Santa Mug

Father Christmas rendered as a piece of drinkware: a stout, barrel-bodied cup with the beard, the belt and the hat worked into the form itself, so that the figure and the vessel are one and the same object. It belongs to the same tradition as character teapots, novelty biscuit tins and the decorations that only come out of the loft in late November. Cheerful, faintly daft, and firmly seasonal. On a printer it is a December staple: something to run off for a secret santa, a stocking, an office desk, or a spot on the mantelpiece beside the rest of the Christmas things. It also makes a straightforward painting project for anyone who likes a festive subject, and packs away with the decorations come January.