Why go with Vintage Christmas Decorations this year?

I was musing the other day about why we should consider an old fashioned Christmas for our house this season (other than I just love it anyway!!) And one of the reasons that seem predominate in my thinking is that in times of turmoil, we tend to revert back to safer times and warm memories. For some of you with difficult families growing up, going back might not seem like a good idea at first. But usually there are at the very least a few special times that might make you smile! It is the same reason that we tend to like Classic songs or styles or decorations. After all, not too many people are into futuristic modern art or home styles of that nature. We all long for security and wrapping our homes this holiday season with vintage Christmas decorations is one way of showing just that!

Why do we tend to like the old movies like “Christmas in Connecticut” or “Its a wonderful life” or “The Bishops Wife”? These are enduring movies with family orientated themes that stir up emotions deep within. In our household, we have many of these old movies and some newer ones like “Home alone” and “Chrismas with the Kranks” to name a few. I think there are a lot of great reasons to watch these old movies, but perhaps there may be deeper reasons as well.

As the family structures have tended to deteriorate over the last couple of generations and we have been told that there are all types of different ways to make a family, most everyone I know still believes that the traditional family is still the bedrock of our society! We all wish that we would have had “perfect” Moms and Dads and some wish that they would have had at least a mom or a dad, but we can’t go back. We have to make new memories for ourselves to pass on a heritage that is enduring!

Before it gets any closer to December 25, NOW is the time to go out and find those Vintage Christmas decorations. Look at rummage or estate sales in your neighborhoods. Check out Craig’s list or Ebay. Look in your local newspapers. Check with older relatives who may have some of these buried in the attic or in the garage. They may have extra ones that they don’t need. You don’t need a lot of them to get the flavor of it started. How about a box of old “Shiny Brite” glass ornaments or some other Victorian style ornaments or furnishings. The closer we get to Christmas, the faster the prices will rise for these!

Break out the old movies, fill your house with the old songs by Perry Como, or Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. Put some mulling spices out for aroma and fill your tree with great old fashioned ornaments! And above all else, remember that Christ is the reason for the season!!
Blessings to you all!!

 

For more great Vintage Christmas Decoration stories and gifts, please visit http://vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

Why go with Vintage Christmas Decorations this year?

I was musing the other day about why we should consider an old fashioned Christmas for our house this season (other than I just love it anyway!!) And one of the reasons that seem predominate in my thinking is that in times of turmoil, we tend to revert back to safer times and warm memories. For some of you with difficult families growing up, going back might not seem like a good idea at first. But usually there are at the very least a few special times that might make you smile! It is the same reason that we tend to like Classic songs or styles or decorations. After all, not too many people are into futuristic modern art or home styles of that nature. We all long for security and wrapping our homes this holiday season with vintage Christmas decorations is one way of showing just that!

Why do we tend to like the old movies like “Christmas in Connecticut” or “Its a wonderful life” or “The Bishops Wife”? These are enduring movies with family orientated themes that stir up emotions deep within. In our household, we have many of these old movies and some newer ones like “Home alone” and “Chrismas with the Kranks” to name a few. I think there are a lot of great reasons to watch these old movies, but perhaps there may be deeper reasons as well.

As the family structures have tended to deteriorate over the last couple of generations and we have been told that there are all types of different ways to make a family, most everyone I know still believes that the traditional family is still the bedrock of our society! We all wish that we would have had “perfect” Moms and Dads and some wish that they would have had at least a mom or a dad, but we can’t go back. We have to make new memories for ourselves to pass on a heritage that is enduring!

Before it gets any closer to December 25, NOW is the time to go out and find those Vintage Christmas decorations. Look at rummage or estate sales in your neighborhoods. Check out Craig’s list or Ebay. Look in your local newspapers. Check with older relatives who may have some of these buried in the attic or in the garage. They may have extra ones that they don’t need. You don’t need a lot of them to get the flavor of it started. How about a box of old “Shiny Brite” glass ornaments or some other Victorian style ornaments or furnishings. The closer we get to Christmas, the faster the prices will rise for these!

