The Great Junk Hunt

Today is the first of November and I am officially feeling Christmas.

I know.

This is wildly out of character for me.

With Halloween just over, my sights should be firmly set on Thanksgiving. Let's dust off the pumpkins for another few weeks, break out the Indian corn and some Pilgrim figures, and set the menu for this year's feast. Nowhere in my standard November schedule of events does Christmas come into play. 

But tonight, three of my four daughters and I wandered through the Great Junk Hunt, holiday edition, and that's where the festive mood hit me. 

^Santas galore. with a few vintage bits and bobs woven in. 

^  Did you know that one of Gracie's many nicknames is Polar Bear and its derivative, Poli? She looks a quite a bit like this one, especially its quirky little grin. 

The Junk Hunt, per se, is a bit of a misnomer. More of a West Coast pop-up shopping experience, dozens of vintage decor dealers, crafts people, and trinket traders set up shop for the weekend in two of the big barns at the local state fairgrounds. 

^ I'm a fool for vintage ornaments on a glittery dessert stand,

^ And also for more vintage ornaments on a white tree, surrounding by baking tins. 

What really drew me in to the event was the Friday evening shopping. Normally, this type of event lands on a Saturday or Sunday morning, which is not a good time for an outing in my delayed sleep phase life. But these event planners built a Friday night option into the schedule, and I wanted to thank them for their thoughtfulness by stopping by to bump up their attendance numbers. 

^ There were precious few of my ever-favorite nativity scenes but this one caught my eye. Digging that brawny shepherd with the lamb tossed ever so casually over his shoulders. 

^ Also intrigued by these snowmen fashioned from salt shakers, with the lids as their caps. I don't think I need a trio of salt shaker snowmen in my life, but it's nice to know they're out there if I ever change my mind. 

We paid twenty dollars each for admission. I'm not necessarily impressed with a cover charge to a shopping venue, but the fee did include parking as well as complimentary cookies, fruit and bottled water. And by purchasing the tickets online, we were allowed early admission at 5:30 p.m., so we did perhaps get a jump on the crowds. Is all that worth eighty bucks for the four of us? Probably not, but it doesn't kill me to pry open my wallet and splurge now and then. 

^One shop focused on wreath-like flower arrangements made from old wheels of various sorts. 

^Another Santa flash mob. It fascinates me to stand and really study such a grouping; each one alone is nothing special, but clustered together like this, they create quite a charming effect. 

As soon as we walked in the first barn, I noticed a long line of ladies that had rushed to one booth in particular. Fascinated, I scanned their hands to see what they were so set to purchase. 

And you know what I saw?

Big bells. Oversize metal jingle bells, from eight inches in diameter to well over a foot. 

White, red, or unpainted metal jingle bells hung with twine.

I can't imagine what all these shoppers wanted to do with these giants cling-clangers.But man alive, they surely were well chuffed to buy them.

^ Glittery tinsel trees do not necessarily align with my Christmas aesthetic but I have one at home. Pondering this vignette, I seriously considered adding a second. 

^Another rare vintage nativity set accompanied by a star going super nova, and a twentieth century truck loaded with Christmas trees. I mean, why not. 

For myself, I bought a red tartan plaid wool blanket, which has decorating potential for autumn and winter as a whole, as well great practical purpose. 

I also adopted a trio of tiny vintage brass elephants, the whole herd of which can stand on my open palm. They are darling.

My eldest daughter found a replica of a Fischer Price radio that she owned and loved in her toddler days, so come Christmas morning, that will be under the tree for her. And I saw a little metal bird to be fastened to a fence post that will suit my husband's stocking just right. 

^Back in the day, my mom had a modest collection of holiday candle figures, much like these. Never meant to be actually burned but scattered here and there for maximum festive impact, these look-alike little wax dolls fill me with nostalgia but also kinda creep me out. 

 ^ Two-dimensional rusted metal cut outs grounded in an open frame, while not necessarily Christmasy, stir up all the right rustic and cozy holiday vibes. 

I'm glad I went to the Great Junk Hunt tonight. Undeniably, I feel a bit unsettled thinking about Christmas while fresh jack-o-lanterns still sit on my front porch. But I feel energized to jump into a few yuletide craft projects and add here and there to my secret stash of gifts. 

^ No but that string of shiny brown pine cone-shaped ornaments tied onto twine was everything, and I plan to find a way to recreate it with my own two low-cost hands. 

And just to remind me to live in the moment and take each holiday in its own turn, my favorite shop of the entire evening turned out to be the one focused on - you guessed it - Thanksgiving.