What Do You Collect?

I thought I'd be all ready to join in some holiday parties today!  HA

I am so not ready.  We had a very fun weekend, beginning on Friday evening for me at our Ladies Pokeno Christmas Party.  A group of women from my neighborhood meet monthly to play Bunko or Pokeno and it is a good chance for me to meet my neighbors.  When you move to a community with no children in school, it is so hard to meet people!

 Saturday morning was our annual tradition of a St. Nicholas Tea Party hosted by my Granddaughter and me.  After hosting the delightful 8 small children and their mothers I just did dishes and nothing else constructive the rest of that day.  {it had been late the night before!}  Bob and I finished the evening with our annual viewing of Christmas Vacation.  I don't know why, but I do laugh hard every time.  I guess it is just one of those stupid - funny movies that does strike a nerve or two!

Today was church, followed by lunch out and our December Broadway Show.  We have season tickets to the Broadway series and have seen some great shows.  We have found that by having season tickets it forces us out of our little cocoon.  We are both such homebodies and pretty happy staying home most of the time.

So, as you can tell from the above festivities, the house did not get itself finished while I was away.   I wanted to post tonight though, so I thought I would share one of my collections and a Christmas tradition with our family. 

I have collected different versions of The Night Before Christmas for many years.  This isn't every single copy that I own, but it is the majority of them.  

 So many illustrators....

 I could never pick a favorite.

 But there might be one in this pile that is the most special...


Do you see it?


It is called The REAL Night Before Christmas and that is really what it is all about, isn't it?

{Tried to make a collage, but it turned out rather poorly, BUT I spent so darn much time making it and figuring out how to get it on my blog that I am posting it anyway!!}

I think I am done collecting the books, unless a really great one comes my way.  I bought the grandchildren the recordable version from Hallm*rk last year to start their collections and I hear that they are enjoying hearing Grandma read them a story.  I sent a copy to my nephew and a copy of Frosty to my niece this year.  I think the recordable books are the best idea in a long time.  I plan to do other stories for my grands this year.  What I wouldn't give to have a book that had my grandmas reading to me!!  Wouldn't that be wonderful?

And as for all of these, I think that they will slowly start making their home with 4 darling children I know.  All of the books are dated inside, and I think I will date them again when I gift them.

What are some of your Christmas collections?

Merry Christmas