Break out the old movies, fill your house with the old songs by Perry Como, or Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. Put some mulling spices out for aroma and fill your tree with great old fashioned ornaments! And above all else, remember that Christ is the reason for the season!!
Blessings to you all!!

 

For more great Vintage Christmas Decoration stories and gifts, please visit http://vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

History of the Christmas Ornament- Part Two- The Christmas Post Card Ornament

My wife, daughter, and grandchild Caleb recently visited a quaint little community of Cedarburg WI in particular a wonderful little shop named “Good Things from the Heart”. If you are ever near Cedarburg, you must see this shop. It is in a decent sized two story Victorian, but it is so chocked full of goodies that my wife says she gets “sensory overload” when she walks through it. I must agree!! There is so much merchandise crammed in that it is difficult to walk through it all and really hard to see everything.

I particularly wanted to visit the Vintage Christmas Decorations displays which were outstanding! I picked up an old fashioned Santa Claus Post Card Ornament which depicts a rosy-cheeked Santa holding an American flag dressed in a red colored gown covered with gold stars. I absolutely love it and can’t wait to place it front and center on our tree in a month or so!

Doing a little research, I found that these type of ornaments can be traced back to England about 150 years ago. Apparently there was a chap named Richard Armour who said that “You cannot reach perfection though you try however hard to there’s always one more friend or so you should have sent a card to.” His friend Sir Henry Cole agreed and realized that it was getting more and more difficult to send out individual Christmas greetings because of the sheer volume of acquaintances that he felt compelled to send them to. After all, as the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, he had made a large number of friends over the years. He always used the Christmas occasion to remind his friends that it was incumbent upon them to help the poor and destitute especially during the Chrismas holidays.

To meet this challenge, Sir Henry came up with a solution! He commissioned John Calcott Horsley to paint a card that would depict the caring of the poor, feeding and clothing and such. It also displayed on the center panel a happy family embracing one another, sipping wine and enjoying the celebrations. The card however drew instant criticism because it showed a child enjoying a sip of wine which was deemed to be “fostering the moral corruption of children.” The card had printed on it “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” 

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Holiday cards were designed by Kate Greenway who was the Victorian children’s writer. Most of these cards were quite ornate, many decorated with silk, fringe, and satin. They were cut out in shapes of fans, crescents, and bells, birds, candles and even plum puddings. Some cards were cut out so that as maps or puzzles, they could be fitted together. There were even pop-up cards that when opened became tiny mangers or even skaters.

It took almost 30 years before Louis Sprang, a German emigrant to the U.S. opened a lithographic shop with $250 and published the first series of Christmas cards. His early creations depicted flowers and birds, not particular to Christmas. By 1881, he was producing over 5 million Christmas cards per year. He began to feature snow scenes, fir trees, crackling fireplaces, and children playing with toys. His cards are very collectible today.

A trip to the local Hallmark store yesterday showed just how far we have come with the evolution of Christmas cards. In addition to the other Vintage Christmas Decorations that they have on hand, the variety of cards is truly quite amazing. I particularly like the cards where you can record your own message or where you push a button and a theme from a movie might play. How about cousin Eddie talking about His RV and how he and misses need to spend some quality time alone? (From the Christmas Vacation movie)

Why not start your own traditions and begin collecting Vintage Christmas cards and ornaments? It can make Christmas last all year long!

For more articles like this one and unique Vintage Christmas gifts, visit http://www.vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

History of the Christmas Ornament- Part One- The Pickle Ornament

 

A truly vintage Christmas decoration classic comes from the Pickle Ornament. For those of you who have not yet heard of it, it is simply a glass ornament that is in the shape of a pickle! It can be either a dill or a gherkin, it comes in various forms. It is not the shape or style of the ornament as much as it is the use of it.

