Victoria`s Mother Visits a Store Near You

©
2003 • Edition III
www.byerschoice.com
Victoria’s Mother
Visits a Store Near You
For many years, our better retailers have been hosting special events in their stores to
bring fans of the Carolers® together. At many of these events, a Byers’ Choice representative
will participate by sharing the inspirations behind the products and offering gift-giving
and decorating ideas.
This year, in response to the many requests from both stores and Caroler fans,
Joyce has created a special figure that will be available in limited quantities at these
special store events. The piece, Victoria’s Mother, is a complementing figure to go with
Victoria who was inspired by a particular Christmas illustration of the Victorian period
and who is part of this year’s Christmas Illustrations series (see below).
The Victorian time period, named for Queen Victoria,
was a time of industrial invention, scientific advances,
increased social responsibility and even the popularization
of the Christmas tree. With the developments in areas like
printing came a proliferation of Victorian scrap art, cards,
magazines and illustrations. It is from these illustrations that
Joyce creates her designs in this new series.
The Christmas cone accessory, being held by Victoria’s
Mother, is also a product of the Victorian era. Originally cylindrical
and used to hold candies, these colorful containers were hung as tree
ornaments in Victorian homes and were the precursor to today’s Christmas crackers. Victoria’s Mother is available in limited quantities at special retailer events this year.
For a list of the store events in your area, please visit www.byerschoice.com/ourretailers/localhappenings. The Cinnamon Stick’s Gail Merriam
Byers’ Choice representative, Joanne
Hubrig, visits The Cinnamon Stick
Hammondsport, NY.
dresses up for the festivities.
Christmas Illustrations Update
With Victoria representing the first character in the Christmas Illustrations series,
Joyce thought it would be fun to use our website to host a contest allowing you
to select which image she would recreate in 2004. Over the summer, hundreds of
antique illustrations were submitted for consideration. We selected the top twelve
illustrations to post on www.byerschoice.com so that our fans could select a winner. Well the votes are in, and you can now log on to see the winner.
A Special Request
One of the best things about the 25th Anniversary Event held in June was
the opportunity that it provided for many of our collectors to see their favorite
figures being made. Some people took the chance to speak with the artisans about
what it was like to bring Carolers® or KindlesTM to life. But on that rainy day,
Jason Declet was on a mission of a slightly different sort.
Jason had been to Chalfont on several other occasions, living just a couple of
hours away in New Jersey. His parents had been collectors of the Caroler
figurines for years. Jason wasn’t sure what to make of the Kindles at first. But
after he bought his first one, “I just have not been able to stop” Jason recalls.
Along with his fiancée, Elizabeth, Jason has collected over 125
different Kindles which will be on display all year round in playful
settings. They are planning to decorate their first Christmas tree in their new
home this holiday with white lights and Kindles. The Kindles will also decorate the fireplace mantle and living room tables. Bakerkins will adorn
the kitchen countertops and refrigerator while overlooking the cabinets.
Even with their impressive collection, two characters were
still missing.
“We enjoy them so much that we really wanted
to have a bride and groom for our wedding cake,” said
Jason. So at the Anniversary event, he was looking for an
opportunity to speak with Bob or Jeff Byers. The moment
came when Bob was available for a moment in the lobby,
and upon hearing about Jason and Elizabeth’s passion for
the Kindles, how could he refuse?
The first bride and groom Kindles were sent off in
plenty of time for the November wedding. To Jason and
Elizabeth, everyone at Byers’ Choice wishes you many
years of happiness, and we hope that you enjoy your special Kindles!
Best Wishes to the future
Mr. and Mrs. Declet
Kindles Give Thanks
It is a well-known fact that Kindles
love turkey. In fact, it has been our experience that they will stop at nothing to
get it. This year we’ve found the Kindles
dressed up as Pilgrims and Native Americans offering to help with your harvest
decorating. They really look great as
part of a table centerpiece, however, be
extremely careful. If you leave them unattended for too long, you might find
them helping themselves to the feast.
Victorian
Shoppers
In 2003, Victorian children join their
parents for a day of holiday shopping. The
young Girl has found a festive wreath and
some brilliant glass ornaments for the tree
while her Brother fills a basket with foilwrapped packages and colorful postcards.
The Father carries a new embroidered stocking
to hang from the mantle and a large stuffed
teddy bear. His Wife carries a stack of beautifully
wrapped hatboxes that have been accented
with a sprig of holly.
Salvation Army
Man with Trombone
In 1992, Byers’ Choice introduced
the first member of a new Salvation Army
series to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of their signature red kettle. The kettle
has become a symbol of the Salvation
Army’s dedication to helping the needy.
