The Holidays are Here
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| Melinda, my first German Bisque |
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| A Mignonette |
The Holidays are upon us, and there is no better time of
year for dolls. Dolls are not only where
you find them, as my friend Mary Hillier, author of Dolls and Doll Makers used to say, they are everywhere! Dolls appear as gifts under Christmas trees
decorated with even more dolls.
Ornaments shaped as dolls prevail, so do tree top angels and Christmas
Fairies. Crèche figures, snowmen, The Elf on the Shelf, Marzipan figures,
gingerbread men, nutcrackers, all close relatives to dolls if not dolls
themselves, appear.
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| Vintage Doll Ornaments |
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| Vlasta Dolls |
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| Goebel Madonna and Child, Hummel |
Teddy bears and stuffed animals pop out of stockings, and
toy soldiers march to their own drummers.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,
Santa Claus is coming to Town, The Nightmare before Christmas, and other
specials are often animations based on doll and puppet creations. Of course, there are action figures of all
the characters, too.
Barbie and other dolls have Christmas versions of
themselves, and doll houses and mini buildings like the various Dept. 56
What does all this say about us, the collectors who love
dolls?
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| Doll Tree |
It’s hard to say. Our
dolls and collections are the spoils of war, gained often with great sacrifice
and patience. They are what keep us
going in hard times. Dolls are a health
distraction and remind us there is art, beauty, even whimsy in a world that is
grown dark with suffering. Some dolls express the sorrows of the world; while
others are made to help others gain a much needed source of income.
Dolls are the universal messengers of peace and eternal
symbols of innocence and childhood. Even
spooky dolls spark the imagination and help us realize that things really don’t
go bump in the night; they are only our fears going bump in our heads.
My word this Christmas is once again sad and filled with
mourning and frustration. We are very,
very near to finding a building for our museum.
We were fortunate to find wonderful cases and shelves, and our paperwork
is in order. I was working on a
Kickstarter project to help us with funding, when disaster struck my family yet
again. So, this week, I’m off to slay
dragons, and to deal with things that are unthinkable. Dealing with yet another family death within
the year is too much. What’s worse is
that three of the close circle of friends that were my support group, as I was
theirs, also died is past year. My
parents are gone, and I’m almost completely alone, dealing with things the best
I can. Yet, I’m not prepared to deal with them.
My life is not my own anymore. Still, the dolls wait. My museum business plan waits. The cases wait to be filled. Small, trivial problems in a dangerous,
hopeless world, but everyone has dreams. Do they all need to be trampled?
With hope and prayers, 2019 will be our year. There will be peace for the world, peace in
our hearts, and peace in our minds.
So, take your dolls out. Arrange your displays. Hang the doll themed ornaments ad decorate
your doll house. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, and go out
and find the corresponding ornaments.
Enjoy it all while you can. Merry
Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! From the American Doll & Toy
Museum
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