For many generations, families have been hiding a pickle ornament on their tree as part of their traditional Christmas celebration! In my family when our kids were still at home, my wife and I would make that one of the last orders of business on Christmas Eve. As the kids were all tucked in fast asleep and we were winding down from wrapping the presents, we would then hide the pickle ornament! That task was usually my treat being 6’4”, I could reach up a bit higher than my wife and find the best spot possible! With a green ornament on a green tree, it was naturally camouflaged which made the task a bit easier. The object also was not to make it too difficult when the kids were a lot younger so that they could eventually find it without ripping the tree apart!

As our kids grew older, we had to make it more challenging, so we would hide the ornament somewhere else in the house ala easter egg hunt type of thing. That would make it a bit tougher and more valuable for the lucky finder. Usually we would have a special present reserved, but in a pinch, cash will do quite nicely.

Now that I’ve told you a bit about how our family handled the pickle ornament, lets take a look back at history to see where it actually came from. The tradition most likely came from Germany when parents would hide the pickle ornament and a lucky child would find it. The story goes that the child in addition to receiving an extra present from St. Nick would also receive good fortune for the next year.

There are others who debunk this story and claim that it was more likely a Bavarian who came to America and fought in the Civil War. The Bavarian’s name was John Lower and he was captured and locked up in the notorious Andersonville prison. Nearing starvation, he convinced a jailer to get him a pickle to eat. Having gotten a surge of life from this kind offering, Lower survived and began his own tradition of hiding a small glass pickle ornament in the family Christmas tree. Its finder on Christmas morning would benefit from a year of good luck.

It is obviously impossible to track down the authenticity of these stories or fables as one might call them. The important thing is start your own family tradition and begin to celebrate as so many of us have over the years with a Pickle Ornament!! Let this become a vintage Christmas decoration in your home!!

For more great articles and gifts, check out http://www.vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

 

Vintage Christmas Decorations Ideas and Where You Can Find Them

For those of you older folks like me, you probably don’t have a hard time remembering what Vintage Christmas Decorations were all about! So with that in mind, it is a good idea to incorporate Vintage Christmas Decorations into your Christmas décor. This will no doubt bring a merry cheer to your family and guests!

Vintage Christmas Decorations not only give a special touch and feel to your Christmas décor but they are highly reflective of a particular period or era. Some of the decorations that are emblematic of that period include aluminum Christmas trees. You know the one like Grandma had mounted on a circular mirrored rotating pedestal with changing lights focused on it? Another popular one was vintage musical Christmas bells where you had 8 or 9 bells strung together and covered in a gold plastic.

Then of course there were all of the elves, angels, stars, and ornaments! Each one of these types represents a class all by itself! The warm memories that vintage Christmas decorations bring are truly becoming a popular subject nowadays! I have taken some time to list places where you can find these types of Vintage Christmas Decorations at a bargain!

Just like any seasonal products, you can usually find them in the off season and with these decorations, that is also true. The best time to look for them is in spring and summer. This is when you can pick up some deals! Sometimes your local rummage sales are a good spot to find collectibles and ornaments! And for the right person, these can be a diamond in the rough! Unless you are really desperate, don’t expect to pick up bargains just before Christmas, as the demand will be higher at that time.

There are of course many online sources to get them, but I would recommend E-bay first. We have a few really nice year round Christmas stores up here in the North Woods in Door County, WI that are really worth the trip. Email me if you want some more info on that. It is best to plan ahead and that even holds true for Christmas presents in general as you can take your time and find those special bargains throughout the year. All that you need is a closet or two of extra space and you’re in business!

Then there are always estate sales, thrift and resale shops, St. Vincent, Goodwill and the like. We have picked up a number of really nice Vintage Christmas Decorations by cruising the local rummage sales her in Wisconsin.

