Old Vintage 50s Santa Claus Christmas Store Display 39

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This old store display Santa has been in the family for years. As a younger man, he started his career in the 50's at the Super Valu Grocery Store in Audubon Iowa. Santa was a good employee for the Super Valu, he showed up faithfully year after year and spent the holiday season standing post right inside the door. Then in the 70's the new manager decided that Santa needed to retire, he was being replaced by a younger, leaner more good looking Santa. That year all the customers registered to take him home at the end of the season. Behold my aunt was the lucky winner. Have you seen the movie The Christmas Story with the Leg Lamp? Similar excitement happened at our Family Christmas Gathering that year. Needless to say this old 39" tall, 19' wide Store Front Santa has been spending Christmas with the family ever since. He originally came with a cardboard box which was decorated like a chimney. His little black boots were attached to the chimney top were he stood on display. At the end of the season, the chimney box was put over the top of him to safely store him until the next year. As with many things in life, his original chimney box was eventually replaced with a black trash bag. As Santa has aged he has always suffered the elements of time. It was discovered at one Christmas Dinner that Santa needed hip replacement surgery. This came as quite a surprise to all as he has fell face first into the coffee table. After that fall, he also needed a little plastic surgery to his nose. You see when his hips gave out, he nosed dived into the table and his little nose was smashed in. The family decided the least we could do is get Santa some plastic surgery to his nose and repair his worn out hips. His little body is made of cardboard, wire and stuffing. So he has had some cardboard reinforcements placed at his hips. His little nose was repaired by a great paintless dent body shop that had a preatty good sense of humor about doing plastic surgery to Santa's nose. Unfortunately, Santa could still use a little eyebrow work, his make up needs touched up especially his nose and I'm hopeful that his new family will help him get his lips redone. His little beard is what I believe to be called spun fiberglass, it too is showing his age. It is not as full as it once was and some of the staples that hold it together are starting to show. I'd like to believe the brown spot in his beard is from w his pipe rested against it although, I don't believe this Santa ever had a pipe. Most likely it is from a leak in the attic roof one of the years that his garbage bag wasn't in place to protect him. Santa has been wearing the same little red suit since the 1950's it is still in fairly good shape although t are 3 spots about the size of a dime on this pant legs and some of his white fur trim is starting to yellow in areas. Santa's little head is held on to his carboard body by cardboard tabs at the back, needless to say at some point the front tabs wore out. So while helping Santa move from place to place particularly close care must be taken to support his head or he throws his head back. This isn't a big of deal. It is easy to reposition his head I always do so with a gentle remind to him to keep his head on. At the recent Thanksgiving Dinner I expressed my desire to help Santa find a new family to love him and enjoy him year after year. I nearly started a family feud. No one knows for sure when in Santa's life he ran away from home and left my aunts family to join my mothers family. I have decided to sell this Old Store Front Santa to the highest bidder. T will be no reserve price. He has been to my Family Christmas Celebrations for the last 30 to 35 years, I hate to see him go, he has spent many years standing next to the Christmas tree and posing for pictures with the children. However, the older generation has had their fun with him and the younger generation does not appreciate the life that this old Santa has lived. Good Luck to All and To All a Good Night I ship all items United States Postal Service unless ... read more

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