Ugly Elves

Back in December, in part 2 of my post series about Christmas, I included a picture of a garland hanging over a living room doorway. 

It's special because its the one decoration that I have from my parent's house. 

Because of a "lucky discovery" the other day, I now have a set of three decorative figures that are also a reminder of my holidays with mom & dad.  

With the help of my wife I have dubbed these small wooden figures (they are about 6 inches high) the "Ugly Elves."

Figures like these were part of my mom's Christmas decorations at our house for many years. They were set up on handmade wooden shelves that were hung in a diagonal pattern on the wall behind our TV each Christmas season. 

I guess you could say that our family was the first to have an Elf on the Shelf.  

I have had the one dressed in yellow for a couple of years. In 2012 I found it at a local indoor flea market. I was excited when I found it. It was like finding a family heirloom. Seeing it again brought back so many great family memories. 

I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find the other two but I proudly displayed the figure each of the next two holiday seasons. 

You can see it here in this picture as part of my roll top desk display this past Christmas.

This past Wednesday I had some free time so I stopped at that same flea market. I was just looking around to see if there was something I couldn't live without. I came up empty until I came across the flute player and the harp player figures. 

I couldn't believe it, over 2 years later, I found the remaining pair of elves to complete the set. Needless to say these were the things I couldn't live without. 

I bought them and brought them home for a special Christmas decoration reunion. 

Although I don't really know the exact reason why, there are only a couple I can think of for my mom associating these unique wooden musicians with Christmas. 

You can't really tell in the picture because it's faded but the middle figure's coat was originally green. So the color scheme of the set falls aligns with Christmas. 

Also, if I remember correctly, the figures were sold in a C&B toy catalog that my mom used to sell from in order to get credit to get her kids gifts. 

She must have gotten them using her credit or as a "reward" for her sales. And because they were in the catalog as Christmas decorations she used them as such.

Whatever the reason, those figures replaced the everyday knick-knacks on those diagonally hung shelves during the holidays for many years in my parents' house.  

While the figures I have aren't the exact same ones they are just like them. Since their appearance is a little unusual the three of them will probably not be put anywhere in our living room but rather displayed on the top of my desk come next Christmas.

They may look strange to you but because they remind me of many happy holidays of my teenage days, I consider them a treasure. Finding them was a very pleasant surprise.  

Do you have something special that reminds you of your parents or family member? What is it? 

What's the history of your oldest Christmas decoration or other keepsake you put on display in your house?

What's the best thing you ever found at a flea market or yard sale?

Put your answers or anything else you'd like to share with me in the comment section of this post or contact me on Facebook, Twitter or email me. I'm very interested in hearing from you.