Collectibles come along before and after Christmas. Some people wait til everything goes on sale and then buy more of whatever they are collecting. Some people get more pieces of their collection as a present on Christmas day. Some collections just evolve over time as we find we have more than three of them.
That’s how my kids got some of theirs. It started simply enough when my son got a nutcracker for Christmas many years ago. The next year, I picked up a nutcracker at a white elephant gift exchange. I saw an article in Southern Living about a home that had lots of nutcrackers all over the beams and mantles…..I mentioned it to a relative, Grandma gave him one for Christmas, and there you have it…instant collection. 
Some how or other my daughter started getting Christmas angels (probably something to do with all the nativity sets that I have) and people gave her more….and she had a collection. My general theory is that when they leave to start their own family Christmas traditions, they’ll have a collection to take with them and something to decorate their homes with (heaven forbid they not decorate at all). The kids have a pretty good time decorating with these collegiate nutcracker. Everyday one is moved to another position, or has its back turned, or is knocked over….or missing from its place.
We have a lot of them now. The nutcracker held the place of honor on the mantle for many years, because they were colorful and filled space. The angels hovered around the nativity scenes, and then took over the bookcases, and the sideboards. We (well actually my son) have a nutcracker that is 6 foot tall, and has somehow or other had his picture taken with several of my friends, or their kids….Last year this particular large soldier was honored with a place in between the tree and the kitchen table, in my very open floor plan. The nutcracker were all over the mantle again. And on the windowsills, and the side tables. When I cooked in the kitchen, it seemed that the big one was watching me…..when I sat on the sofa to watch tv, there he was staring at me again. Eating dinner…same thing. And a million eyes from all the other nutcrackers, seemed to follow me around the room.
I decided that this year the angels would go on the mantle and in the kitchen, putting the nutcracker in the media room and studio. Since there is more activity going on in those rooms, the roving eyes don’t seem to bother me as much.
I find that moving things around a little perked me up, and helped to get that Spirit of Christmas moving again. Nothing worse than a stagnant home. The family Christmas picture taken of us with all the nutcrackers in place was from 2010. The picture above is Christmas 2011 where I moved some things around (personally, professionally and in my home) and I am now feeling pretty good about the year. 