Decorating for Christmas with vintage items is fun, sustainable, and will also assure that your decorations are the best in the neighborhood because they’re the only ones that nobody else has! I looked through the shops in the Artisan Shopping Directory to find some fun Christmas decor items that are available now. Even if these sell out, these vintage sellers are always rotating their inventory and adding in new finds, so check out their shops to see what other pieces they have available.
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Why vintage decorations for Christmas are better than new ones.
There are so many reasons why vintage Christmas decorations are better than buying new ones, some of which are:
- They’re unique, so you won’t find them on the shelves at the big box stores.
- They’re sustainable, don’t require materials to manufacture, and fit a zero-waste lifestyle.
- They bring a nostalgic feel to your home that goes well with the holiday season.
- They fit a variety of home decors, from farmhouse to mid-century modern.
- They allow you to incorporate your own family heirloom pieces to carry on traditions.
- They’re versatile and can be used in different ways to style tabletops and mantels.
If you decide to incorporate vintage Christmas decorations into your home decor this year, start with some of these ideas.
Vintage Christmas tabletop decor.
Vintage tabletop decor can be used for Christmas meals or just to liven up an everyday breakfast or lunch. No need to save the china for fancy dinners. Add some vintage choices in with your modern china, or use an entire set that you find at a yard sale or thrift store to set a table that’s themed for the holiday.
One of my friends gets full sets of china at a local resale shop that has good prices, and she sets her table using them until she wants a different set. She’ll re-donate the original set and get another one at that point, so she always has a variety of dishes on hand to set an interesting table. If you’re lucky enough to have a set of the Spode Christmas pattern definitely use that…If not, look for seasonal designs, or find sets with red and green accents.
If you don’t have a full set of china, look for small items that you can put out around your house to decorate. Here are some ideas for some sets of tabletop decor and china that would be fun to use.
This vintage glass plate is a nice display item, and you can also use it to serve treats to guests. Get Christmas decor like this at Music City Dish Daze on Etsy.
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Vintage Christmas mantel and knick knack decor.
Vintage Christmas knickknacks can be a cute addition to mantel designs, entryway tables, or as decorations on bookshelves. These items and many others can be found in the Artisan Shopping Directory members’ shops, browse all of them here: Vintage finds
You can use these in combination with each other on a mantel or tabletop display to make a busy-looking display, or focus on one or two if you want a more minimalist look.
Take an evergreen garland and drape it across your mantel, then add a bunch of holiday-themed knick-knacks and tabletop decor. Put some colored ornaments into the mix, and you’ll have a beautiful Christmas mantel display that’s original and was easy to do using things that you already have.
Here are some of the types of things that you should look for around your house to use in displays like this.
A ceramic Christmas tree that lights up…Get more mantel decor at Music City Dish Daze.
Vintage candlesticks and holders.
Vintage candlesticks make a nice addition to table decor or mantels, and these examples are some of the ones that are available at the time I wrote the article. Check back for more, because the fun of buying vintage lies in the novelty of discovering unique items, and vintage sellers are constantly updating their inventory as they find new things to list in their shops.
Take a bunch of candlesticks and pillar candles and cluster them together in a random arrangement that’s higher at the back than at the front to make a nice group that sits against a wall. If you’re going to put it in the middle of a table as a centerpiece, arrange the tallest ones in the center and cluster the shorter ones around them.
Vintage brass wash tub.
If you see a vintage brass tub like this one from A Stitch Or Two on Etsy, buy it! They can be used for so many things inside the house, or you can put it on the porch or deck with decorations in it. This one could be filled with Christmas gifts, pine branches, or red and green poinsettias.
Decorating with vintage Christmas ornaments.
Vintage ornaments can dress up the Christmas tree, but they can also be used in bowls, scattered on tables, and draped like garlands. In this Christmas mantel there are ornaments all over the mantel itself, and also on the wreath and the garlands that drape down the sides of the mantel. If you get vintage ornaments instead of modern ones it will add a vintage aesthetic to the entire display.
You can also put bowls with ornaments in them around your house on tabletops, or hang ornaments on transparent fishing wire and suspend them from the ceiling. My mother once had a Christmas party and hung ornaments all over the living room ceiling that way, with a little bit of the 3M removable tape holding the strings up!
Here are some different types of ornaments that you can use, and some that are available in vintage shops online.
Vintage textiles.
Vintage stockings and other textiles can be a fun way to add some retro graphics to your home during the Christmas season. Set the table with a vintage tablecloth, or use them to make short curtains for the kitchen or bathroom. You can get vintage linens in thrift stores, online vintage shops, and probably in your own linen closet if you do some digging.
You can also make Christmas stockings out of old textiles like tablecloths and quilts, if you don’t mind cutting them up. Use a piece of backing fabric that’s new to give it some stability in case the older fabric is fragile.
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Vintage drinking glasses.
When you’re hosting holiday parties, break out these festive drinking glasses to style your bar. It will give your home bar a unique look, and if you get some inexpensive sets at resale shops you can mix and match to give your guests a choice of the kind of glassware they use for the party.
Vintage ugly Christmas sweaters.
And finally, I saw these beauties in Ag’s Vintage Cove and had to share them. Because while you’re styling your home with vintage Christmas decor, you can also style yourself. Look in your own closet to see if you can find anything red, green, or ugly Christmas themed, and if not, check resale shops starting in October to see if people are donating theirs.
