If you were to come into our back door, this is one of the first things you would see.

Almost everyone comes in through our garage and laundry room. These pilgrims have sat the harvest season on my washer or dryer ever since I bought them. They have a story, too. I bought these when I felt I could hardly afford them. They had been something I wanted for a long time, and finally they went on sale or I got them with a coupon or something. I was so pleased. When I went to the car, I couldn’t find my keys, so I was scrambling in my purse, trying to find them when I dropped the bag and these pilgrims shattered. I brought them home and lovingly repaired them. Thankfully, they were not the smooth, ceramic kind of pilgrims. Now the scars and the irregularities remind me of how quickly things can be broken — not just pilgrims made out of synthetic materials, but real live people and hearts and things like trust and innocence. We can never be too careful with the eternal things. But I am thankful that God can repair even the most broken of things and make them a thing of beauty again.
Beside the washer and dryer, on the window sill, is this:
This is a series of small Pilgrims and Indians that I think I got at the Dollar Tree. There is a repeat of figurines, but they are so sprightly and make the window look so sweet.
There is another set of Pilgrims and Indians in the laundry room, but they are not my favorite, so I am not showing them. You will be bored until I’m done, anyhow.
Into the kitchen, and on the window sill at one end is this set:
And at the other end is this one:
These two are more whimsical and they were gifts to me. I find them perfect to brighten my day while I am doing kitchen chores, and they remind me that people come in all shapes and styles, but they can still bring light to the darkest corners.
On the bakers’ rack going into the dining/family room, there is this one:
My kids call this my “Amish” one because the faces are not carved in detail.
Also on the bakers’ rack are these two precious pieces:
. . . and I love the Pilgrim chill-jens
(as Youngest Son used to say)
Back when I was a child, these candle Pilgrims were very popular:
These two are special to me because their noses are smashed flat. When Beloved Son in Law was a young married chap, he brought the two of them together in an especially forceful “kiss” and it smashed their noses clean off. He is not quite so impulsive, but he is still an affectionate and wonderful son in law and still very “beloved.”
Also, somewhere along the line, I found two sets of candles like these:
And even thought it may not look like it, their noses are unscathed.
When we remodeled the family room, we not only put in two new windows where there were none before, but Certain Man complied with my request and made wide window sills. Here, we also display Pilgrim couples and autumn flora.
This little set I found at a store in Pennsylvania that sells liners, lids and accessories for Longaberger baskets. They also carry some gift items, and this little set caught my eye.
In our Living room, there is a most ancient clock. It is so old that it has wooden gears, and it is still in great condition. It runs, it chimes, it keeps good time most of the time. Certain Man’s family had an old clock shelf that was of the same material as the old clock, and he, being the master of resources that he is, put the two together, and the effect is interesting and beautiful. I don’t have my flowers and colors up yet, but the shelf has interesting corners and this is what we find there:
In the middle, under the clock:
Then on the left side is this pair:
And on the right is this roly poly set:
And that is a tour of the Pilgrims — minus the two sets I showed you before. I was at Good’s Store yesterday, and I found a cute little set and even had it in my cart, but it didn’t stand the test of time. In other words, by the time I had trucked around the store a time or two, Eldest Daughter had said, “Mom, you’re a fiend!!!” often enough to make me rethink it and leave them there. It was better, anyhow. I had said that I wouldn’t be buying any more this year, so I really shouldn’t have even be thinking about buying another set. I have room for more, but I don’t want to use it all up at once. Besides, it is more fun to get a set that has a story with it instead of just accumulating.
Again, stop buy sometime and I will show you around.
How nice to meet your Pilgrims. Such a nice collection ! Wouldn’t you be surprised if Lucy and I and Miss Brooks dropped by someday? We have even talked about a vacation in your area where we could meet up with you and Polly somehow. Just something rattling around in our heads.
I love your collection and the meaning behind it.
So very nice. A beautiful collection. One thing that just makes me love Fall all the more is that we can decorate in Sept and keep things out until Dec.1, time to really enjoy the lovely colors and items of this beautiful season. I love your pilgrims.
What a beautiful collection,Sometimes people forget about Thanksgiving ect…Because of the Christmas craze.Which is so sad..I love Thanksgiving 🙂 Teresa
NOT boring at all!! Very sweet and meaningful! I’m glad that you shared!
I like them! 🙂
I loved your Pilgrims! I just happened to find your site when I searched “Longaberger” on xanga. I have been a consultant for over 24 years now and it is fun to see where the name pops up at times. We had a bus full of people in Ohio last week for the Longaberger Heritage Days and also spent some time in Holmes & Wayne County. Some of our favorite places to visit. Blessings on your day!!!!
Ikwa uses this time of year to expand her Native figurine collection! We scour the dollar stores and Michaels and such looking for figurines to add to her collection.
Your pilgrims are so cute! And you are decorating for fall, and here I am still holding on to summer!