mom’s red-checked tablecloth, classic white paper plates, and bowls of farm-fresh blueberries.

Most years, this visit was during the first half of July, so their stay usually included at least one All-American cookout complete with a red, white and blue color scheme, sizzling hot dogs and hamburgers, glittering sparklers, and exciting firecrackers.

With the house full, and friends coming and going, the work increased, too, so the women often opted for grilling out, rather than heating the house, and picnics on the patio with paper products instead of washing the dishes.

A natural-born collector, I loved it when Mom bought paper products printed with patriotic motifs for our holiday table. Unbeknownst to me, I was already drawn to a popular category of collecting—ephemera—which covers a great variety of items, like party napkins, wall calendars, and fast-food packaging, that are meant to serve their purposes and be discarded afterward.

A natural-born party planner, too, I longed for more than flying the flag out front. I wanted Old Glory in all her guises everywhere possible. I tried to convince the menfolk that hanging bunting from the eaves would be easy, but I had to settle for small handheld versions of the Stars and Stripes.

I suggested to the womenfolk that bouquets of red, white, and blue flowers from the grocery store would be prettier on the table than the bright yellow marigolds from Mom’s garden, but I often had to settle for stacking the buns in baskets lined with red cloth napkins as a way to bring more holiday color to the party.

For me, the weeks when my whole family was around were often the best of the year. They also included outings to the beach, trying new recipes, playing board games, and going to the movies or renting videos together.

Over the years, I’ve collected the recipes that fit our American color scheme, such as fruit salad with strawberries, honeydew, and blueberries, and my sister-in-law’s Black Forest cake topped with bright red cherry pie filling and served with white whipped cream on blue paper plates, of course.

My big brother’s a movie buff, so we always rented several family favorites, like Yankee Doodle Dandy, American Graffiti, or Patton. Dad was a Marine and fought at Guadalcanal, so we also always watched any WWII documentaries shown on our local PBS channel.

If I had the space today, I’d put together a video collection of patriotic movies and documentaries, but I don’t, so I rely on the fine selections available through the Monroe County Library System. Stopping into our branch library to borrow a DVD is a bit like going to Blockbuster to pick up a VHS tape or two, so the errand brings back fond memories.

If I had even more space today, which I certainly don’t, I would collect a variety of Americana including vintage ads, signs, and posters depicting icons like Uncle Sam, the American Eagle, and the Stature of Liberty. As it is, I barely have room to house the single Fourth of July postcard and trio of Liberty Bell statuettes I’ve picked up over the years.

If I had unlimited space, or the resolve to let go of things, which I definitely don’t have, I would also collect contemporary patriotic decorations. I still like to host picnics and cookouts for family and friends, and I love the trimmings of patriotic celebrations, so I could easily amass a collection of All-American accessories and party goods to help set the stage.

Now that I, the committed collector, consider my strong patriotic feelings, fond childhood memories, and continuing love of the American colors, I’ve forgotten why I don’t collect Americana and go all out with my decorating for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.

Oh. Actually, I do remember why: I simple don’t have the space for any more collectibles.

If I want to maintain our home as comfortable living space, which I do, I have to hold off on building a collection of Americana and accept using disposable decorations, practical but thematic vinyl tablecloths, and cross-over pieces like red glassware that I can also use for Valentine’s and Christmas as well.

Perhaps when The Collectors of Western New York opens, and my existing collections are out of storage and on exhibit, I’ll have more room to house a new patriotic collection, but please don’t tell my husband. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?

Happy Birthday, America! Happy Collecting!
-from Patti, the committed collector

How about you? Do you collect any Americana that reflects your national pride and patriotism or gives the holidays more meaning? Do you have an assortment of decorations that make your celebrations more festive? We’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment and let us know.

 

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery. All rights reserved.