Of all the most specific categories of collecting interest, there may not be another that matches the connection people feel to “anything Christmas.”
Let’s illustrate that by letting Lisa Jones, the Chesapeake Collectibles appraiser for pottery, porcelain and glass, just exhale her enthusiasm in an uninterrupted burst: “Christmas conjures up all sorts of memories around ornaments and decorative objects,” she began. “I think my parents have the largest collection of antique German Christmas tree ornaments in the world. It's as if all of them were exported and went to directly to my parents' house. My fondest memories are of annual collectible ornaments. My parents, who are retired teachers, had a friend and colleague who would come to our house every December and bring a dozen donuts and two ornaments — one for me and one for my sister. He did this for about 15 years. The last ornaments we received were for Christmas 1990. I was living in France, and he mailed one to me (alas, no donuts).
“My sister and I never claimed individual ownership of the ornaments,” continued Jones. “They were always presented to us collectively, but the one I received in France is mine. I remember it vividly. It was called Miguel Mouse “Lighting Up Christmas.” It was a mouse wearing a sombrero sitting on a cactus wrapped with Christmas lights. It spoke to the Texan in me. It went on the sapin de Noël (Christmas tree) that year in Brittany. My friend has since passed on, but we still have the ornaments, the memories, and high blood sugar from all the donuts. And Miguel Mouse will always be mine!”
Here at Maryland Public Television it felt like Jones’ ebullience should be immortalized in full in this blog because she’s conveying a spirit we know is viral at this time of year.
We found the same ornament energy emanating from Kathleen Hamill, our modern and contemporary art appraiser.
“I am always looking for them,” declared Hamill. “What I love most about my tree would be the lack of theme. It is all about what I find and memories. Just like buying art on vacation and trips, you can also pick up ornaments. Right now I am obsessed with Shiny Bright ornaments. Created between the 1940s and 1950s, they are colorful and collectible. I love them.”
Caught the mood? Indulge it! Have yet to unpack your three dozen Santa mugs? Go find another and maybe pick up a little journal for jotting down the history of your collection. As any Chesapeake Collectibles fan knows, it’s about the object AND the story.
We’ve had a merry time sharing collecting tales here all year, and we’ll be back in June 2025 with the series’ 12 th season. The wish from MPT to every viewer, reader, and listener is that you find the holiday season made to order for your joy.
Chesapeake Collectibles fans can catch replays of past episodes on Mondays at 7:30 pm on MPT-HD, or watch anytime on the free PBS app, and online at video.mpt.tv/show/chesapeake-collectibles/.
