The holidays are one of my favorite times to go thrifting! There are treasures galore and nothing makes me happier than finding little vintage Christmas goodies. They are so playful and colorful. A few weeks ago I went on a big ol thrifting binge and scooped up some fun items to add to my holiday collection.
Most thrifts have a big ol area set up for “seasonal” goodies and while lots of thrift stores are getting picked over, I find that holiday decor and what not is always plentiful! Things I love to look for: vintage ornaments (Shiny Brites! they have the cutest boxes, but you have to look carefully to make sure they aren’t too faded or chipped), little holiday animals, sitting elves, ceramic holiday figurines from the 60s and 70s, dishware, linens (i found a great runner and some cute table cloths!), lawn decor (yes it’s true! Greg scored some amazing vintage lawn decorations a few years ago) and then, of course, Holiday RECORDS!
I’m obsessed with little Dream Pet reinsdeer. They’re so cute! I found all three of these golden horned  fellas at the same time. The front deer (who has golden eye lashes, thank you very much) was found last week!
This little fella is a moose who lost his antlers, but I still think he’s a cutie. He came from an estate sale….
These glasses are so fun. I don’t have all 12 Days of Christmas—we still need Two Turtle Doves and Ten Ladies Dancing! I didn’t snap photos, but i also have some fun holiday tumblers (perfect for egg nog and cocktails!)
This little cutie is the source of debate over here. Wolfie likes a proper star on the top of the tree. I think she is pretty awesome. But I don’t want to impose my taste on the entire family ALL the time (just most of the time, heh….). So when he informed me that this year was a STAR year, I sadly packed her back up. I feel like last year we did the star too…hmmm.
Have you been finding some fun vintage holiday goodies for your house? Or have you done a vintage holiday post yourself? Â Add the link in the comments so we can see! I’d just love to see some of your favorite Christmas treasures!
PS
I wanted to include one of those little widgets so your blog links would be right at the end of the post, rather than in comments. But the one i found was super complicated. Anyone here used one that they could recommend??
There are only 2 things I’m REALLY obsessed with –vintage kids stuff and vintage Christmas! I just found a reindeer like the ones you have but without horns at the thrift store for 50 cents and immediately bought her a mate on Etsy. I think I have at least 30 or so knee hugger elves and I’m always keeping an eye out for those pinecone elves–you know what I’m talking about? They are sooo creepy/cute!!
You’re my kinda gal, elizabeth! My two favorites toooo!
actually I had forgotten about the pinecone elves!!! i don’t have any of those….i’d love to see pic of your collection!
http://missshapes.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-vintage-christmas-obsession.html
Here ya go!! Enjoy!!!
your stash is insane!!
I have this desire to link to a photo of me in a fake Tony Orlando style moustache…….
Gah! That giraffe with a bow tie…I LOVE him! Such cute things, and definitely one-of-a-kind! x
the giraffe kills me. I guess he’s not really christmas, but he looks so festive i just had to let him join the party!
Is that the ceramic tree with the light bulb inside?!? I was JUST saying that my grandmother had one and I SO want it. (If only we had room in our house for it now.)
YES! That actually was from an estate sale i went to last year…..they had two, this one and a smaller one. I LOVE them!!
I actually have a smaller one I found at the thrifts that is just missing its light bulb. I’ll bring it to the sale this weekend if you want! (it’s small house friendly!)
Alas, I can’t make it to the sale. 🙁 Too much traveling madness next week to make time for an Alameda excursion. But maybe we can work out some kind of delivery/pick-up…?
i’ll take a photo of it to see if you are interesting in buying it or not!
My grandmother had one too!
I don’t know if I can wait til this weekend when we get our tree to start decorating! Vintage Christmas stuff makes me so incredibly happy!
I love that metal sleigh/candleholder thing you have best and your angel tree topper is so great- but I know that we have to try our best as mommies not to monopolize the holiday decorating. It is hard, though!
I love that think too! I don’t have candles for it (plus is seemed a little precarious) but then i thought it would be cute to hold my little critters.
Yep, I’m with you. I mean, i fill the house with loads of my stuff but I try hard not to turn it into a girlie palace! haha
fabulous collection. i passed on those glasses (12 days of xmas) over this summer and now am kicking myself that i didn’t come home with the whole set. love your decorating, it looks so festive. 🙂
We have drinking glass overload here at our house….so I walked past them like, 8 times. Thinking “Greg will kill me….MORE GLASSES!”
But then I thought “Ok, how about I pack up some of our usual glasses and bust these guys out….and then after christmas i swap ’em out!”
Is it crazy? But they’re really cute…..AND Greg loves them.
Apparently they were made as a Pepsi promotion in the 60s and 70s and I’ve noticed that the glasses come in difference shapes. The 60s version is shorter and more square….the later 70s version is tall and has a rounded bottom. (Shake that disco booty, little drinking glass!) hah
The way I go through water glasses, I should get MORE of them! You neve have enough! NEVER! You need to do a post about Happy Days!
Oh and could we talk about that weiner dog at the bottom. I swoon!
My parents sent out a good chunk of holiday ornaments, but I still miss some of the classic holiday goodies that have sadly disintegrated through the years. Like these amazing cake toppers that my Mom had. Sigh!
I ADORE vintage Christmas ornaments! I picked up one of those golden horned deer somewhere last year and couldn’t wait to pull it out this year! I also try to replicate all of the ornaments I had as a child by finding them on Ebay 🙂
Great post!
Hi Dottie!
I am a HUGE fan of Dream Pets. I have a collection of three reindeer and a beautiful red doe with white spots. I am super lucky because there is a mid-century consignment shop a half block from our place that has an amazing Christmas spread every year, so I can just walk in and pick one up! I shared them on my blog this past weekend. I’d post the link here, but don’t want to look too spammy!
I do like the idea of you installing that widget that let’s us easily look at each other links. I have discovered so many great blogs that way in other comment sections.
Cheers! Tiffanie
hi hi!
It’s actually Alix on this post…although Dottie shares my love for vintage every bit as much. Please DO link your blog! It’s not spammy at all! That was what I was hoping people would do!!
: )
Haha, sorry Alix! I saw Dottie above on a comment and got it switched.
Here is the post which includes my Dream Pet herd:
http://bloggingcornerblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/tree.html
What about that upright tall mousie Pet you show in your post? I gotta have me one of those!
You found some great stuff – I’m so inspired! We put our decorations up last weekend… not all vintage but everything was found at my local Goodwill Christmas Shoppe, including some Shiny Brites 🙂
http://fade-into.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-took-some-time-this-weekend-to-put.html
ooh, love your holiday decor! i have a vintage ceramic tree i just found that’s similar to yours! i blogged about it here!
geez what is with our boys and their anti angel stance?! D is pro star – i’m pro angel.. its a guaranteed contentious issue every year!
so jealous! what a great collection!
I have one of those ceramic trees with the light bulb in it — thanks, Mom’s church rummage sale. I also nabbed all the 70’s decorations from my childhood when she decided she wanted a Victorian-looking tree, so it’s doubly nostalgic. We used to have those flat plastic candy canes and reindeer, but alas they have disappeared.