You don’t have to buy all new decorations to have a beautifully decorated home at Christmas. Scour yard sales, barn sales and antique stores year round to find vintage decor to use at for the holidays.
I love the nostalgia of Christmas, and that shows in all the vintage decor I use when I’m decking the halls.
Recently, my son told me he likes how I make things look “old fashioned” at Christmas.
That’s one of the highest compliments he could have paid me.
Tour Our Home Decorated for Christmas
To see how we have decorated our home for Christmas through the years, visit these posts:
- 2020 Christmas Home Tour
- 2019 Christmas Home Tour
- 2018 Christmas Home Tour
- 2017 Christmas Home Tour
- 2016 Christmas Home Tour
- 2015 Christmas Home Tour
- 2014 Christmas Home Tour
- 2013 Christmas Home Tour
As much as I enjoy browsing stores, magazines, catalogs and even blogs looking at all the gorgeous, brand-new designer Christmas displays, I can’t resist old, previously loved, timeless vintage decor pieces.
How I Use Vintage Decor at Christmas
I shop yard sales, barn sales, thrift stores, antique shops and my parents’ and inlaws’ house looking for vintage items I can use to decorate at Christmas and throughout the year. (I have even been known to grab things left as trash on the side of the road.)
Tip: Think outside the box when you’re shopping for vintage items for Christmas. If you find a box of Shiny Brite ornaments or a vintage blow mold Santa, definitely buy them to use in your holiday displays. But don’t pass on non-holiday items. Many different types of vintage goods can be used in Christmas displays.
This wooden stove board, decorated with a homemade swag made from Dollar Tree items, was a freebie from a friend.
A lot of these vintage finds show up on my Christmas porches.
Sometimes, the things I find are definitely Christmasy or wintry, like this vintage sports gear.
Or my collection of Shiny Brite ornaments.
I just love a tree all decorated in vintage glass ornaments.
Especially if it’s a pink Christmas tree.
But more often than not, the vintage decor pieces I use at Christmas are just everyday items, like a pile of old books, a plaid Scotch tape tin and a green seltzer bottle.
The colors, and the addition of things like greenery or bottlebrush trees, make them seasonally appropriate.
I’m always on the lookout for things I can use in creative, unexpected ways at Christmas.
I used a vintage brass planter from my mother-in-law’s house for our chinoiserie Christmas tree with hydrangeas.
A milk glass bowl is perfect for setting a holiday scene.
I love old trucks and cars. Add some trees and snowballs, and you’re set. And the quilt? My mom bought it decades ago at a yard sale for 75 cents! The colors and design are perfect for a rustic, farmhouse Christmas.
I love filling old vases and bowls at Christmas with florals, ornaments and greenery.
A silver ice bucket makes a nice planter for a poinsettia.
A stack of blue-and-white bowls — all thrifted — looks pretty sitting on our coffee table.
This homemade Christmas potpourri smells amazing, and it looks pretty, too.
And this old tennis trophy bowl looks really festive filled with greenery, antlers and sleigh bells.
Thrifted blue-and-white chinoiserie vases and pottery are so pretty when paired with evergreens and seasonal ribbons.
Olive buckets are great for snowballs, pinecones or greenery.
Red enamelware vessels are great for holiday propping, for Christmas and the Fourth of July!
Vintage toys help set a festive scene.
Roller skates and ice skates are pretty when adorned with holiday patterns and ribbon.
I go mad for anything plaid, whether it’s a rug, a vintage train case or a Thermos.
If you need a pop of red, think outside of box! This vintage fire alarm box is definitely seasonally appropriate.
And let’s not forget about a little green…
This chippy crock sits on my kitchen island year round, but at Christmas, I’ll add a mini tree and ornaments to it.
A green Allsorts bin looks pretty styled with a tree inside.
An old wooden toolbox, painted a fabulous green, is the perfect Christmas coffee table.
A green demijohn filled with sparkling lights and a green glass decanter definitely give off Christmas vibes.
This vintage dough bowl that was part of my Christmas mantel decor didn’t have to go back into the attic on Dec. 26.
Sometimes, it’s all in how you style things.
This old silver tray isn’t Christmasy, but it sure looks that way with the addition of a boxwood wreath, jingle bell ribbon and other accessories.
Old books, especially green and red ones, make pretty Christmas displays.
A brass deer takes on a festive air in December.
Santa’s naughty and nice list is an old piano roll.
And did you see the Christmas wreath I made from vintage rhinestone jewelry?
These stockings are made from old burlap bags.
A message of joy turns a vintage child’s chalkboard into Christmas decor.
Vintage kitchen utensils and linens in a wire basket are a fun holiday touch on the kitchen table.
Fill thrifted teacups and Christmas mugs with bottlebrush trees and old ornaments to create a pretty vignette.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas for using vintage decor at Christmastime.
How do you plan to use vintage items in your holiday decorating? Do you collect vintage Christmas ornaments or other antique holiday decorations?
Pin This! How to Use Vintage Decor at Christmas
I origially shared this post as part of the Home for the Holidays 2016 Christmas tour. Visit these other bloggers for more Christmas decorating ideas.
Theresa @DearCreatives
Hey Amy, Happy holidays I love all your vintage and pretty touches to your Christmas decor. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party! Pinned & shared.