Our Christmas decorations: vintage, thrifted + new

Hello friends,

With less than a week to go before Christmas, I hope you haven't yet had your fill of Christmas interior shots. Decking out my home in all sorts of trinkets at this time of the year is something I've always enjoyed. Even when I was single and living alone, I would lug a tree up to my second floor condo, so it's perhaps no surprise to those who know me that I go a little crazy with the Christmas decor now that I have kids.


The one thing that has changed is that I now rely heavily on vintage and thrifted items mixed with my newer items to create a unique look. I've bought dozens of new ornaments for years, but it gives me special pleasure to be able to add some ornaments with a little more character and patina that usually comes with buying vintage and thrifted.


I recall being so excited last year when I chanced upon vintage crocheted ornaments at the thrift store, thinking fondly about the person who took the time to crochet around an ornament. You can see one of those crocheted ornaments on our tree in the top photo above of our living room (look closely on the lower right corner).


Our tree and the vintage-inspired Christmas village that I wrote about last year are now mainstays of our holiday decor, but I have fun putting together new vignettes with many of our ornaments. In the tablescape below, I used a Santa that my mom gave me a few years ago, a thrifted Restoration Hardware vase to house a couple of tree branches I salvaged from the ground while getting our Christmas tree, a tiny thrifted birdcage, and a rummage sale find of vintage red books that I bought for 25 cents each.


I don't recall whether I've shown you our chalkboard wall before, but it ended up forming the perfect backdrop for a little vignette I created on a red shelf with Anthropologie ornaments, a thrifted Pyrex glass, and twigs collected during our family nature outings during the summer.


The character ornaments are, of course, for my kids since this wall is in their play kitchen area.



I have a special fondness for miniatures so I was thankful that this wall became an excuse to indulge my inner child. The black chalkboard allows the colorful objects to stand out more and forms a nice focal point.



My mom always has poinsettias at this time of the year so I decided to get one this year to continue the tradition.


Here is where I perhaps start to go a little overboard with the holiday decor because I also add a few Christmas touches in our bedrooms. My son's room gets a toy Santa, who was quite appropriately visited by all the family members in my daughter's dollhouse. The toy dolls had the opportunity to tell Santa what they want for Christmas, while his snowman helper took notes.


My beloved pink vintage ornaments go into my office and my daughter's room.



There is more that I could show you, including our collection of snowglobes, but I fear being labeled the crazy Christmas lady! Like most everyone, I do so enjoy everything about this season and having children is a great opportunity not only to continue old traditions but also to start new ones. We have spent the past week crafting, drinking hot chocolate and practicing our favorite Christmas carols.

What do you have in the works in these last few days before Christmas? Do you prefer to spend time at home indulging in holiday activities, or do you prefer the hustle and bustle of last-minute shopping and holiday carousing? Perhaps a little bit of both? Whatever you're doing, I hope you're enjoying much time with loved ones while enjoying holiday activities that make this season so memorable.

Warmly,

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9 comments:

Sharona said...

Very pretty. For some reason, it reminds me of Santa Fe at Christmas, with all the pinon.

Heartfire At Home said...

Minnie, there's so many gorgeous things to love here!! I adore crocheted ornaments. I have quite a few felted ornaments, some given to me by one of my students. I actually love them so much they hang off my doorknobs all year round.... red hearts with white stitched on them, and a couple of white snowflakes with the snowflake stitched on them in red. Gorgeous!

Your little miniature felted house with the tree next to it is so cute!

I LOVE your Santa in the chair for the kids - too cute! I also think the idea of vintage ornaments is beautiful, I'm going to try and gather some of those for next year.

I must admit I've been so super busy this year with the end of school, report writing (280 to do), and various meetings and documentation that I've been seriously remiss about the Christmas decorating.

I never do Chrissy decos until after my birthday early in December, so I should have got my backside into gear last week, but haven't added what I usually would.

I've still got all this week, so I'm off to get into the holiday spirit!!

Linda. xox

P.S. I really love that chest in your living room... it's divine.

Anonymous said...

What a nice home you have. And I like the decorations! I love that there is a bit of this and that, and most are fun.
Pink ornaments...Next year I could put up a mini pink tree in my bedroom. I don't know where because it's a small room, but I would love it. I have Christmas light coming down from a shelf, and it's so sweet to fall asleep with those lights on.
bobbi

Minnie said...

As always, thank you for your comments.

Sharona, Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that since you know how much I love Santa Fe. I have tried to infuse my home with a little bit of this and that, hoping it's a true reflection of all the places we've been and hope to be, both physically and metaphorically.

Linda, It's never too late to add a touch of Christmas to your home, even if it's just a few branches from a Christmas tree or a few favorite ornaments hung someplace. That chest in my living room is a treasured find from Craigslist. I had to drive a bit far to get it but it was well worth it.

Bobbi, I have a sweet image of you falling asleep surrounded by your kitties.

Thrifted Treasure said...

They're all so beautiful and colourful, hope you have a wonderful Christmas :-)

Jenn said...

Thanks for sharing! Your decor is beautiful ... I especially love the red shelf (and cute miniatures!) against the chalkboard wall.

I also really like the yellow couch. The shape is amazing!

Unknown said...

Lovely photos!! I also love to mix in vintage and handmade ornaments and decorations with newer stuff. In the rush up to Christmas, I am almost always trying to finish up any handmade gifts I've started and packing (my family is spread out, so I'm always flying to some place or other each year). But when I do get a free minute, I love to walk around downtown and look at all the lights, decorations, and shop windows. Every city has their own take on holiday traditions, and it's fun to see how each town decorates.

torrie said...

Hi Minnie! I'm finally coming off of a blog-reading hiatus, and trying to get on with the new year... a fresh start. Although the holidays are over, I have actually enjoyed getting caught up on my reader- and seeing all of the holiday posts (probably more than if I read it during the 'holiday chaos!'

Your holiday decor looks beautiful, and next year, be sure to show us that snowglobe collection! :)

Leigha said...

Beautiful home. The details are lovely.

Leigha