Vintage Christmas, Part 1
Updated: 1 day ago
I've kind of always loved vintage ornaments. I should have purchased more when they were reasonably priced and not part of the current/upcoming trend. I have around a dozen of them from my mom & grandmother. I was really sad when one of my favorites broke. I don't usually put them on the big Christmas tree since they're so fragile. I've had them in crystal bowls or on a small tree in my kitchen and really have just enjoyed using something that was from my family from a long time ago.
This year, I'm finding that people are requesting the nostalgia feel. Now I will tell you "don't chase trends" -unless it makes you enjoy the Christmas season more. You will always feel the pressure to stay up on what is the newest- and frankly, most of us don't have the time or money. A few years ago was "Farmhouse" with the flocked trees, then Ralph Lauren with no flocked trees and plaid made a comeback, this year Vintage with tinsel trees and colored lights ... Just like clothing fashion, keep things long enough and you will be trendy again! Ha
For our home this year, I am hoping to find some more "vintage-inspired" ornaments. They won't all be vintage because that would be quite the investment. (Some of vintage ornaments are selling for $75 each- don't tell my husband, he will want me to sell my vintage ornaments)
Etsy has some beautiful ornaments for sale. The pretty ones are not $3.50. Ha. I loved the bird pink ornament. I was a little tempted- it was already sold.
Macy's has some beautiful new "old" style ornaments if you wanted to start a collection of the vintage style. I have included the link below. They will probably sell out quickly, and I don't get any benefit from you buying from Macy's, but if they are on sale, they're a good deal.
Key points to consider this year when you decorate your home for Christmas
You do not have to use everything you have purchased for Christmas. It is ok to not put out all of the painted wood signs, red and black buffalo check ornaments and garland, beige matte ornaments, etc.
If you love something, put it out. I've always used Christmas Villages (complete with the sprinkle snow and little people). The Village is not displayed in our main room right now just because of spacing, but it is always out somewhere. Mostly because I've always had it out, and I know my kiddos
remember them from their childhood.
Try a new method of attaching ornaments to your tree. Instead of the plastic or even thin metal "hooks" that most ornaments use, try wiring them to the tree limb. I use a wonderful rafia covered wire (I also use it for my bows and wreath making- I bought a big roll of it 3 years ago and still haven't used it all- mine is in brown, but I like the dark green option). I placed a link to it below. This method is super helpful to place large ornaments in towards the trunk of the tree (giving depth to your tree).
It's magical to have a tree filled with lights (I prefer warm white- NO blue-tinted LED lights- just no.) I like the old style colored lights on a real Christmas tree; that's the best. I LOVE a real Christmas tree. I had real trees for the first 25 years of marriage. We would buy the rejects at Home Depot or whatever was cheap and turn the bad side to the wall. It worked out great for us. I even bought one at Costco one year that was so cheap you weren't allowed to open it until you bought it. It was actually a great tree! The last year I purchased a real tree (2016) we actually had to take it down BEFORE Christmas. It was so dry. I just knew it was going to catch the house on fire. I had watered it regulary. It didn't matter...maybe the heat in the house drafted towards it, I'm not sure, but it was horrible. But, I digress.
Lights, lots of lights. I dislike putting lights on trees. Like really dislike. I've always been the one to do it, but I hate it. I would love a tree with lights attached, but I do not want to spend $500 on a tree where the lights stop working (What do you do then? Cut them all off? Put other light on it with the dead ones?) I have purchased pre-lit trees for my other rooms and just have to consider them "throw away" trees.
Below is a link to the lights I used last year. They were a good temperature (no BLUE tinted LED). I really enjoyed using them on my smaller trees and garlands.
I'll write a few more posts about Christmas, but all for now. It's only Halloween now. Don't need to stress anyone out about Christmas, but it's good to purchase things while they're still available. Check out the Amazon Links I've listed on the website to see some other options some of my clients are using this year.
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