The Legend of Poinsettia - Mexico
1992
Christmas Legends™  1st Edition

Edition of 750 

Retail Price $395

         The poinsettia comes from Mexico and horticulturists will tell you it was developed by and named for its developer. The Mexican people, however, will tell you a different story about how the Poinsettia came to be.

     It has long been a tradition for the children of the village to come to the church to present a gift to the Christ child of the creche, at Christmastime. On one Christmas, a long time ago, all of the children began to plan their gifts. Juan would bring his plumpest chicken, Lupe would bring a piece of colorful cloth. One by one, each child found something they could bring to the Baby. All, except for Maria Elena. Maria Elena's mother was barely able to scratch out enough food to feed the family. This year had been harder than most and no matter how much she puzzled over the problem, Maria Elena could find nothing, save for a bundle of sticks, to bring as a gift to the Baby. As her turn came to proceed down the stone walk to the altar, she began to hear the laughter of the children as they saw that she was bringing nothing but dry sticks. She was tempted to turn back and run out of the mission, but she wanted to honor the Child, even in her poverty. As she got closer to the creche, those brittle sticks, one by one, began to burst into the most beautiful blooms any had ever seen. The children began to see, on that Christmas day, that the heart of the giver is more important than the gift itself.

     Maria Elena wears a colorful red cotton dress, trimmed with yellow and green rickrack. Her authentic leather huaraches are being woven by a craftsperson here at Lawtons who was born in Mexico and has woven the same sandals for her children. Maria Elena's lovely brown, waist-length hair is tied with a scrap of the fabric to match her dress. Maria Elena is 14" tall.

The Little Drummer Boy
1993
Christmas Legends™ 2nd Edition

Edition of 500   

Retail Price $595 Set

    Christmastide and "there seems to be magic
in the very name." -Charles Dickens

     One of the sweetest legends of Christmas is taken from the carol, "The Little Drummer Boy." The legend tells of the little boy who played his drum for the Baby Jesus and was rewarded with the baby's tender smile. The Little Drummer Boy is dressed in garments of handwoven cotton and osnaburg. He wears sandals authentically recreated in our workshops. His drum is handcrafted of eucalyptus wood and rawhide. He is all-porcelain, 14" tall. Baby Jesus is all-porcelain, jointed, 9" long with painted intaglio eyes and wisps of brown curls. He is dressed and swaddled in natural linen and lays in a handmade wooden manger.

Santa Lucia
1994
Christmas Legends™ 3rd Edition

Edition of 350 

Retail Price $425

     The legend of Santa Lucia is an interesting one because it spans a continent and crosses two cultures. In pre-Christian times, a rousing fertility festival and fair were held at Upsala, Sweden near Christmas time. Early Christians substituted the celebration of Santa Lucia, an Italian martyr, in place of the pagan festival. Legend has it that St. Lucia was a beautiful, wealthy young woman. On the eve of her wedding to an influential member of the aristocracy, Lucia renounced the world. Dressed in her wedding gown, she spent her short life distributing her dowry to the poor. It is interesting that the early Swedes chose St. Lucia to honor. Her story parallels the legend of St. Nicholas in many ways. Santa Lucia Day, in Sweden, is December 13th and marks the beginning of the Christmas season. A Lusse-bride is chosen from among the daughters in each household. She rises early and dresses in the traditional costume, a long white robe and a crown of fir branches and lighted candles. Singing the song of Santa Lucia, she wakes her parents, bringing them the traditional repast of Lucia buns and coffee. She wears a delicately embroidered gown of Swiss batiste and warm doeskin slippers. Her gown is belted with a cord of scarlet. On her head, she wears the traditional evergreen wreath of light. She carries an intricately designed tray, complete with the traditional Lucia buns and coffee. Santa Lucia stands 14" tall.

The Nutcracker
1995
Christmas Legends™ 4th Edition

Edition of 500 

Retail Price $595

     For more than 100 years, Tchaikovsky's lyrical score combined with the beauty of dance and underscored by the existing story written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffman, has thrilled and enchanted audiences. While preparing to try to capture the magic and tradition of "The Nutcracker" for our 1995 Christmas Legends edition, I did extensive research. One of the most enlightening texts was the beautiful translation of Hoffman's story newly illustrated by Maurice Sendak. I was struck by the vigor and explosive action of the story. My goal was to try to capture some of that deliciously ambivalent aspect in our doll, The Nutcracker. 

     Her exquisitely detailed party dress in a rich iridescent black cherry taffeta, constantly changes color. The photographs do not do her justice, as her color is alive and vibrant, but tends to blacken down when printed. By Christmas candlelight, she will be exquisite. Her beloved nutcracker gently cradled in her hands, is another instance of our compulsion with detail. Each nutcracker is completely hand-painted in our workshop, gilded and set with tiny Swarowski crystal jewels and gold gimp. And to answer the question that I have been hearing over and over again - Why is she named Marie instead of Clara? In the original, Dr Stahlbaum's children were named Fritz and Marie. In the ballet version, she became Clara. But in the book, Mistress Clara was Marie's French doll, who, as the story progresses, vies for the Nutcracker's affection with Marie. I decided to stay with the Hoffman original, because I loved the ever-faithful seven-year-old Marie.