Glory to God in the highest

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone 'round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I am taking a little Christmas break from this blog until January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Thimble from Goldencockerel.com

A Visit from St. Nicholas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

--Clement C. Moore

White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

The Holly and the Ivy

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

O Tannenbaum!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine Blatter!
Du grunst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein, auch im Winter, wenn est schneit.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine Blatter!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat mich zur Wiehnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid soll mich was lehren!
Die Hoffnung und Bestandigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft zu aller Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid soll mich was lehren!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging;
Not only green in summer's heat,
But also winter's snow and sleet,
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leave unchanging.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely;
Each year, you bring to me delight
Gleaming in the Christmas night.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your leaves will teach me, also,
That hope and love and faithfulness
Are precious things I can possess.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your leaves will teach me, also.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.

Oh Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah!

Oh Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the Menorah,
Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora.
Gather round the table, we'll give you a treat.
Sevivon to play with, Latkes to eat.
And while we are playing,
The candles are burning low.
One for each night, they shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago;
One for each night, they shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago.

Let Us Go Over to Bethlehem

What thoughts, O tender Mother, filled
Your heart that Christmas night?
Of that high moment when you heard
From God's own acolyte.

"The Lord is with thee. Blessed, thou..."
That you might souls unbind
That all of heaven looked to you
And all of humankind;

Did you relive exultant joys,
And days of journeying
That led to your aged cousin's home
Through valley's bright with Spring,

Or gazing on your new-born Son
See Cana; Calvary--
Beyond the lantern's dimming rays
A million altars see

Whose light would spell eternal Love,
With solace, strength for men;
And songs that echoed Bethlehem
Bring holy peace

If we draw near the hallowed cave
As shepherds did that morn,
You'll whisper all that filled your heart
That night our Christ was born.

--Mary Catherine Brennan

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

This is, of course, not any of the days of Christmas, which are, properly, December 25th through January 5th. This is Advent, and not even the twelfth day. But we're having a thimble blog here, not a catechism class, so here is the song anyway, with a nice thimble from Spode, the first in a series of twelve. I didn't want to clog poor Blogger with the lyrics to the whole darn song, so I put just the last verse, which includes all the foregoing ones.

Candlelit Heart

A Christmas Poem by Mary E. Linton

Somewhere across the winter world tonight
You will be hearing chimes that fill the air;
Christmas extends its all-enfolding light
Across the distance...something we can share.
You will be singing, just the same as I,
These familiar songs we know so well,
And you will see these same stars in your sky
And wish upon that brightest one that fell.
I shall remember you and trim my tree,
One shining star upon the topmost bough;
I will hang wreaths of faith that all may see --
Tonight I glimpse beyond the hear and now.
And all the time that we must be apart
I keep a candle in my heart.

I received this little thimble from my dearly beloved Aunt and Uncle about 25 years ago.

It Must Have Been The Mistletoe

It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That feeling everywhere
It must have been the pretty lights
That glistened in the silent night
It may be just the stars so bright
That shined above you
Our first Christmas
More than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, Saint Nicholas had his fingers crossed
That we would fall in love!
It could have been the holiday,
The midnight ride upon sleigh
The countryside all dressed in white
The crazy snowball fight!
It could have been the steeplebell
That wrapped us up in its spell
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
Our first Christmas more than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, St. Nicholas must have know that kiss
Would lead to all of this!!
It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That made me love you!
On Christmas eve our wish came true
That I would fall in love with you
It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
It must have been the mistletoe!
It must have been the mistletoe!

Silver Bells

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks,
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling
of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush
home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle
You'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

Thimble Salute

A Soldier’s Christmas Poem

Twas the night before Christmas,
He lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of
Plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney
With presents to give,
And to see just who
In this home did live.

I looked all about,
A strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents,
Not even a tree.

No stocking by mantle,
Just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung pictures
Of far distant lands.

With medals and badges,
Awards of all kinds,
A sober thought
Came through my mind.

For this house was different,
It was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier,
Once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping,
Silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor
In this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle,
The room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured
A United States soldier.

Was this the hero
Of whom I'd just read?
Curled! Up on a poncho,
The floor for a bed?

