24/7/365 Judy's Christmas Jars

by Keith Lytle

If you wonder why I used the 24/7/365 it is because that is what it is like at our house, it's Christmas season all year long. My wife Judy Lytle collects Christmas cookie jars and go withs so the whole house is decorated like Christmas all the time. I know you all can relate to the uninformed or non collector walking into your home and either voicing their opinion, or you see it on their face, why have all this junk on display. I think displaying your collection or the things you love for all to see that visit is what gives your home its own character and reflects your individuality.

When Judy and I met almost 26 years ago I was collecting banks and black memorabilia and started dragging Judy to all the flea markets, antique shows, garage sales etc. with me. At one of the first shows Judy spotted a cookie jar and said I like that lets get it so we made the sky-high price of $25 for an American Bisque Casper. Then she found a McCoy Mammy and said that fits in with what you collect and we got it. Well as you all know all to well we were off and running at first grabbing any cookie jar we saw just because it was a cookie jar and what was $1 or $5 to add to your collection. Well it soon was the age-old story, where are we going to put all these jars? We had been collecting for a few years and must have had somewhere around 1000 jars by the time we, rather Judy, came to our senses and decided there was no way we could display all we felt deserved a place of honor. So what to do, rotate jars by the maker, by the season, by the type of jar?

Well being the ever-practical auditor/accountant Judy said no I am going to specialize and for our own collection settle in on just one type of cookie jar. We had a few very nice Christmas jars and then Judy saw the Fitz and Floyd Rolls Royce Santa jar and said that's it I am going to collect just Christmas cookie jars. To this day Judy loves the great jars that Fitz & Floyd seem to bring out every year and we have most all their cookie jars that relate to the Christmas season. Again as with any collection it continued to grow and now at any given time Judy has about 350 Christmas cookie jar on display in our home and many more packed away or on shelves in the garage. Thus room seemed to be a problem all over again and again being the practical member of this family Judy slowed down her collecting of Christmas cookie jars. Now Judy became very selective only buying jars that really jumped up and grabbed her heart. But there are so many Christmas go withs that are much smaller and can easily fill the space in and around the cookie jars. So now Judy looks for salt & peppers, planters, candlesticks, small figurines, etc. that will fit in with the jars. As we all know many of the makers are very smart and produced their Christmas jars with companion pieces like the S & P's or tea pots so that if a person were to buy the jar, well of course they want the companion pieces.

One of these companion pieces has a great story to it and is now a favorite of Judy's. It is the Twin Winton Santa Planter with Santa Jumping in the air clicking his heels. I think Judy loves the way it seems to sum up her feeling of joy over the Christmas season. We wrote to Don Winton one time asking if he could tell us about this piece and maybe when he designed it or when it was produced. Well Don wrote back to Judy saying he was not sure of the year, thinking the early 50's, but it was the very first Christmas piece he ever designed and produced. Don also told Judy he did not have that piece in his collection and he would buy it from her. Now many of you know we do business as Cookie Jar Antiques and it is my philosophy that almost anything has a price and can be sold. Not Judy; she wrote back to Don and very politely told him she loved this planter and her Santa was not for sale. The year Judy and Barbara Schwarz joined Mike and I in Nashville for the show was the first year Don and his Wife were honored guests. So Don sat down and had a talk with Judy and I think he made her an offer that I most certainly would have accepted, not Judy. Don had to look elsewhere for his Santa Planter and Judy still proudly displays hers. By the way Don did find the piece for his collection.

Does Judy have a favorite Christmas Cookie Jar? Yes she does, but there are several she feels that special feeling for. Her most favorite is the little snowman that seems to be melting and the detached Santa is up against him trying to push him back up so he does not disappear. Again I think this shows Judy's love of this season in that it symbolizes the reluctance to have Christmas end. Judy really loves some other snowmen especially the RRP and Doranne jars. High on her list are all the wonderful centerpiece large jars by Fitz and Floyd such as the Woodland Santa, or the Car, Motorcycle, Airplane, and the Southwest Santa. All Christmas items and especially cookie jars draw her attention but now they must really speak to her before she will buy them. She is also very practical and some of the wonderful jars from Christopher Radko and F & F that are so expensive are not in our collection even though she really likes them.

The white shelves pictured with the jars are new additions at our house. They are built in both in the living and family rooms; we spent $5000 on them. Who said collecting is cheap!

Is there one jar Judy would love to have? Yes. Is there a short story here? Yes. Before Judy settled in on Christmas jars we had a Regal China Uncle Mistletoe in mint condition and we were offered a very high price, at that time, for it and sold the jar. Well to make a long story short we have never been able to find one as nice anywhere near the price we can afford to pay. Thus there is no Uncle Mistletoe in Judy's collection and even though she asks Santa for this jar every year it is the one thing he has been unable to bring her.

One of the things both Judy and I love about cookie jars is the warm feelings they evoke in all people. When we do a show, like the huge Palmer/Wirfs Portland show, even non-collectors come by our booth with its 125 cookie jars and stop to reminisce about some jar they spot. They turn to the person with them and with a bright smile say remember when Mom or Grandma baked fresh cookies and we got to go to that jar and get a cookie? Well for both Judy and I coming home even after a bad day and opening the front door we are greeted by rooms full of this same warmth and we can relax a little and smile. Cookie Jars, and in our home especially Christmas cookie jars, are not just things they are a way of life.

*Editor's note: Keith and Judy are ACJA members that hail from California. Keith is a well known author who has made many contributions about cookie jars in different publications. We thank Keith and Judy for sharing their collection. We appreciate you! :)

To view more of the Lytle's Christmas jars, go to: http://members2.clubphoto.com/julie192452/ACJA_Photo_Page/">