It is during the holidays that we often see
Army volunteers standing in busy shopping
areas collecting donations to help the less
fortunate. This year, the Byers’ Choice
Salvation Army Man Playing the Trombone
joins the band.
Patriotic Mrs. Claus
Joins Santa
Last January, Byers’ Choice introduced our
interpretation of a Civil War Santa that was
inspired by a Thomas Nast illustration in the
Harper’s Weekly in 1863. Nast was a staunch
believer in anti-slavery and was very pro-Union.
It was believed that this illustration was used to
promote the Union cause.
During a special retailer event at our factory
in the Spring of 2002, a limited number of Patriotic Mrs. Clauses were offered to those stores in
attendance. The response to this piece was so
strong that we decided to make her available to
all of our stores in 2003. This latest version of
the Patriotic Mrs. Claus carries a handful of sweet
candy canes in one hand and a bright gold
package in the other.
Santa Enjoys
a Tasty Snack
Christmas Eve can be one of the most special and
memorable times of the year for a child. There seems to be
electricity in the air as every young boy and girl comes to
the realization that Santa is well on his way to visiting their
home with a sack full of special presents and surprises. One
of the final tasks before bed is to leave a thank you tray of
goodies for Santa and his reindeer to enjoy. Typically, we’d
put out fresh baked cookies and a tall glass of milk for
Santa. Next came an apple or two to help fuel Rudolph and
company through their long night’s ride. Finally, we’d place
a note thanking Santa for bringing the joy of Christmas to
our home. As a child, I remember running down the stairs
on Christmas morning, anxious to see what surprises Santa
had left under the tree, but also to see if he had eaten and
enjoyed all of the treats we had baked for him the night before.
Christmas in the Old West
This past summer, Bob Jr. and his family spent
their vacation exploring the northwestern part
of the country. Hiking, riding and history
took them to Cody, Wyoming where
they visited North Pole West. There
they met Sam Travers, owner and author of Christmas in the Old West,
one of the most fascinating books
about Christmas we have ever read.
Beautifully written with excerpts
from diaries, letters and news articles, illustrated with old drawings
and photographs, this book traces
Christmas from the 1804 diaries of
men on the Lewis and Clark expedition
through early Calvary posts, the 49ers,
cowboys, emerging cities and prairie towns.
One story, entitled The Christmas Wagon 1802 or
How I Became a Sargent, relates how Martin Weber was sent
from Ft. Robinson to Ft. Sidney with a driver and six mules
to get the “Christmas goods.” On the return, the first night
was spent at Camp Clark where a general store, post office
Dickens’ Figures
Come to Life
The Spirit of Christmas Present has rejoined the cast
of colorful figures from Charles Dickens’ beloved tale,
A Christmas Carol. Dressed in his long green robe
trimmed with fur, the second Spirit arrives to show
Scrooge the bounty of Christmas while reminding him
that there are many who are not as fortunate. You may
also have noticed that Joyce has updated Scrooge’s attire
by adding a long blue robe to cover his thin nightshirt.
A Christmas Carol has been such an important
part of our history that we’ve scheduled a special
reading of the story to commemorate our 25th
Anniversary. Gerald Charles Dickens, the great-greatgrandson of the author, will be performing the story
live at Byers’ Choice on December 13th of this year.
For show times and ticket information, please call
(215)-822-6700.
and shelter for the animals could be found. The following day, against the advice of the bridge
tender, they headed out into a blizzard with
nothing but hard bread and bacon.
Without shelter or fire for three days
and two nights, they traveled through
blinding snow and temperatures 30
degrees below zero. On December
23rd, they arrived at the stage station
at Running Water with shelter, a
warm supper and hot coffee. The
following day the sky cleared and,
aided by a trail, a stage coach had
broken through the snow, and they
managed to reach the Fort at about
2:30 p.m. on December 24th.
The kiddies who had been housed up for
five days due to the storm were running up and down
the board walks shouting with glee,“The Christmas wagon has
come.” Santa had arrived, as had the spirit of Christmas. If
you are interested in this book or other unique Western
holiday products visit, www.northpolewest.com.
The Talbots and Byers’ Choice
relationship goes back to 1981.
What started as a request for some
festive in-store holiday decorations
has become a mainstay item in the
Talbots catalog and stores.
Talbots also features the whimsical and cheery Kindles. Being
bendable, they are fun to pose and
incorporate into your holiday decorating. For more information, call
1-800-TALBOTS.
4355 County Line Road
P.O. Box 158, Chalfont, PA 18914
www.byerschoice.com
2003 Drummer Boy