When I cleaned the storage I found my mom’s big nutcracker. I was so excited and of course he got with me home. He couldn’t stay there right! My mom LOVED nutcrackers. She had a very small collection, this is the only one I found so far.

For a long time I’ve wanted to start collect something that I can add to every year. Maybe something that has to do with that year or something I could relate to anyway. And suddenly it hit me; I am going to continue mom’s collection of Nutcrackers… or start my own collection… So I went online and just looked on Amazon to see what I could find that was of a little more relatable figurines. And I found two Scandinavian trolls! What could be better? They were mine! And for a reasonable price as well!

So if you look in the big one’s sled, he has a package with the Swedish flag on… blue and yellow and the little one has one with the Danish flag on, red and white. My mom was Danish if you didn’t know… These two are actually much cuter in reality than both the picture on Amazon showed and these pictures as well.

So I posted on Facebook about my finding and my idea. Then my long time friend Lori Prouty sent me a message and wanted to give me one of her beautiful paintings of a Nutcracker! OMG! That was so beautiful and so thoughtful! So I went out to their home last weekend and picked this amazing piece up.

And a couple of days later another friend, Kaye Morrison messaged and asked about my address and in the mail came this firefighter with his Dalmatian (!!!)

So just in a week my little collection has grown to an entire little family! I am so excited! I have something handmade, something with Scandinavian ties and something with a Dalmatian! That is not bad to be the first year!

I think they are so cute I’m not sure I’ll put them away after the holidays. Need to find a good spot for them to be all year around, maybe not in the focus of the house but they shouldn’t be in a box, right!?!

Thank you Lori and Kaye for your so thoughtful gifts and additions to my collection! I appreciate it more than you know!