Latest News: Artists

Clara Johnson Scroggins
January 1, 1931 – December 19, 2019

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of the world’s foremost authorities on collecting Christmas ornaments, Clara Johnson Scroggins. Please click on the attached links to see her full obituary or sign her guestbook.

December 13, 1972, was a day Clara Johnson Scroggins would never forget.  Through much of her life, she would remember it only as a sad day, the day she buried her husband, Edwin, who passed very unexpectedly at a young age.

Later in life, that same date would take on new significance.

Clara had been hospitalized with the inability to sleep or eat with rapid, concerning weight loss.  The death of her husband was too much and she felt she had lost her purpose in life.  After healing physically a friend suggested some “retail therapy.”  That friend reaching out to her, at that moment, changed the direction of the rest of her life.

On that little shopping trip to clear her mind, Clara came upon a silver cross ornament stylized after one held in an English Cathedral.  “I love history, and I bought the cross because I felt it connected me, my husband and God,” Clara said.

Christmas Cross (1972)
2nd in the series.

The ornament by Reed & Barton was actually the second in a series.  Without the aid of the internet or a secondary market, Clara began a long journey to find the first one, and along that path, she fell in love with silver tree trimmers of all designs.

The following year, Hallmark released its first collection, six ball and twelve yarn ornaments, which became the Keepsakes we know today.  Not being metal, she honestly wasn’t a fan at first, but eventually came around, realizing Hallmark was providing something new to consumers they never had before, in particular, the ability to commemorate years and special occasions through ornaments.  Perhaps even more importantly, she said before Hallmark’s entrance consumers only had two choices, expensive hand-made ornaments or inexpensive, mass-produced glass balls.  So, along with her silver, she began collecting Hallmark ornaments and with them, a world of new opportunities.

“Hallmark has more ornaments than anyone else, and I knew I wanted to write a Hallmark book. I told Hallmark I wanted everything they had ever done. They flew me out to their Kansas City headquarters and were very surprised to meet me, a young African-American woman—not their normal collector type,” she said.

Keepsake Ornaments
A Collector’s Guide

Her first collectors guide for Hallmark was published in 1983 would not be her last, six more were to follow with the ‘big green book’ of 1993 being perhaps the most beloved as it remains the most comprehensive, covering the years of 1973 – 1993.

During those many years of publishing, Clara became a sort of ambassador for Keepsakes, putting her background in fashion and broadcast journalism to new uses.  She would tour the country speaking to Mother’s groups, magazines, newspapers, and even appearing on TV shows like “Today” and “Good Morning America.”  Many collectors relied on her yearly top picks to try to figure out what might be hot in the upcoming year.

“Twenty Winks For Santa”
“It Must Be St. Nick”
3rd in the series.

Being a consultant, Clara was free to work with other companies and did so with several, including The Franklin Mint, and Waterford, where she designed many ornaments.  In 2000 the Eckerd Drugstore chain honored her in “Twenty Winks for Santa, ” the second in their “It Must Be Santa” ornament series.

Describing this time, she said, “I was meeting many famous artists including Tatiana Faberge and Andy Warhol.  Many of them designed and signed pieces for my collection.”  She soon took on the unofficial title of “Queen of Christmas.”

Her then-husband, Joe Scroggins, Jr. was asked about her hobby and work and laughingly said, “It’s been an interesting experience. Collectors are very interesting people.  I guess the first thing I realized was that Christmas is all year long, I’ve put trees up in July for magazines to photograph.”  (It should be noted that Joe himself, had a very full life dedicated to public service, including being appointed by President Clinton, with Senate consent, as the United State’s Federal Maritime Commissioner.)

Cheerful Santa

Back at Hallmark Clara became instrumental, working with artist Duane Unruh, to bring the first African-American figural ornament to the Keepsake line—the 1992 Cheerful Santa.  Comparing that ornament to an interview she did around the same time, you can see her thinking in its design.  She said, “What is dominant in society at the time or what the important issues in our lives are, can be found in ornaments.  Santa no longer smokes, for example.  He also has lost the big belly.”

In spite of her well-known position, Clara was always a collector foremost, and like so many other Hallmark collectors, she was a member of the local club near her, the Tampa Bay Tree Trimmers.  She and her fellow club members worked hard to create a unique event that continued for many years called the “Flamingo Fling.”  The purpose was to raise money for Southeastern Guide Dogs, raising funds each year to adopt, name and graduate dogs into ever faithful, tail-wagging service each year.

The event brought in all the top collectible companies to Tampa to donate and create special ornaments just for the event.  Many companies, like Hallmark, used the event to premiere their upcoming designs and bring in their artists to sign.  Those artists were frequently honored with guide dogs being named after them.

Clara’s Hallmark Store
2002 Club Edition Ornament

While many met Clara personally at Fling, most first met Clara at Hallmark’s events.  She would attend conventions, and in those years when the KOC traveled the country, so did she.  Many collectors would bring their Collector’s Guides or even their favorite ornaments for her to sign.  In 2002, Don Palmiter gave collectors a very special ornament that was perfect for a signature from her, “Clara’s Hallmark Store.”

During the 1996 Ornament Premiere, Clara met up with a collector in Detroit who was selling the four original promotional ornaments Hallmark had sent to drug stores to gauge interest in a potential new ornament line.  The collection was complete with the original letter and cardboard mailing box.

When she returned home from that trip, she sat down to read the letter and admire the ornaments.  It was at that moment that she noticed something rather shocking—the postage on the box.  Hallmark had mailed those original packages on December 13, 1972, the very day her beloved husband, Edwin was buried.  Her sister, Precious, told Clara later that it was a sign that as God was closing the door on one part of her life, he was opening another.  The full clarity of it just wasn’t presented until more than 20 years later.

Clara’s life began in Lake Village, Arkansas on New Year’s Day to a family of nine children that always did things big, something that followed her, her entire life.  In September of 2018, it was announced that Clara was transitioning from her Tampa home and selling off her prized ornament collection of over 1 million ornaments.  A year later, shortly before Christmas, her passing was announced on social media by her friends.  Clara Johnson Scroggins was 88 years old.

For those wishing to honor Clara, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (1-800-272-3900 or on the internet at Alz.org/get-involved-now/donate).