I realized the families
That I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers
Who were willing to fight.

Soon round the world,
The children would play,
And grownups would celebrate
A bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom
Each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers,
Like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder
How many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas eve
In a land far from home.

The very thought
Brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees
And started to cry.
The soldier awakened
And I heard a rough voice,
" Santa don't cry,
This life is my choice;

I fight for freedom,
I don't ask for more,
My life is my God,
My country, my corps."

The soldier rolled over
And drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it,
I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours,
So silent and still
And we both shivered
From the cold night's chill.

I didn't want to leave
On that cold, dark, night,
This guardian of honor
So willing to fight.

Then the soldier rolled over,
With a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, "carry on Santa,
It's Christmas day, all is secure."

One look at my watch,
And I knew he was right.
"Merry Christmas my friend,
And to all a good night."

Happy Saint Nicholas Day

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
The New York Sun - 1897
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
- Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

This Santa thimble is from Gimble & Sons.

Christmas Tree

in
the
unroamed
loamed alone
of cathedral forests
where resounds the
echoing silence of the
great timber organ pipes that
tower into the crystal distance
among the cool green and
deep honey dark secret caches
of shadowed silence there grow
the christmas trees
child trees still suckling
woodmilk from beneath the moss
to lift their sapling fingers and touch
full stride their miracle
but these child trees as christmas
ornaments are severed from sanctuary
by seasoned hunters with steel saws and
shiny axes and brought to towns
priced and tagged trimmed and dragged off to
christmastreetion camps where amid
the pallor of neon and the roaring ugliness of the
christmas crash they wait for christmas
people to inspect them and select them to fit a
certain space in a certain place so much
less than a wilderness with tinsel and glass paper
and plastic trash foam and fuzz flashing lights
and icons they stand dressed to hide their slow dry dying
M
E
R
R
Y
CHRISTMAS

--Mason Williams

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol
The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O, weary, weary is the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O, stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart
His hair was like a fire.
(O, weary, weary is the world
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.
--G.K. Chesterton

The thimbles are from Cashs of Ireland.

Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland
--Richard B. Smith (lyr.) and Felix Bernard (music)

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.

Gone away is the bluebird,
Here to stay is a new bird
He sings a love song,
As we go along,
Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say: Are you married?
We'll say: No man,
But you can do the job
When you're in town.

Later on, we'll conspire,
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid,
The plans that we've made,
Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
And pretend that he's a circus clown
We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,
Until the alligators knock him down.

When it snows, ain't it thrilling,
Though your nose gets a chilling
We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,
Walking in a winter wonderland.

Walking in a winter wonderland,
Walking in a winter wonderland

Rudolph

As a Rudolph purist, I do not care for added verbiage such as "like a light bulb," but I include it here in parenthesis for reference.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
-- Robert L. May and Johnny Marks
You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glows (like a flash light)
All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio)
They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Play in any reindeer games (like Monopoly)
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say (Ho Ho Ho)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
And they shouted out with glee (yippee)
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
You'll go down in history!" (like Columbus)

Run, Run Rudolph
--Johnny Marks and Marvin Broady
Out of all the reindeer you know you're the mastermind
Run, run Rudolph, Randalph's not too far behind
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to town
Randalph he can hurry, he can take the freeway down
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a merry-go-round
Said Santa to a boy child "What have you been longing for?"
"All I want for Christmas is a Rock and Roll electric guitar"
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a shooting star
Run, run Rudolph, Santa's got to make it to town
Can't you make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a merry-go-round
Said Santa to a girl child "What would you like most to get?"
"I want a little baby doll that can cry, scream and wet"
And away went Rudolph a whizzing like a Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, a running like a son-of-a-gun.

Thimbles and Advent

I love thimbles. I love Advent. For December I want to combine the two and post pictures of Christmas-y thimbles and my favorite Christmas writings. So...

The Holy Night

We sate among the stalls at Bethlehem;
The dumb kine from their fodder turning them,
Softened their horn'd faces,
To almost human gazes
Toward the newly Born:
The simple shepherds from the star-lit brooks
Brought visionary looks,
As yet in their astonished hearing rung
The strange sweet angel-tongue:
The magi of the East, in sandals worn,
Knelt reverent, sweeping round,
With long pale beards, their gifts upon the ground,
The incense, myrrh, and gold
These baby hands were impotent to hold:
So let all earthlies and celestials wait
Upon thy royal state.
Sleep, sleep, my kingly One!

--Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The thimbles are from Shopshannon.com.

Yubi nuki? Yubi nukis?

I found some photographs of the little Japanese felt thimble-rings. Instructions for these are not in the previously mentioned book, but one could probably figure out how to make them using that book plus some good books on temari, the Japanese craft of thread-winding.

Kokoro No Te

Make beautiful Japanese-style thimbles! In her lovely book, Kokoro No Te, Kumiko Sudo shows us how to make a "yubi nuki", or felt thimble ring (I could be messing with plural forms here: I don't know any Japanese!). The list price for the paperback book is $27.95.

European Countries I have thimbles from. . .

create your own personalized map of europe

Of course, you idiot.

Are brief glimpses of a thimble enough reason to watch a whole movie? A two-hour-forty-minute movie?

The Thimble Movie (a.k.a., The English Patient) is a good film. It got gobs of awards. I didn't quite see that its particular "greatest love story ever" was any more great than any other film's love story; I'm pretty sure it's not even the greatest film love story about Europeans stuck in North Africa during World War II. Granted, Almásy does a lot of meaningful following and staring, and then there's all the naked business, but I thought the Hana/Kip romance was more endearing. The cinematography was beautiful and Anthony Minghella did a great job adapting the book to film, which I woulda thunk impossible.

And I like the thimble. There's a scene with a whole tray of thimbles all alike. Full of saffron. I would like just one of them. Until I find one, the movie will do.

Bermuda Thimble

This thimble just sold on eBay for US$86.00. It is a lovely Norwegian enamelled thimble with a (probably) moonstone top. It says "Bermuda" on the side. The seller noted that there are some chips in the white enamelling. The starting bid was $11.00, followed by: $12.39, $21.89, $79.79, $85.00, then the winning bid.
I would like this one, too.

Thimble, Thimble

This is a picture of O. Henry, né William Sydney Porter, born 1862 in Greenboro, North Carolina.
He is the author of the short story Thimble, Thimble, which I will not bother poor Blogger by posting the whole darn thing, but will just link to.

Patent: No. 2588528: Finger Shaped Thimble

Patent No. 2588528, Claude M. Houser, assignor to California Thimble Corporation, Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara, CA,

Mar. 11, 1952

Patent: No. 3531029: Wraparound Thimble

Click on images to enlarge.
Patent No. 3531029, Kenneth P. Lee, San Jose, CA,
Sept. 29, 1970

Patent: No. 495790: Thimble

Patent No. 495,790, Rosina M. Durham, New Barnet, England,
April 18, 1893.

Salem Witch Thimble

This Salem Witch thimble recently sold on eBay for $384.79. There were sixteen bids from nine different bidders, four within the last eighteen seconds of the auction. I don't know what the seller's minimum starting bid was, but the first bid referenced is for $13.00.

I mentioned this thimble in my little tirade about the price a "Stitch in Time" thimble got a while back. If I find a relatively cheap one, I might get one, but I'd need a lot more money and a lot fewer relatives to dish out anything close to $384.79 for one.

Not a Thimble...or just maybe it is!

Ha!
This is Devils Tower, Wyoming, declared our (America's) first national monument by Theodore Roosevelt on Sept. 24, 1906. Yay, Teddy!
How did I miss noting the 100th anniversary on Sept. 24th? Poop!

Finally somebody got the point of the thimble being the ideal souvenir! These thimbles--sorry about cruddy photo at farthest right-- are available through Devils Tower Trading Post, "home of the Worlds largest Harley-Davidson flag flown only during Sturgis Black Hills Rally." OK. The "sculpted" resin one is $3.49, the porcelain shield one, $2.99. The other, not-pictured one is $2.49. Plus S/H. Of course.

Liberace Museum Thimble! YAY!

