ephemera
by Pamela Apkarian-Russell

Santa & Krampus & Old Father Frost

We are fed so many meals of misinformation by both the media and special interest groups that it affects not only society but the antiques and collectors market as well. Mega chain malls will try to tell us Christmas begins in May or June. Well, it doesn’t.

One month before Halloween there were hardly any Halloween items in the stores — and Thanksgiving might not even be this year because Christmas items, which have been in the stores for 6-8 months now, have taken over to push us into either a mania of buying — or depression, that big business has stolen yet another holiday from us.

Enter Krampus or Grampus, who is a hairy devil with a long tongue, a tail, and is often in chains and carrying a switch. Krampus accompanies Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas and as Santa disperses justice on good children by rewarding them with gifts, so does Krampus reward the bad people by beating them with his switch of sharp sticks. Austria still has a celebration and it can be quite frightening and even painful for adults even today, as the switches are used!

Krampus cards went from being scary to being cutesy and even naughty with decided heavy sexual
connotations. After all, the 60s were the years of liberation as well as self-bondage. Whether you are looking for some of the great candy containers with Krampus or other images to add to your Christmas collection, they aren’t as plentiful as collectors would want them to be. The earlier cards are on a heavier stock and usually show frightened victims of their own actions, while the later ones have much garish gold trim and the victim only seems to be half concerned with punishment.

Do be aware that many items coming out of Germany are being sold as old and are brand new regardless of what you are told. Really examine the items and know what you are purchasing.

Father Frost is a figure that gained in popularity during Soviet years as it was a celebration much like Christmas but with no religious connotation. Most of us in this country confuse Santa and Father Frost as they look so much alike. The earlier batting figures of Father Frost are realistic, often in white and very collectible. Early post cards with white Santas, or really stylized Russian-looking Santas are often Father Frost. It was very surprising to many Americans, especially among the Jewish community, that Jewish emigrants from the Soviet countries were putting up trees and having Santas. Father Frost comes at New Year, when gifts are given, and trees and other decorations are employed. There are many different forms and styles of Santas and Father Frosts and many collectors are quite content to mix them all together, as they are all gift givers.

Beware of Dresdens that are made in Russia. These are aged and are being sold as old but are not, nor are they Dresdens. A Dresden is, you guessed it, made in Dresden, Germany and as Dresden was fire bombed during World War II, any silly story you may hear that they were salvaged after the war by Russian soldiers is sheer nonsense. There is a tremendous amount of faking being done in the holiday decorations field including Kugels from India, candy containers from Germany, and "Dresdens" from the former Soviet block, and ornaments from Russia and China.

Today, one must be not only an expert in one’s field but an expert on reproductions and fakes.

Advertising trade cards are in high demand as Santa is either European in feel with a flowing robe, or Nastian (Thomas Nast illustrated the "Night Before Christmas") looking like a dwarf that is overfed and deformed!

By the time 1900 came, Santa was evolving into a Clement Moore figure his doctor would not approve of and who couldn’t get an insurance policy because of it! No more kindly, saintly figure or face, but a jolly, fat man, rotund and round.

Digression: Damon Runyon’s "Palm Beach Santa" from the Damon Runyon Theater of radio days of old is on tape. It stars John Brown and is great to listen to and is also in print, as is "Dancing Dan", another great Christmas story of Runyon’s. If you have a chance to either read these or treat yourself to the tapes, they will enhance your Christmas more than Walmart ever could!

Santa is rarer when he is in a color other than red, or in a conveyance other than a sleigh with reindeer. Cars, planes, hot air balloons, on skis, are coveted. Unusual Santas like silk- suited, or installment, or hold-to-light are highly prized. Tiny little visions of Santa don’t cut much ice, and are not worth much.

Nimble Nicks are adorable, Kewpie-like creatures dressed in red outfits and doing Christmas things, like helping Santa. These red clad creatures were published by Whitney Publishing of Worcester, Mass. It is unknown who the artist was that invented them and propagated them, but they certainly are as good as visions of sugarplums!

Christmas items run the gambit from being rare and desirable to worthless. A Christmas card that says Merry Christmas and has a little wreath or tree or Santa face is almost worthless. The more ornate and appealing the graphics are, the more the item is worth. Quite often dealers and collectors over estimate the value of these cards.

Always look on the back of Christmas cards to see if there is a Christmas seal. If it is tied into the cancellation, it is worth more.

The postcard ended with 1920 and that is when the deco, single-sided cards came into vogue. These are very underrated and years to come, people will realize that the graphics on these are exceptional. Today’s fold-over cards have been around in form for quite awhile, and even though there are exceptions, they are insipid or all sugar, no substance. It is interesting to see how many people are buying and sending vintage cards, used, unused, or reproduction. So we may all look forward to the past!

In the good old days on Thanksgiving eve, the towns would turn on their Christmas lights, but never before. My father would gather his replete little gobblers together and take them for a ride to see the lights. The next day the shops would be miraculously full of Christmas goodies. Anticipation and delight — how we have been robbed these past few decades. Look at the old cards and ephemera, watch Dicken’s "Christmas Carol" (the two early versions) and read it, and know that nostalgia should not be manipulated in the back room of a global corporation.

Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas to all. "God Bless us everyone."

About the Author: Pamela Apkarian-Russell has an antique shop specializing in postcards, ephemera and holiday items, and is always interested in purchasing items for her shop on Route 10 in Winchester, NH or for her private collection. An author of 4 (going on 5) books, and publisher of the Trick or Treat Trader, she writes for magazines/newspapers internationally. Email: halloweenqueen@ cheshire.net or call 603-239-8875.