Cheeky Snowman Decorations

Each year I used to attend the Markham Christmas Craft Show in Ontario with a friend. She is a big fan of Christmas and has a colour scheme and a theme for her home every Christmas. I am not really that sort of person but I looked forward to the show and became enamoured by all the various Christmas crafts and especially with the snowmen.

The first year I attended I, was convinced by my friend to buy a two foot tall wooden snowman with his mittened hand raised in a hello gesture (pictured later in this lens). It didn't take a lot of convincing I might add. My husband wasn't too thrilled but I think he has grown to love him. We have moved a few times since his purchase and he hasn't gone missing so this is a good sign.

Each year my friend has bought me a snowman- themed ornament and I started to collect various snowmen during my travels resulting in a fairly decent collection of snowman ornaments.

If you are a fan of the snowman at Christmas take a look at a few of the products from Amazon and eBay and also have a peek at the pictures of my personal snowman ornament collection.

Photo property of the author, Christine Broster. All rights reserved.

Thomas Kinkade, known as the 'Painter of Light', very sadly passed away in 2012 at the very young age of fifty-four. He produced a vast amount of work during his short stay which was loved by millions and, as is usually the case disregarded as unworthy and pure 'kitsch'. He became a controversial figure in his later life but he did raise money for many charities through his art and he always painted according to his own vision.

Jim Shore is a highly successful folk artist from rural South Carolina who I happened upon at a Hallmark store around Christmas time about ten years ago. He is not to everyone's taste but I was drawn to the beautifully crafted ornaments I saw that day. He has taken colourful, geometric designs, which I discovered, were influenced by the exquisite quilts made by his grandmother, who was a master quilter, and applied them to his sculptures. Amazingly, he worked as an engineer as a day job and followed his passion for the arts in his spare time.

He eventually, started his own business called 'Designs Americana' although he had a rough start at the beginning until he made contact with Enesco and later Disney which commissioned him to put his unique stamp on Walt Disney's animated characters. It turned out to be a pairing made in heaven. He is now a celebrity who is in demand to make personal appearances and he also appears on the QVC channel on television.

I fell in love with Jim Shore's creations several years ago. My first purchase was a Victorian gentleman in a top hat which I cherish. I haven't bought any of his snowmen decorations up to this point but it is good to see that so many are available on ebay. I have included only a snapshot of some of the available products. I hope you come to appreciate his craftsmenship as much as I do.

These products are definitely cheeky and will be the talk of the neighbourhood. Who wouldn't want a jolly snowman on top of a boring garbage can?

"The Snowman" is a beautiful story written by Raymond Briggs which became a popular animated film. It is a tender story about the relationship between a boy and the snowman he built in his garden. On Christmas Eve, at midnight, the snowman comes to life. The boy brings him inside the house which causes pandemonium and then the snowman takes the boy to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas.

These products celebrate the imaginative creation by Raymond Briggs who brought this wonderful character to life in words and illustrations.

You would think that 'Frosty The Snowman' probably first appeared in a Childrens' book written sometime after the Second World War but he is actually a character from the song, "Frosty The Snowman", written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nielson and recorded by, Country and Western singer and cowboy actor, Gene Autrey with the Cass County Boys, in 1950.

In 1969 Rankin-Bass made a highly popular half-hour television special that is aired every Christmas. "Frosty" was voiced by comedian, Jackie Vernon, and the narrator was, veteran actor/comedian, Jimmy Durante. There have been several sequels following the original program.

Christopher Radko or "The Czar of Christmas", as he has been called started his business in 1986. His designs are based on the beautiful European blown glass ornaments that he knew as a child. The story goes that many of these family heirlooms broke when their Christmas tree fell over. Christopher tried to replace these treasured ornaments without much success and that is when he decided to create his own ornaments based on the European traditions. What a story. It just goes to show that good things can come out of something bad.

His beautifully crafted decorations have become very popular and are highly collectible. The lights on your tree will reflect off the shiny surface of these hand-crafted ornaments.

I display these little snowmen on a mini Christmas tree. There are seven of them but only one wanted to be photographed.

This is one of the whimsical gifts I received from the aforementioned friend. He holds a number of candy canes but they mysteriously disappear making me think he is a snowman with a very sweet tooth.

This is the first snowman I bought. As mentioned, it was purchased at a Christmas fair after some coaxing from my friend. It wasn't easy carrying him home and he wasn't exactly welcomed into the house by my husband but he has become the first Christmas decoration to appear each year. He comes out of the cupboard, so to speak, about Nov. 27 every year. I think he is very cute and extremely cheeky!

You will recognize one of the snowmen as the Burl Ives character who narrates the animated film, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer". The fellow with the top hat holds a picture or a place card as does the little snowman with the shabby black hat. I use them to hold place cards to seat people at the Christmas table. The others grace our Christmas tree each year.