Turns out the Santa is made by Lynn Haney, whose Santas - be they cloth figurines, Limoges boxes or canvas prints - are impressive indeed.

I would have been happy to show you a photo, or even a link, except the people who run Miss Haney's web site don't have the foggiest idea what they're doing, and have deliberately set up the site so that people can't link easily to specific Santas (who still uses FRAMES, in 2005, for Pete's sake?) nor can they post an image of a Santa to their blog, since the photos are all chopped up to prevent all that rampant stealing on the interweb. Of course, what would you expect from a web site that also has a splash screen and no way to email the webmaster? But I digress.

Luckily, you can bypass the stupidity and see most of her collection at Curio Cabinet.

This piece, entitled Checking It Twice, is the creation of Dean Morrissey (and he has an incredible eye - his other pieces are equally stunning, if not quite so Santa-riffic). Gallery One has both the 500-run s/n paper print (clocking in at $150) and - what Angie wants, dear Santa - the 100-run s/n giclee canvas print for an unspecified sum.

I promised myself that since I'm moving to a new home this fall, that no major Santa purchases are allowed this year - but oh, I cannot tell you how badly I'd love this piece.

But for now, I wanted to show you this ornament:

I'd just love to see an entire tree of these, with a white maribou garland and a host of tiny white mini-lights and a red blown-glass Santa finial on top.

Their adorable silverplate (yes, it's becoming an obsession this year) salt-and-pepper shakers are actually quite affordable for my holiday budget this year - a set of four goes for $40. Plus, they're just incredibly cute. How can I resist?

The St. Nicholas Sterling Silver Christmas Ornament (pictured above) is absolutely delicious. I'd love about 6 of these for my tree. (Alas, at $70 a pop, that's not likely to happen this year at least.)

Other stunning pieces I'd love to get my hands on from BillBarnes.com: a Santa Musical Figurine, the Jingle Bell Silver Christmas Ornament (featuring a close-up of Santa's face) and the stunning Santa Icicle Silver Christmas Ornaments, of which I'd like about a dozen.

Santa? Are you listening to this wish list? :)

I think it's the striped cap. It's cute and cartoony without being too folksy, which isn't my personal taste. Available at Macy's.

This Santa wine bottle cover is absolutely adorable. Wouldn't it be great to pick up a few of these and have them sitting out on the holiday table during entertaining? Of course, I'd get just as much of a giggle keeping it wrapped around a bottle in the fridge... regardless of how much flak I'd get from my friends were they to discover that I also decorate the *inside* of my fridge... ;)

The plush toy is animated: when you press his hand, he walks and sings "Jingle Jingle Jingle". TOO cute.

These little darlings:

Well, they're just adorable, aren't they? I don't think I would put them on a tree, unless I bought several sets... they'd get hidden too easily. I prefer my tree Santas a little larger, so they stand out. But they'd be a charming little group to put in a figurine display. Don't you think?

But first, a Santa to share: this Florentine & Pearl Jeweled Santa Cookie Jar is absolutely stunning...

Most of the time, I find that Lenox's Santa collectibles are a tad too traditional for me, but this is just a lovely piece. And recently, I've become more addicted to cookie jar figurines. That may, of course, be due to the fact that my figurine display case is crammed full of Santas (pictures to come soon) but my kitchen still has room to spare... ;)

This Santa tapestry is hand-stitched in wool on a pure cotton backing and comes with an optional hanging rod with finials. Lovely.

This Poinsettia Santa is one I'm deeply, deeply tempted to buy, even though I'm done my purchasing for the year. My home is festooned with poinsettias during the holidays - I have them in every room - and this would be so wonderful as a centerpiece.

Also available from the same site is a 3D sculpture of the same Santa figure. Though I think I like the print even better.

From time to time, I see different kids' toys based on the characters, and plastic be hanged, I want them anyway. Case in point:

Buy.com's Santa's Reindeer sleigh team looks like too much fun. The Santa really looks like the Santa from the movie. And I loved that Santa, particularly with Mrs. Claus hounding him all winter long to eat, eat! Nobody likes a skinny Santa.

His creations aren't named, just numbered, so for reference I picked up #968:

Trust me when I say my silly little photo doesn't do the piece justice. It's solid wood, hand carved and painted, and 18 inches tall. Bill custom-makes these items at the time of ordering, so you may wait a few weeks for your piece, but it's well worth the wait.

There will be more of Bill's work in my collection as the years pass. Bet on it.