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All About Christmas

By , About.com Guide

Collecting Holiday goodies is one of the most popular forms of collecting, with numerous sub-categories that include antique, new and handcrafted pieces.

Ornaments, Santas, Angels, Nativities can be found in all price ranges and stores ranging from Walmart to Neiman Marcus. In fact it's a little too easy to get carried away with Christmas collecting with so many choices. New or old, find the company and style that fits your taste, life and budget and go from there!

1. Antique Christmas Images and Prices

Barbara Crews

2. Books for Holiday Collectors

Bangzoom Publishers

Having a book is almost as good as having the collection. Well, maybe not really, but I love seeing all the rare and hard to find stuff that I might never own. It's also fun to find out when your item might have been produce or what the collection is worth.

These books are great for finding out more about your Christmas collections -- from antique to modern.

3. Christmas Crackers

Peter Kimpton
What if the Christmas Cracker hadn't been invented when it was? No, this is not the opening line of one of those corny Cracker jokes but a serious question. What if, here in 2007, you were a businessman and some young fellow offered you this quite flimsy decorative paper object as a new money making concept? You would probably smile politely and show him the door. But what if he told you that his invention would still be going strong 150 years later? Almost certainly you wouldn't believe him – after all, how many products survive for that length of time virtually unchanged?
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4. Christmas Tree Picks, Decor, Patents and Prices

Courtesy of Glasslinks.Org
Learn more about picking the right Christmas tree, decorating your trees with Collectibles and unusual trees that you won't find at the local discount store!

5. Crafting with Collectibles

Barbara Crews

Want to use your collectibles in a new way while also decorating for Christmas? Check out some of crafty things I've done over the years while decorating for the holidays, as well as new ways to use your collectibles, broken and single pieces.

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6. Nativity Sets

Courtesy of DaPolonia
The first Thursday in December the market square in Krakow is turned into an art competition keeping alive a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. It's the competition for the most beautiful Krakow Nativity Crib and is sponsored by the Historical Museum of Krakow. Shown is a small Krakow Nativity. Compare Prices
Compare Prices

7. Ornament Artists and Companies

Barbara Crews
Collectors can be avid about their holiday collections and with good reason, it's one collection that usually makes people smile with their happy memories. Ornament collectors have a wide range of companies and artists to pick from, in prices from inexpensive to the sky's the limit!

Read more about these top ornament companies and artists.

8. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Days Gone By/TIAS
Who would have thought that a cost saving measure in 1939 would spawn the huge industry and collectibles market that exists today for Santa's favorite reindeer, Rudolph!

Everyone knows how he saved Christmas one foggy Christmas eve, but not many know just how Rudolph came to be.

In the 1930s the Montgomery Wards department store purchased and gave away children's coloring books to their customers as Christmas gifts. In 1939 they decided to save a little money and use their staff to create their own comic book. The job fell to copywriter Robert May and his story was so popular that 2.4 million copies were handed out the first year.

9. Santa Claus: Antique, New, Myths and History

Barbara Crews

10. Vintage Art, Scraps and Printable Gift Tags

Barbara Crews
Lots of holiday vintage art, illustrations and Christmas scraps to use, including a scary looking vintage postcard, cute angel clips, traditional Santas and more. Also included in the list -- our very popular printable gift tags featuring images of collectibles.

11. Vintage Postcards

Barbara Crews
I enjoy looking at and picking up the occasional holiday postcard. I love the old artwork and use my cards throughout the house as decorative items.

Ideas include tucking a few into the Christmas tree and or framing an interesting card or two. I've also been known to use the art as clipart for different projects. Check out my gallery of affordable Christmas postcards, most were $5. or less! Feel free to use these vintage cards for tags and as clipart.

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