A few of my favorite things

Here's a photo of my favorite ornament. This wee little teddy bear was made in Poland from real bear fur in the "last century." My mother and I were shopping one Christmas season when I found him. Whenever I hang him on the tree I'm reminded of past Christmases, my family and my first "big purchase" with babysitting money. This year, however, he's taking a breather on the bench so I can take this photo.
On the right is part of a Dept. 56 village. There used to be a store here that had absolutely fabulous displays of all the villages, and it was one of the shops that my daughter and I used to visit every time we were in town when she was little. (Not that she's all that big now--she's only 11). With all these visits they certainly knew her by name. One time when we visited, the staff was terribly excited and couldn't wait to show her a new piece that had come in--a farm house called--"Crosby House." I'm sure it was named after Bing Crosby but he wasn't/isn't the only one with the family name of Crosby. My DD was just thrilled to learn that there was a house named after her. Needless to say I had to get it and now it is proudly displayed every Christmas.--Stephanie