VINTAGE CHRISTMAS

Today is Vintage Christmas day at

Have A Daily Cup.  Since practically everything around here is vintage (including us), I wasn't going to miss this opportunity to celebrate with Jann.  Be sure to hop over and visit her delightful blog!

 In my last post I said I wasn't the glitzy, sparkly, glamour type --- well, I lied as I do have a fondness for shiny, vintage ornaments.

Ever since I inherited my parent's and grandmother's Christmas stuff in the 1990s, I have been searching for more vintage ornaments.  I've been keeping the collection under control, however, by buying only those priced way under the current market value.  My search centers on the balls with the cardboard hangers from WW II.  In all of the years I have only found three.  In our part of the country, they must not have been into conserving metal for the war effort; because they sure are elusive!!

In addition, I'm attracted to the vintage tree toppers and bottle brush trees.

I inherited several of the bottle brush trees from my grandmother when I received her collection of cardboard houses.  I love this little church and its tiny bottle brush tree.

We also like the old Christmas postcards which we display on this vintage grocery store receipt rack along with some pictures of our Christmases Past.

Look at this picture of our children taken 40 Christmases ago.  Santa has a death grip on Jenni, and Mike was ready to also grab her if she tried to escape.  Later in the day, we discovered that Jenni had come down with the chicken pox -- we have often wondered if we were responsible for Santa later coming down with the pox.  Plus, did he then have shingles later in life?  He looks a little scared, doesn't he?  I feel guilty........but at the moment we didn't know.

I guess you could consider some of our stockings vintage -- I knitted the first one for Bob before our first Christmas in 1958.

Another touch of vintage - my two grandmothers' and my mother's rolling pins.

I'm joining the following:
Have a Daily Cup for Vintage Christmas Thursday
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Nancherrow for Fridays Unfolded
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

We've spent this week decorating for Christmas.  And after 55 years of marriage, it is so fun to relive Christmases Past as we unpack each decoration.  Below, are some of the vintage decorations that we have picked up over the years while out antiquing and some that belonged to my parents.  My mother always decorated so beautifully for Christmas -- it was a magical time!

 I'm particularly partial to the balls that are indented in design and the ones from WWII that have the cardboard hangers

                      INDENTED ORNAMENTS                             WWII ORNAMENTS                               

                                    GLASS TREE TOPPERS                   GLASS BALL ROPING                                      

On a future post, I'll show you the two trees decorated with more vintage ornaments.

 But now, something vintage with a story -- you probably know we have a story about almost everything in our home!

In 1971 the week before Christmas, our then 3-year old son and I were out doing errands, and we stopped by the dry cleaners to pick up the cleaning.  Why the cleaners was selling Santa Clauses, I don't know; but they were and our son (the Prince of Tantrumland) latched on to one.

 When time to leave, he wasn't about to put Santa down and proceeded to throw a doozy of a tantrum.  I don't know what the child psychologists of today say about tantrums, but my mode of operation then was to get him out of the situation in anyway available.

So, I did what any panicky mother would do -- I paid for the Santa and the dry cleaning and got the screaming kid with a death grip on Santa out of there!!!!

 No harm done, I guess, as I now have a vintage Santa apparently worth more than the $3.00 I paid plus the priceless memory ----

and, our son learned how to behave eventually.

In celebration of this wonderful season, I'm joining the following:
Organized Clutter for Vintage Christmas on 12/7
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks
Sunday View for Vintage View Sunday
So Much Better with Age for Give Me the Goods Monday
The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Knick of Time for Knick of Time Vintage Tuesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday

MORE IS NOT ENOUGH!

I've really enjoyed blogland's simplified spaces for Christmas this season, but I don't think it is in my DNA to simplify when it comes to Christmas decor!

Our kitchen and dining room is basically one space; and, of course, it is where we spend a good deal of time. Over the years, we have collected a good amount of Christmas stuff -- so much of it with memories attached. I find it hard to not put it out to enjoy for just a couple of weeks.

This vintage kitchen cabinet holds a lot of the decor.

There are snowmen I have made over the years, along with part of my collection of vintage bottle brush trees which belonged to my grandmother.

Santas made by friends from vintage quilts.

Several years ago, I made a bunch of these snowmen in vintage blue canning jars to give as gifts to friends. Our grandkids love to shake it and see the snow fly.

Then, there is our collection of blown-glass tree toppers and ornaments from the 1940s-1950s. I'm especially fond of the ornaments with the cardboard hangers made during WWII when metal was scarce.

I bet you thought I was in love with only brown transferware, but I have a nice collection of red, also, which I always get out at Christmastime.

Friends have made and given me so many clever Santas over the years.

My daughter gave me this wreath about 10 years ago, but it received a new adornment and ribbon this year.

I guess 'simplify' is just not in my vocabulary during the Christmas season. There will be MORE in future posts - stay tuned.

I am joining the following Christmas parties. Be sure to check these blogs out for lots of inspiration.

Common Ground for a vintage Christmas on Friday, Dec. 9

French Country Cottage for Christmas Vignettes on Friday, Dec. 9

At the Picket Fence for Christmas in the Kitchen on Friday, Dec. 9

Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive 365 for I'll Be Home for Christmas on Monday, Dec. 12

Michaela Noelle Designs of Holiday Decor on Thursday, Dec. 15

APOTHECARY JARS, TREES & A CLOCHE

Over the years I have collected a few vintage ornaments - some are from family and others were purchased. The ones that I didn't put on the tree this year ended up in the dining room plate rack.

I've enjoyed having the antique apothecary jars filled with some of these ornaments along with the vintage tree toppers on the top shelf.

I'm always on the lookout for the vintage ornaments with a cardboard hanger such as this blue one. These are from World War II when all metal was diverted to the war effort, even hangers for Christmas ornaments.Last year, I made the white bottle brush trees using Manuela's
(The Pleasures of Homemaking)
tutorial for bleaching & dyeing the trees. The only thing I did different was to remove the attached bases and replace them with wooden blocks that I decoupaged with red and white scrapbook papers.

The centerpiece on our dining room table, for now at least, is one of my favorite Jim Shore Santas sitting on a wreath and covered with a cloche.

I'm joining in the following parties:

Linda at Coastal Charm

is hosting a Christmas Open House on Dec. 9th

and

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life

is having her annual Christmas Cloche Party on Dec. 10th

Join these gracious hostesses for the festivities!