Naturally I thought the SPAM® Museum thimble would be the pinnacle of my Museum Thimble Collecting Life. But NO! The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, has not one, but two thimbles! Granted they are remarkably similar to one another, but they are two entirely different colors. Purple (royal purple?) and GOLD. Wow. And I bet the little gold trim part at the bottom is REAL GOLD! YAY!
They are $2.50 each, plus S/H. Viva Las Vegas! (I know, I know: that's an Elvis movie, but I just know that "Lee" would not object!)

Patent: No. 633635: Thread Cutting Sewing Thimble

Patent No. 633635, Frederick G. Bonfils, Denver, CO,

Sept. 26, 1899

"Elegant Raised Arrow Motif Brass Thimble"

This thimble just sold on eBay for US$112.99. The item listing described it as made of brass. I know that gold ones from the nineteenth century are very pricey. This looks like gold, which is why, I think, it went for so much. It may very well be gold: I hope it is for the new owner's sake. I know that museums have sold reproductions of a gold thimble much like this, though I don't know the materials involved in the repro.
Anyway, the opening bid was $6.45, with subsequent bids being: $15.00, $15.50, $25.50 (same bidder as $15.50), $88.88, $112.01, then the winning bid. The auction closed at 22:10:51 PST, with the winning bid coming in at 22:10:38 PST, five seconds after the next highest bid.
I've noticed a lot of eBay sellers--and other collectable sellers--misidentify metals or other materials. I just got a thimble that had been identified as pewter, though actually it is sterling.
Since I've whined in the past about not understanding how certain thimbles got such high praise and prices, I want to admit here that if I had the money, I would absolutely love to have one like this. To me this is lovely.

Patent: No. 362593: Thimble

Patent No. 362,593, Sallie Ann Wells, Annapolis, MD,
May 10, 1887

Mrs. Constance (Cornell) Stuart

Caption: "Pat Nixon's secretary Connie Stuart takes time to straighten thimble collection..."
From an article about her (Mrs. Stuart) in the Los Angeles Times, October 9, 1970, page F1.

Patent: No. 297355: Thimble

Patent No. 297,355, Marie Demmé, Muhlhausen, Germany,
April 22, 1884

Celebrating a truly ghastly book...

...and fair enough movie: The Bridges of Madison County. I have not read another Oprah-recommended book since.
BUT: if you liked the movie and remember the bridge that Clint and Meryl hung out around, it was the Roseman Covered Bridge, which has its own website and Gift Shop* and THREE thimbles (the one on the right is available in goldtone, too). The thimbles are $5.00 each, plus S/H.
*When you get to the web page, scroll down about half way to get to the thimbles.

Got Milk?

This is a very nice little thimble from Mayfield Dairy Farms gift shop ($4.00 plus S/H). Mayfield Dairy Farms began with a few cows in 1923, and there are now three "plants" in Athens, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Braselton, Georgia. Each plant has a visitors' center.
The company's website has a lot of stuff to look at: company history, a little movie, ice cream news, recipes, etc.

The cow on the thimble looks happy enough. Does she live at one of the plants? Does she enjoy life there? Does she get to meet the visitors at the visitors' center? Hang with other cows? Or is it just a lot of milking?

Temora Aviation Museum

This ceramic thimble is available through the Temora Aviation Museum for AU$4.00 (about US$3.10) plus S/H. The museum is in Temora, New South Wales, Australia, and commemorates the No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School, the "largest and longest lived of the flying schools established under the Empire Air Training Scheme" back in WWII. It was set up to train Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilots, and was in operation from May 1941 through March 1946.

Dorothy Draper

The caption was: "Mrs. Dorothy Draper displays thimble collection." It should appear if you click on the image and get the whole picture. The caption just isn't showing up for some reason, hence the big white space beneath the photo.
From an article about her in the Los Angeles Times, 28 March 1976, page GB6.

The Alaska Railroad

This thimble is available from the Alaska Railroad Gift Shop for $5.95 plus S/H: when you get to the web page, you need to scroll about one third of the way to the "Collectibles" section, then move your mouse over (or just click on) the text on the right that mentions the ARR Logo Thimble. This will show you an enlarged picture of just the thimble.

Mrs. William W. Hoppin

If the printing is too blurry to read: "Mrs. William W. Hoppin, founder and president of Amateur Needlework of Today, Inc., with her collection of thimbles gathered from many corners of the world."