Tasha Tudor Christmas, Part 1

Vintage Christmas card by Tasha Tudor, printed by Irene Dash Greeting Card Co.

 My daughter phoned very early this morning while I was still in bed. She's in Japan on a business trip, and it was quite late at night for her. Most of the week she's been working nonstop, but that day she had had free time on her hands and had enjoyed going shopping in Tokyo, and she wanted to tell me about it. 

Apparently, Christmas is a very big deal in Japan, which seems surprising considering the small population of Christians in that country. But the stores are full of delightful Christmas items for sale, there are carols playing, and the decorations are stunning. As she says, "The Japanese are really into cuteness!" It was a veritable wonderland of new enticements after the blah "same old same old" of America's ubiquitous corporate mega stores.

She was especially excited to relate she'd found Tasha Tudor books. They were printed in Japanese, of course, but Tasha Tudor books are tough to find here in the U.S. She's bringing home a copy of Becky's Birthday. As she explained, "At least I can enjoy the pictures."

Are you familiar with the work of Tasha Tudor? I stumbled upon her artwork and books many years ago when the children were very young, and I'm so glad I did. For years I bought Tasha Tudor Christmas cards from a little mail-order shop in New England. This was before the internet, and each fall I received a little black-and-white mimeographed "catalog" featuring her cards and advent calendars and, occasionally, picture books.

I still have some of the cards. Nowadays they're considered collectible. I'm glad I hung on to the extras. I ought to frame them. Here are a few others I have:

Isn't her work charming? No wonder it's being snapped up by collectors. If you stumble across one of her books, cards, or prints, nab it if you can.

I'd like to share some of the Tasha Tudor books I have tomorrow, especially Becky's Christmas and The Dolls' Christmas. The kids and I loved reading them every year, and I'm still enjoying reading them. It wouldn't seem like Christmas without these lovely stories.