Got Elf?

 I've been collecting ornaments for years.  It is one of the few things in life I have managed to be diligent about and have been for the past seventeen years now.  Every year I get my little Hallmark critter with the year (though the series is currently in the snowman decade) and my Hallmark bird of the year...

Then of course there's the Danbury Mint bird I've gotten every year since 2004...

  
And this year when I went into Hallmark, I noticed they had started a new series of whimsical little birds so the crazy bird lady in me  had to start that one too. (Clearly, I have a problem!)...

A few years back I started trying to get an ornament at every new place I visited.  I really wish I had thought of this idea sooner.  I bought a few of those at the places we visited this year.  This one is from Maine....It's the little restaurant on the water in downtown Camden that we ate lunch at one day...

But none of them can put a smile on my face like my happy little smiling elves.  


I.love.me.some.elves!  


My mother-in-law, Pat (Darin's mom), has a collection of these little guys that she's had for forever and ever amen and once Darin moved out on his own, he would go over for a visit when the elves were out at Christmastime and kidnap them when she wasn't looking.  


I still have two of those old vintage guys, one of whom appears to be  staying together by the support of a single forty plus year old thread. He's got an unfortunate case of the old elf wobbles. And the other one is not in much better shape himself.  Bless their little hearts!


Yes, Pat knows I still have them.  She allows them to live here. She even bought me a new one several years back. And last year?  I scored me some brand spankin' new pointy shoe wearin' dudes to keep them all company and scattered them out around the house... 


And two more again this year... 


I am on an elf roll!


But this year I put them all together, way up high atop the entertainment center so they can keep watch over the boys and the wiener dogs and tell me all about every teeny, tiny, sneaky little thing they do or trick they try to play.


Muahaha! 

I think Mr. Jolly Green Leprechaun on the left there looks like he's throwing back an invisible mug o' ale!

The following two are the newbies I scored at Michael's this year.  I really wanted to take every single one of them home but I do have a little 'elf-control.  It was hard though, y'all!  Oh, so hard!  

There's one of the ancient wobbly heads there with the green and white stockings and Pinocchio nose.  I just love that little old elf man!

This one's just flat out showing off.

Hope y'all enjoyed my little elves as much as I do... 


And if anybody knows of any who are looking for a good home,  please send them my way!  ;)  


**This post inspired by Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday's Letter E and Mama Kat's writing prompt, 1.) Have you decorated your Christmas tree? Share a favorite Christmas ornament.