Vintage Christmas decorations seem to be making a comeback.  There’s something about traditional Christmas decorations that takes us back to a time when things were more predictable and when we felt safer! We can all remember going to Grandma’s house and the smells that permeated the kitchen where we would sneak a peek to see what Grandma was baking. We can all agree that Christmas is far too commercial these days and seems to start earlier and earlier. So this year, try filling your house with some good old fashioned Vintage Christmas Decorations and see if it doesn’t help to bring back that old familiar Christmas spirit.

For more great articles and gifts, check out http://www.vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

Vintage Christmas Decorations and Traditional Christmas Carols

Each of us can remember fond memories of older times when we would meet for Christmas celebrations at home and church and listen to old fashioned Christmas carols.

Each of us has memories coming from Christmas songs that we treasure since our childhood. As a child, I can remember singing Christmas carols in our local church Christmas program. And over time, these same songs that are so enduring, we have come to love. Legend tells that the first Christmas hymn would have been sang when Jesus is born. Can you imagine that it is well over 2,000 years ago? However, it is only during the 1200’s that Saint Francis of Assisi made Christmas songs published in a language understandable and spoken by everyone rather than Latin.

Also during those times, we would gather to enjoy quality family time with each other. We would decorate our homes with Vintage Christmas Decorations which greatly added to the festivities! Over time, people have always gravitated back to times that felt safer.

Vintage Christmas Decorations not only give a special touch and feel to your Christmas décor but they are highly reflective of a particular period or era. Some of the decorations that are emblematic of that period include aluminum Christmas trees. You know the one like Grandma had mounted on a circular mirrored rotating pedestal with changing lights focused on it? Another popular one was vintage musical Christmas bells where you had 8 or 9 bells strung together and covered in a gold plastic.

The Christmas carols from our childhood are still commonplace in most churches although for the last several decades, there have been some public schools that have chosen to avoid this practice. I feel that they do this to their detriment as they are robbing our kids of a grand heritage that may not get passed on to the next generation!

You have to go back to 1447 to find the first instance of Christmas carols being mass produced. That is when Guttenberg invented the printing press and instead of hand writing the popular carols, they could be distributed in large quantities.

The largest part of well known Christmas carols have been written from the mid-1700s to the early 1800s and are still popular today. For example, the “Messiah” was performed for the first time at a charity event in 1742.

To begin to decorate your house with Vintage Christmas Decorations, it is helpful to do it in phases. First, pick up an aluminum Christmas tree and then add some collectible ornaments, perhaps Victorian ornaments. You may even choose to purchase an antique feather type Christmas tree from the Victorian era.

Either way, it is a good idea to look for any type of Vintage Christmas Decorations earlier in the year, preferably Spring or early Summer when the prices are at their lowest. You can check online at E-Bay or others, and you can also check your local rummage sales, thrift stores, and the like.

Taking the time to think through your decorations, will ensure that your guests will be captivated when they get a taste of the nostalgia created by the variety you’ve put together and this will help make your holiday experience memorable.

So, this year, when you gather your family and friends around the tree to observe the holidays, make sure you decorate with Vintage Christmas Decorations. You’ll be glad you did!!

For more great articles and gifts, check out http://www.vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

Making Vintage Christmas Decorations a part of your family tradition!

The neatest vintage Christmas decorations I think come in the form of vintage style ornaments. We have purchased several over the years and also received many different types from family and friends. The fact that we collect them does make it somewhat easy for those loved ones who pick out our gifts and we are more than happy to receive them!

The Victorian style vintage Christmas ornaments that are the most precious to me were the type that my Mom had made perhaps 35 years ago. It was a simple design made out of a Styrofoam ball with beaded ribbons adorning the sides and ruby colored tear drop jewels dangling from the bottom. As Victorian Christmas ornaments go, it is quite simple, but it obviously has the most value to me!

There is something special about a traditional vintage style Christmas tree with vintage Victorian ornaments side by side with more modern types of ornaments. We also have lots of other home made ornaments that were made by our kids over the years. Some are football related, some are basketball, etc. They hold a priceless value to us!

