Regina woman's nutcracker collection makes for fairy tale Christmas
'I started with one little one, and it just kind of grew from there': Gloria Archer
Gloria Archer loves all of her nutcrackers, but one sticks out in her mind. It's small, painted green and signed on the bottom of its feet.
"I have a very special one," she said. "My granddaughter is going to kill me, but she did this for me when she was three years old and I just love it."
Decorating with nutcrackers became a Christmas tradition for Archer more than 60 years ago.
The Regina woman bought her first one in 1962 and her collection has grown tremendously since then.
Every holiday season she buys more to display inside of her home. They come in all different sizes and themes. Each of them has sentimental value to her.
It has also become a tradition for her granddaughter to count them every Christmas. She's has close to 100.
Archer said her love for nutcrackers came from the nutcracker ballet.
"I love the music and the dancing," Archer said.
She said her family also loves the nutcracker collection and have helped build it over the years. She has gotten them as gifts from her kids and grandchildren.
"My oldest grandson wanted to become a chef, which he eventually did, and my husband used to do a lot of woodworking," she said. "So those three he gave me for Christmas one year. There's the chefs and the two nutcrackers that are like woodworking people."
Another nutcracker in her collection is a Mickey Mouse that her son brought her back from Disney World a few years ago.
This year, Archer bought a gnome-themed nutcracker. It's nestled in its new home on a ledge in the TV room.
"That's all I bought," she said. "I've been a good girl this year."
She usually starts putting them out in the middle of October and will keep them out into the new year. Then she packs them neatly away until the next Christmas season.
"I just enjoy them," she said. "Like anybody's collection that they collect, they like things and they enjoy it and that's why they collect them. I enjoy them.
"And I love Christmas. Christmas is my thing."
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