I love Christmas and all the decorating that goes with it. I started collecting Santas years ago, then in 1980, I learned Tole painting. I started playing with different combinations of terra cotta pots and now I have the most overly decorated holiday house you can imagine. One can never have too much. He has no purpose other than to collect dust and make you smile. Each pot is given 2 coats of acrylic paint, both inside and out, as a base and to seal. The design work is added then sealed with an additional 2 coats of acrylic varnish. It's tough enough to withstand the outdoors. The varnish also has a UV additive to protect from fading.