Golden Era Christmas Tree decorations??

[LocktownDog]

I haven't decorated in years. I've got a tiny house and bad holiday attitude. My ex puts up a purple tree with a Lorax puppet on top and the gaudiest ornaments anyone has ever seen. :eusa_doh: I have always preferred a more natural "north woods" or "old west" type look. I have long since lost those old family ornaments from various moves and an ugly divorce. And its depressing as hell.

 

[Cricket]

Oh, I forgot, a Lionel train running around the Xmas tree is a must! We've got the Polar Express engine and tender, and will add older looking metal cars. I've got three vintage Lionel Blue Comet cars that date to the 20s or 30s, but won't use the newer plastic PE cars.

Oh yes, a train is a must. As a child, there is nothing better than a train set, especially around the Christmas tree.

We have started a tradition of buying our son a train set each Christmas. He is only celebrating his third Christmas this year so our collection is small at the time. But it is something special to add his "trains" to the trains and other sets that have been passed down through my family.

The newer sets may not be vintage, but the tradition is one that has lasted for years.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Trains at xmas-woo hoo! Or should that be choo choo! We started with a xmas starter set in "G" scale (large scale) running around on a circle of track around the tree when our daughter (she's now 15) was a baby. Each xmas we'd add another xmas car to the consist. Soon the little starter set engine couldn't pull the weight- so an other engine arrived... soon there were enough cars that they started looping the track circle... a bigger circle... only after several years did we get into Lionel "O" scale too! Watch out, it all snowballs from there! you KNOW that the Dept 56 buildings are a good but not perfect compliment to "O" scale, right??

Oh yes, a train is a must. As a child, there is nothing better than a train set, especially around the Christmas tree.

We have started a tradition of buying our son a train set each Christmas. He is only celebrating his third Christmas this year so our collection is small at the time. But it is something special to add his "trains" to the trains and other sets that have been passed down through my family.

The newer sets may not be vintage, but the tradition is one that has lasted for years.

 

[23SkidooWithYou]

A few years ago, I used to be very into Christmas and alternated themes.

I have pink and white satin balls used with pastel accented white carousel horse ornaments, pink and white lights and a pink angel topper with silver tinsel for a more Victorian feel.

If I use multi lights, it's more of my childhood tree with a hodgepodge of colorful ornaments or my multi colored beaded Mickey Icon ornaments.

If I use clear lights, I use more of a natural/country theme. I bought small grapevine wreaths and plaid Christmas ribbon. I swirled the ribbon around the wreath, just lightly for accent, finished with skinny red satin bows/loops at the top to hang and inserted sprigs of dried baby's breath at points under the ribbon. The biggest expense was the little wreaths but they hold up so well, they've paid for themselves over the years. I also made red plaid ribbons that are just placed randomly on the branches. Red satin balls, red bead garland and my red/green angel topper. This is probably my favorite tree! It has a bit of an old fashioned feel because of the rustic wreaths and the plaid.

This year, I can only do an itty bitty tree in my bedroom because our downstairs is ripped apart in incomplete renovations. I'm doing a 2 foot Evergleam...but with 2 exotic shorthair kittens...not sure how long I will be able to keep it up and/or if decorations will last. I figure the historically correct Bradford ornaments are all shatterproof so maybe...[huh]

 

[23SkidooWithYou]

I haven't decorated in years. I've got a tiny house and bad holiday attitude. My ex puts up a purple tree with a Lorax puppet on top and the gaudiest ornaments anyone has ever seen. :eusa_doh: I have always preferred a more natural "north woods" or "old west" type look. I have long since lost those old family ornaments from various moves and an ugly divorce. And its depressing as hell.

How about a little potted live evergreen you can plant outside later on? Plop it on an end table and find yourself one new ornament you really like. It's a start, new memories and all that.

Or, could you buy a few bird seed ornament type thingies to hang on an existing outdoor tree? I would think that still counts as a Christmas tree, maybe even more so since your helping nature too.

Most of my Christmas is tied to my Grandparents. My Aunt is still in that house, so she still controls all the inventory, so to speak. I already lost the Lionel train with the rocket launcher and target car to a cousin who never even saw it put out! He's 11 years my junior and they had cut back on decorations by then. So, I can relate only a little when it comes to losing your memories. (I was told my Gram said he gets the train and I get her china but funny, my Aunt still USES that, lol.)

 

[Carlisle Blues]

This are too big for the indoor tree but they do adorn the outdoors...

 

[Cricket]

This are too big for the indoor tree but they do adorn the outdoors...

This just instantly warmed my heart.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

^^^

ThankYou!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Foofoogal]

I bought some vintage tall candles like that to go in the yard this year. I am on lookout for more outdoor vintage decoration. Fabulous Carlisle.
When I was a child they had a neat shop with a large window on the corner of downtown. Every year they had a big Santa Claus that went from side to side waving. It wasn't Christmas till that showed up back then.

