Christmas Molds

I know I have shared (much of) my Christmas before...

and I have showed (many of) my molds before...

But, I don't think I've done (just) Christmas molds before.

So, why not?

(Blame it on the Reese's peanut butter cups left over from Halloween I was eating..)

I promise the post will be short and sweet (sorry) as for all the chocolate molds I have, I don't have particularly many Christmas ones.  I started collecting chocolate molds long before they were a "thing" and, therefore, still (somewhat) affordable, but, even then, the holiday - and especially Christmas - molds were very spendy.

(In fact, I have so few I am "supplementing" this post with some non-chocolate molds....)

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This first mold is a Santa and sleigh "gang" mold by Eppelsheimer. They are called "gang" molds because they are capable of molding several of the same design simultaneously and are connected together like a chain gang.  (Ok, I made that last part up, but it makes sense, no?) 

Eppelsheimer was the largest manufacturer of chocolate (and ice cream) molds in the United States from 1880 - 1947.

You can see the details of the individual bars in this close up:

Another, newer, unmarked, Santa gang mold.

Below are several individual chocolate molds depicting Father Christmas, Santa, Saint Nicholas, etc. - some marked, some not, all old.  The fellow on the far right is Zwarte Piet or "Black Pete" who is Saint Nicholas's companion or helper in the Netherlands.

This mold (hanging above my cook top) is a cake or pudding mold:

This fellow is technically not a mold at all (but don't tell him).  He's actually a nutcracker (literally and virtually).  He was made by the Godinger Silver Co. and is vintage, but not "old."

A Nordic Ware cake mold:

A tree "gang" mold (lower center of the photo in front of the snowfella - sorry, this is an old photo and wasn't taken for the mold.) (I'm not certain but I am thinking it was used for small/individual cakes?)

And lastly, a very old reindeer cookie mold:

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It's a mold thing.  What can I say?

Carry on with your merry!

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Not Feeling the Love

 That pretty much sums it up these days....on so very many levels unfortunately, but I'll stick to the most obvious:

Valentine's Day.

Since I have a predilection for hearts, I have an excuse each year to add splashes of red to the overly white and dreary days of January and February.

And each year I usually do a small cross stitch pinkeep, or even a small punched or hooked piece, to commemorate the uneventful day.

Not this year.

The best I could muster was finally finishing the heart pinkeep I stitched (ahem) 2 years ago that has been lingering in Never Never Finished Land.

{"Love Bird Pincushion" and "Love Letter Needle Keep" from With Thy Needle & Thread's "Be My Valentine" pattern.  Stitched on 35ct Abecedarian from R&R Reproductions using WDW flosses.}

I did pull out a few heart things....

But, with 9 days to go, that will likely be all she wrote.

I also managed to pull out my "intended" holiday project - pattern, linen and floss...  I don't suppose that counts though.

{"Sweetheart Pincushion" by Blackbird Designs}

Perhaps next year.

Our winter has begun in earnest.  We have had several snows since October of course, but yesterday was the biggest snowfall so far this winter.  

This little fella was out and about in the early part of the storm. I hope he made it home safely.

We got a little over 8" (hmmm, the forecast started out at 2")....then the winds came, and now the Frigid Cold.  As in -20º frigid....and that's without the windchill.

Yeah, just not feeling the love.