Christmas Nostalgia: Paper Mache Santa

Not having the chance to compare the two, I swear this Santa is the same style as the one that memorializes "Bucky", my nicknamed brother who pre-deceased my birth. I remember Mom painted Bucky's at least twice and there may have been more touch-ups. Bucky's is far cuter, has more personality, and has a cute candy cane instead of an icky ribbon stuck on his left mitten. It's funny how both have chipped paint on the toes of their boots. As with the wee-winking-tree, I found this on e-bay along with the celluloid reindeer (in different sizes but sans styrofoam sleigh) that pranced through a billow of glass beaded garlands across the top of the TV every year.

What I haven't found: the bas-relief paper mache reindeer that used to leap across the living room wall, angels crafted from Ivory Soap bottles, gilded trees created from pasta encrusted cones, and tulle angels appearing to float when pinned on drapes. Holiday corsages created from metallic leaves, chenille stems, glass beads and baubles, ribbons, bottlebrush trees and wreaths, pinecones often painted and glittered, and ribbons are almost common. There are plenty of Nativities out there but Mom's is the only one that has a cow with horns of metallic springs along with: cool angels, four wise men, enough sheep for sacrificial slaughter during any major holiday, and, of course, palm trees rescued from my old dinosaur play set. And as much as I have looked since having internet access for ten years, I have never seen a picture and only a terse reference to my PEZ holiday candy dish.