 

[flat-top]

Homegoods stores have a TON of vintage style decorations: bottlebrush wreaths and small trees, small cardboard villages and houses, assorted firgures and such. Check them out!

 

[clubwitsend]

Just to let you NYCers know, Dullsville is back in town with their AMAZING selection of antique and vintage and kitschy Christmas items! The details:

143 E 13th St (ring buzzer marked 'Dullsville)-- its on the 2nd floor
(between 3rd and 4th ave, closer to 3rd, north side of street)

 

[clubwitsend]

 

[flat-top]

Just to let you NYCers know, Dullsville is back in town with their AMAZING selection of antique and vintage and kitschy Christmas items! The details:

143 E 13th St (ring buzzer marked 'Dullsville)-- its on the 2nd floor
(between 3rd and 4th ave, closer to 3rd, north side of street)

How crazy are the prices at this place? We're heading into the city tomorrow to do our big Christmasy day, and would love to check it out, but I'm pretty broke!
An OT side note...tomorrow is my last day off until Christmas, and only my 3rd day off since Thanksgiving....retail stinks.

 

[clubwitsend]

How crazy are the prices at this place? We're heading into the city tomorrow to do our big Christmasy day, and would love to check it out, but I'm pretty broke!
An OT side note...tomorrow is my last day off until Christmas, and only my 3rd day off since Thanksgiving....retail stinks.

Some of the prices are pretty high- they do know what they have and the rarity of it...BUT...you can get some cute vintage bulb ornaments for $3-7, and some of the cool postcards/paper goods are affordable. In either case, its neat to see the stuff!!

 

[flat-top]

Homegoods stores have a TON of vintage style decorations: bottlebrush wreaths and small trees, small cardboard villages and houses, assorted firgures and such. Check them out!

I know it's early, but I just wanted to give a heads up--Homegoods has cool stuff again this year. I just picked up a great "chalkware" wreath today for only $7.99.

 

[Decodence]

"I can see you are a man who knows his trees....... I'll knock two buck off and tie it to your car for you..."

 

[Viola]

This is my first Christmas, ever, and my hubby's first Christmas as far as his own tree and stuff, so we're setting up what we want and how we're going to do it. We have a tree, and he found a box of the kind of lights he wanted (he's a purist so there was lots of "well not THOSE" and "that's the wrong color!" lol) and we have some decorations.

At the moment we've mostly done some classic glass globes and some metal ones, but we've already spent just a hair over a hundred dollars (I can rationalize that every bit of it can be used for years and years but still, ouch) and we don't have a wreath for the front door or anything yet. So what would be retro/vintage/classic and a bit thrifty?

I'm going to try to make some things and if it doesn't look horrible I may even post pics.

 

[Wally_Hood]

This is my first Christmas, ever, and my hubby's first Christmas as far as his own tree and stuff, so we're setting up what we want and how we're going to do it. We have a tree, and he found a box of the kind of lights he wanted (he's a purist so there was lots of "well not THOSE" and "that's the wrong color!" lol) and we have some decorations.

At the moment we've mostly done some classic glass globes and some metal ones, but we've already spent just a hair over a hundred dollars (I can rationalize that every bit of it can be used for years and years but still, ouch) and we don't have a wreath for the front door or anything yet. So what would be retro/vintage/classic and a bit thrifty?

I'm going to try to make some things and if it doesn't look horrible I may even post pics.

Do you mean first not-with-your-family Christmas, or you've never celebrated Christmas? Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[Viola]

First Christmas ever*, so I'm new at all this. If I had done it since I was little I probably would have more idea of what to do, or could draw on memories of Grandma's or whatever. I'd probably also have a big box of stuff already, I'm the type who hoards glittery things.


*I have been over other people's houses, when I was little, but I certainly wasn't taking in many style tips beyond "hey, the tree lights up"

 

[Polka Dot]

I'm thinking back to my grandmother's Christmas tree, which everyone used to joke had looked exactly the same for 50+ years. Tinsel is a must -- and cheap -- and I think you can get a very vintage look with the right choice of basic ornament. She used balls, but she also used a lot of a more icicle-shaped ornament. They looked something like this, though hers were blue. And as mentioned up-thread, Shiny Brite was her brand of choice.

Something else you can do that is a really nice tradition to start is to collect dated ornaments -- 2010, 2011, 2012, etc. It's so nice to decorate the tree each year and reminisce about past Christmases. In general I'd suggest starting small, and then collecting things year by year.

As for what goes under the tree, my grandma was quite particular about how to wrap her gifts. She'd use a patterned wrapping paper first, and then cover it with a clear cellophane tinted red or green, and it made for a very nice effect. Of course, she'd save all the paper from year to year, so that's another way of keeping costs down.

Have a very merry Christmas!