Vintage Christmas ornaments are my latest thing.
It could stem from losing both of my parents in the last year, and then finding out that all of our childhood ornaments have gone missing. I fear they were tossed…but honestly, we didn’t have too much in the way of fancy ornaments. My mom was not concerned with things like that. I usually decorated the tree with my dad. I have so many wonderful memories from those times that I will always cherish, so I’m choosing to move on and not dwell on the missing Christmas boxes.
This year I decided to go with only vintage ornaments on my tree. My friend Kami gave me a few ornaments (and one slightly scary vintage elf-on-the-shelf) to get my collection started last year.
Since then, I have been on the hunt for vintage ornaments that I like…although, I’m not really sure what I’m doing. I’m learning a lot about them, though. For instance, they can be expensive. I’ve also become pretty good at eBay shopping…or maybe just better at bidding.
I’ve been scouring antique stores, as well. One sweet gentleman I encountered even explained the difference between old ornaments and reproductions to me.
The older I get, the more appreciation I have for different things, different decorating styles. For instance, I used to strongly dislike mid-century modern. In fact, we once bought a mid-century home and I hated the architecture, but I’ve now come to appreciate it.
I was at the Mayo Clinic this past week and was in awe of the mid-century buildings, type fonts, and even elevator buttons. It felt like I was on the set of Mad Men.
I also follow a blogger who loves all things vintage, and she is opening my eyes to different styles and how to use them and where to find them.
This is my first Christmas without both of my parents so I am muddling my way through with decor, traditions, family and grief…
