Thrifty Acres: Vintage Finds From The Church Rummage Sale

Hello! Could not spend much time at a church rummage sale yesterday, but still managed to come home with a few odds and ends - and more importantly, a couple of vintage Christmas items!

First up:

A Santa figure that stands about 15" high. At the rummage sale, it was labeled as being from the 1950's. The price was a bit higher than I would have preferred, but was still reasonable, and the Santa was in very good shape - just a slight weathered look to his face and a faint yellowing of his beard. But his boots, belt and suit looked brand new. 

I liked his face:

I think he'll fit in well with the vintage and non-vintage Santas I already have!

Looked on eBay for more info and learned he's likely from the Harold Gale company, a firm that made Santas for store display, retail purchase and giveaways with various products. This article  gives a good summary of the company. I'd never heard of Harold Gale before, so like the old saying goes, "you learn something new every day". 

On a much smaller scale is my second purchase of vintage Christmas decor:

The Holy Family in miniature - Joseph is 1 5/8" high and Mary stands 1 3/8" tall. Baby Jesus, who is 3/4" long, lays in a manger that's 1" high and 5/8" long. They're wooden and appear to be hand-painted. I love the small scale.

Saw one example of this set on eBay, which showed halos that looked to be made of wire on the figures. There are a couple of small holes on the backs of my figures, undoubtedly where their halos had once been. I could easily add new ones, but I think my set is fine as is.

This tiny family will be displayed along with my collection of Nativity sets from all over the world. Alas, I don't know what country my latest find hails from, but it's likely from outside the US as well. 

The rummage sale also had a number of handmade vintage ornaments, all priced very inexpensively. However, since I now have more ornaments than what I have room for on our tree, I passed them up. 

But vintage Santas and Nativity sets - I can still make room for those!