Here's the promised X-mas edition of Hoarder Of Awesome. I was gonna have a huge blowout post about not only presents given and received over the holidays, but I was gonna show some of my favorite vintage decorations my town puts up every year, as well as show off some of my favorite X-mas items I've obtained over the years...but I'm starting out 2010 just as lazy as I was all last decade...so I present a shortened version of that epic post in my brain.

I found this guy a couple years ago at the local Goodwill, before they started ebaying, shipping to other stores, or tossing in a locked dumpster every vintage item that came in their doors. I have a lot of contempt for Coldwater's Goodwill store these days. Anyway, I picked up this late 50's/early 60's inflatable Santa(that holds air surprisingly well) for a buck. That's another thing about Badwill...they jacked their prices WAY up in the last few years. No way I'd get this thing these days for anything less than $15. Phooey.



My mom gave me this for Christmas. It's by Marx toy company circa 1969. it's got wheels on the bottom. Thanks mom!



The ketchup guy was pretty cool, but I was super stoked when my mom gave me these, that she found recently at an estate sale.



Melanie got me this totally kick ass Quisp action figure. I have a slight obsession with the Jay Ward created cereal mascot, as anyone who has milled through my artwork can tell you. I find it odd though that it comes with his holster, but no ray gun. I guess we live in different times.



Melanie also got me these 60's Halloween masks. I love the Colonel Sanders mask...what kinda weirdo kid wanted to be Colonel Sanders for Halloween(well, I did, but I was a very strange kid...still am)...?!



I bought these for Melanie(and myself too, of course!) the second I saw 'em. We have A LOT of cool atomic lamps, but these are our first matching pair, and I think they are exceptionally fucking killer! We wanna put pink or aqua shades and sputnik toppers from moonshineshades.com when we save up a million billion dollars.



I got these large mid-century wall hangings at the same antique store as the lamps. I couldn't find a box big enough for the big one, so I wrapped the other two and hid the big guy in the basement. These will be in next year's X-mas card, for sure.



I got these from Melanie. I'd had my eyes on 'em at the local antique shop for awhile, but I thought they were way too pricey, like the Gene Shalit collectible plate. I think she talked 'em down a bit. I LOVE them!



I pussyfooted around too long about taking pictures of the vintage decorations downtown, and they took 'em down. I did manage to snap this pic of our giant Santa right before they put him back in storage. He is ENORMOUS. The city spent a shitload on it too. It's a replica of the one Coldwater had built in WWII. Both my parents grew up with it. Then it was destroyed in a fire in the early 80's, and replaced with a sad little 8 feet tall Santa standing on a plywood box painted like a present. Luckily, our city council is reckless with money, so this replacement was hand built and shipped to Coldwater a few years back, even though the city doesn't have enough money to properly plow roads this winter, and they just took out the stoplight at a dangerous intersection because they couldn't afford the power to run it.



Well, I hope all my readers had a good time over the holidays. Stay tuned. I think my next update is gonna be on Sad eye art, squeak toys, or maybe part one of cool lamps.