Journaling reads:

I call this pair of Christmas decorations my royalty. The king is a nutcracker that Amarie gave me many years ago. The queen is an angel that I made from instructions I found in a magazine. She is made of newspaper, muslin stiffened by starch, and frayed rope for her hair. I made one for myself and one for Amarie. They date from the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. Over the years Christmas decorations have come and gone (and the king has lost a piece of his helmet), but these two are among the few pieces that will be with me always.