One neat type that you can make is a photo type ornament. Take a nice picture of your child and then insert it in small frame which you can glue to a homemade ornament. The style that you pick is not as important as the picture that is attached to it! If you have kids still at home, then it becomes a traditional festive event to come up with ideas for vintage Christmas ornaments or vintage Christmas decorations as well.

The Victorian era was all about flair and romanticism and I feel that this is sorely needed in today’s Christmas planning. The idea of bringing the past back to life adds a certain warmth to the holidays amidst all of the gross commercialism that seems to arrive earlier and earlier each year!  Our idea of Christmas is first of all celebrating Christ’s birth and then celebrating family and sharing.

You are probably wondering where you can find some of these Vintage Christmas decorations for yourself! If you are looking for a Victorian theme, you will probably wind up with a reproduction instead of an original. But don’t feel bad about that. The originals are hard to come by and are very expensive! Most are done quite well and you can get the look and feel of it without forking over the big bucks!

The options are abundant, especially if you surf the Internet. A great site to check out is Ebay as many individuals will have their family cache of ornaments probably listed especially during these hard times!  You can also check out the local rummage sales or perhaps St. Vincent as well. Also check out flea markets and local antique stores. Another tip is to look for these in the off season which would be from early spring to summer. You can probably save 20% to 50% buying during this time.

And if this Christmas came and went before you had time to get involved, just begin planning early for the next one. You might even consider phasing in different rooms of your house each year for Vintage Christmas decorations so as to not make it too much of a burden in one single year. Here’s hoping that faith, family, and friends will find you well!!

For more great articles and gifts, check out http://www.vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com

How to Decorate with Vintage Christmas Ornaments as part of Your Vintage Christmas Decorations

The thought of using Vintage Christmas ornaments is something that has caught on once again! It is once again becoming popular to use as Vintage Christmas Decorations. Does it make sense to use decorations from the bygone era in your modern day decorations today? I think so and I can list some reasons following in this article.

One obvious reason is that by using Vintage Christmas ornaments, you will set yourself apart from others who don’t use them!

Another reason is that these types of ornaments engender sentimental feelings for many, especially those of us that are a bit older. It helps us to remember our past and even to relive it a bit from the many memories that we get when we observe.

Also, I don’t personally think that the decorations of today can really match up with those of a tender past.

And this does not just include something as simple as glass balls that you might remember, but it goes to aluminum trees, beads, tinsels, and much more.

If you have decided to take the plunge and use vintage ornaments for celebrating Christmas in 2009, here are some tips!

1. Think about what period you want to display: The Victorian era, especially the mid-19th century period, look great and are perfect for celebrating Christmas. However these may be very expensive and hard to find. Another alternative would be some that are more modern, perhaps from the 1940s through 1960s!

2. Consider where to buy them from: Probably the last place that you want to look is from the local antique vendor. While they may what you want, you will most certainly pay a premium price. A better idea to add to your Vintage Christmas Decorations is to mine local rummage sales and flea markets.

Another good place to check is online. In addition to Googling for them, you could check out E-bay which tends to have a good selection and you usually have the option of buying now or placing a bid.

Vintage Christmas Ornaments come in many forms, some of them are made out of cardboard, some are made of hand blown glass, and some are made of vintage aluminum. We have given away some of these precious items as gifts and they are heartily received!

Handmade garlands, small candles and wreaths ornament the particular fiesta dinnerware; brass bells and tins, or wreaths made of pine boughs are the most popular and common Christmas vintage ornaments that people buy or make today. You can also look for trees and tin cans, beads, tinsels and small angels made of glass or porcelain.

Above all else, whatever you invest in, you will really be investing in our grand American hertitage! The nostalgia that you will create will be talked about for years afterward. And each year, you can feature a different period. So use your imagination and have fun with it. Just remember to take your time and look for these little gems during the off peak Christmas season and before you know it, you will be ready to go!

For more great articles and gifts, check out http://www.vintagechristmasdecorationsblog.com