Hello, Santa Baby!

This weekend it was time to pull out the Santa mugs from storage and let the jolly old elf help get a little Christmas spirit underway! I do drink out of some of my Santa mugs (tea, not cocoa), but I also use them as ornaments on the tree, as table decor, etc.

My husband asked how many I have now, and I had to confess I just didn't feel like bothering to count them this time. I had more than 100 (or was it 150?) last year and there are even more of them this year, largely thanks to my mother and my aunt, who find them for me at thrift stores. One of the most unique mugs was this one mom found, a mug which proves the old adage that behind every good man there's a good woman ...

And here she is, Mrs. Claus herself.

Here you can see the sides of the couple. This mug, like most of mine, is unmarked. This looks like the sort of thing someone made in ceramics class a few decades ago.

Another of the past year's additions is this perky fella. I like the pink of his nose and cheeks!

This one I found at a local antique mall. I wanted him because he's marked Omnibus, Fitz and Floyd, 1995, and the dated pieces help me learn what Santa mugs have looked like through the years.

This one, another mom find, is a creamer.

This unopened package of miniature ceramic Santa mugs is my latest find and came from a local antique store. I was amused that the package suggests using these for "sweets, nuts, cigarettes." Yes, nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like a nice Christmas display of cigarettes, huh?

This is a larger mug and is marked Royal Norfolk, which sounds British, but I'm thinking it's probably made in China. Later this week I'll try to remember to show you where some of these mugs ended up as I'm preparing for the weekend's Christmas Tea. Do you like Santa mugs or have memories of drinking from them as a child? Whether you do or not, I highly recommend using these fun pieces as teawares sometime this month!