Holidays - Elfin Decor - and a bit more

Hello! Like many others, I collect those kneeling/sitting Made-in-Japan elves. My reason for collecting them is sentimental: my mom had a few that she put out every Christmas. When I was a kid I thought they looked just like Snap, Crackle and Pop, the elfin mascots in the Rice Krispies ads. 

Thus, when I got my own home I began to buy these elves at garage sales and now at thrift stores as well. I've never paid more than 99c for one. Some are hung on the Christmas tree or on the kitschy wreath seen HERE, but most of them have their own display spot - placed on window ledges just as my mom had done with hers.

Window one:

And window two:

 These elves seem to come in a variety of sizes and clothing. 

As for the "bit more" I offer up another popular small collectible:

My most recently-purchased elf, which has a rattle inside, is sitting in a bottle brush tree "forest". I don't know how old these trees are, but suspect that most of them, if not all, are vintage. I paid 50c for the whole forest of eight at a recent church rummage sale - a bargain for sure!

And now for a different kind of elf:

I got these more for fun than for any sense of vintage interest. I don't know if they were some sort of Family Fun magazine craft or what, but the combination of felt, pipe cleaners, yarn and wooden bead heads is cute! The set cost 75c at a thrift store. 

Here's a close-up of some of the elves:

The matching boy/girl pair were made a little differently, with yarn-wrapped bodies. 

All my elves (and those bottle brush trees) make me smile, especially since I got them so inexpensively.