6 minute read
eaton
Eaton home 0 2010 Holiday Edition 0
Santa and his reindeer take center stage on the coffee table in Joan Eaton’s living room.
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Santas abide in every nook and cranny of Joan Eaton’s home in the Kingsbury Addition at Christmas.
She loves to display all her Christmas treasures, many of which are 50 to 80 years old, gifted or handed down to her by loved ones.
Some of the lights on her tall Christmas tree “are from when I was a little girl,” she said.
The icicles on the tree have been in her family for 70 years. And she has the original boxes most of the decorations came in.
We’re talking tradition here. Most of the Santas that Eaton so treasures represent more than a bit of family history.
A Santa ornament made by the same artist that crafted many of the Santas in Joan’s home hangs from the Christmas tree.
Some Santas are one of a kind that her daughter, Kathy Straub of Great Bend, Kan., commissioned an artisan there to fashion for her mother. The artisan also supplies stores in Dallas with her elite Santa creations.
One Santa’s attire is made from one of Eaton’s favorite dresses that she wore in the 1950s. Another is dressed in splendor — from Eaton’s favorite coat of all time that sports fur cuffs.
Some Santas sit in wreaths, on ledges and antique tables. One stands.
Everything about them is unique — to their hand-sculpted faces.
“I’ll get another one on Thanksgiving,” Eaton said, beaming.
She can’t wait and wonders if it will be sitting or standing, decked out in one of her favorite garments or showing off a Santa suit she could never even have
Another of the handmade Santa’s adorns the mantle over the fireplace, wearing a jacket fashioned from one of Joan’s coats.
Joan Eaton sits in the living area, backed by a beautifully decorated Christmas tree that stands in the corner.
The dining room table is set with Christmas dishes and glassware, ready for guests.
Figurines and Santas fill every corner of Joan Eaton’s living room.
dreamed of.
Also nestled among her favorite antiques — ceramic Santas her son Kenny started giving her in 1990. They, too, are on the exquisite side and considered treasures. One totes a gold bag.
Christmas is the big, special event of the year at the Eaton home.
“It’s always been that way — Orville loved Christmas,” she said of her husband of almost 60 years, who died Oct. 6, 2009. “He’d watch me decorate.”
Her dining table is embellished with huge, lightly-tinged, green goblets her kids say are too big to drink from. Smaller crystal glassware sits next to them.
“I have Christmas dishes for 30 people,” Eaton said, blushing.
Angel napkin holders on the table will be stuffed with candy and nuts for Christmas, she said.
Turkey and dressing and the standard fare will be served, along with a special green salad, a broccoli casserole and broccoli salad.
“I make both of them (broccoli dishes) because they (kids and grandkids) all think they have to have it,” she said, smiling. “And they have to have noodles.”
Behind the table sits a sideboard awash in crystal and glass.
A huge, cut crystal snowflake dangles between the entry and the living room.
She loves it so much it stays there all year.
And in the corner of the dining room, Orville’s Aunt Nora Hughes’ aged Singer sewing machine sits in splendor.
A package of buttons with the 5-cent price tag and in their original sack peep out of one of the sewing machine drawers.
Beside the Singer stands an antique
Aunt Nora’s antique Singer sewing machine is displayed in a corner of the dining room.
wooden sewing box that belonged to Hughes.
An antique crocheted flag is ensconced in a glass frame with a dark red backing on an entry wall. It says it’s a flag to “keep me flying, fight for me, work for me.” It was Aunt Nora’s flag and the Eatons salvaged it and dolled it up elegantly.
Close by, a snowman doffs his hat as he stands on a lawn of snow.
And amidst all the Santas in the living room, an at least 40-year-old nativity scene nestles on an antiquated library table.
“Jim (her son) hand painted the manger,” she said.
He’s also put ornaments on the tree. Her daughter made and added a huge camel 30 years ago.
Shelves along one wall in the living room are chockfull of Christmas memories. She puts up a farmhouse scene and village on the shelves every year.
And seemingly out of nowhere is Santa in a sleigh being flown through the air by his reindeer. The display is 50 years old, Eaton said.
On a snow-laden coffee table is another Santa with his reindeer.
Eaton said she hasn’t purchased any new festive decorations. She just displays her most favorite things to create a Christmas wonderland.
“This is what I do every year — and I’m getting too old to do it,” she said.
But she was looking mischievous when she said it, as if she planned to do it again and again.
“Jimmy will have Thanksgiving this year because Mom’s house has to be ready for the Christmas Home Tour on Dec. 4,” Eaton said.
ABOVE: A whimsical Santa, handcrafted and clothed in a cloak made of a favorite dress of Joan’s, sits on a ledge near the entry.
RIGHT: A cozy fire warms the hall bathroom complete with its own tree and Santa.
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