It’s the nagging question every vintage and antique lover hates to hear, “Where are you going to put it?” It’s a pointless question, especially when the item is already in one’s possession. Any legitimate collector knows that when the location of a piece isn’t obvious, it’s because the item in question was such an amazing deal only the inexperienced would pass it up OR that it’s obviously so phenomenal only those with no taste would pass it up. Everytime I hear the question, I have to stop my immature, inner Junior Higher from quoting the great Clark Griswold by saying, “Bend over, and I’ll show you.” As I drove deeper into rural South Carolina for this vintage Pond boat, I could hear the husband’s booming, sexy voice, dripping with his Southern accent asking the question. As I was approaching hour #2 of driving, I pulled out the ONE photo of the boat posted on Facebook Marketplace to confirm the boat was worth the drive and THE question. She was better than I thought. Being Solid wood, painted a rustic orange, and adorned with brass nails, I knew I’d find a spot for her. That I have. So in this case, I can proudly say I know exactly where she’ll sit. #vintagepondyacht #vintagepondboat #antiquecollector #vintagecollector #vintagehomedecor #antiquehomedecor #homedecor #rustichomedecor #myvintagehome

Not much to say. Just really, really tired. I love my Snow Goose taxidermy, though. I learned this week that it’s illegal for Auction Houses to auction “taxidermy with feathers” or native animals. I had no clue. I know no details. I just know I own this, and Walter thinks it’s a chicken.

We have no internet. Likely for days. Interested to see what gets done around my house.

“Childhood Memories” Reveal. This section of my Christmas Decor is mixed with vintage beauty and loving memories. Whether it’s vintage metal cars that remind my Dad of his childhood, the bubblegum machines filled with vintage ornaments, the gifts from family and friends, or the beautifully painted Nutcrackers by Abner…. this entire space is about kindness, memories, and sentimental beauty. #vintagechristmas #vintagechristmasdecor #myvintagechristmas #antiquechristmas #homefortheholidays #tistheseason #somewhereinmymemory #vintageornaments #nutcracker #vintagevignette #shelfie

Old World Christmas Section “Reveal” and Detail. Swipe to see the details. As I mentioned, there’s no reason I call this “Old World Christmas” except that it simply reminds me of “Old World” Christmas decor. By far, this is my favorite section. A culmination of my most prized Christmas decorations all in one area. I could stand and stare all day, finding a new details to love. My newest piece is the green Antique Kugel. It’s the real deal, and mesmerizing all on its own. I hope you enjoy this area of my Christmas decor.

I divided my Christmas Decor into “sections” this year. One section I’m calling “Old World” Christmas for no other reason than a lack of creativity. I’ll show the whole “Old World” scene later, but first… the Star of the Show needs his own square. This genuine early German Belsnickel is one of my most prized Christmas items. An insanely lucky thrift store find that I’m certain I’ll never be able to repeat. Belsnickel Santas are, in fact, German Folklore. The Belsnickel is the true Santa’s (St. Nick) sidekick. In the days/weeks before Christmas, Belsnickel will visit the homes of children. He wakes them by tapping their windows with his stick or switch. Upon meeting Belsnickel, children will be asked to recall their good behavior or sing a short tune. Then, Belsnickel will toss treats, cakes, and nuts to the floor, but the children ought not display greed by diving onto the reward prematurely or he would whack them with his switch. The visit of St. Nick’s grouchy sidekick is a reminder to children that they still have time to behave well enough to get gifts from “the boss.” My Belsnickel holds up to the “grumpy” disposition he’s known for in German legend. His chenille framed face appears to hold genuine human emotion, and he is certainly one of my favorite pieces of all time. #vintagechristmas #antiquechristmas #vintagechristmasdecor #antiquechristmasdecor #belsnickel #belsnickelsanta #germanchristmasmarket #oldworldchristmas

The wreath itself doesn’t deserve a square of its own, but maybe this message does. IG has this nagging way of making us look at our houses and be sad. We’re always wanting the new thing or what a big account has. I’m guilty of it. An account I adore talked about “jumping on Amazon and buying a new tree.” The tree was beautiful, and when I clicked on the link, I almost choked on my own drool. It was a $357.00 Christmas Tree! For a split second, the Petty Patty in me came out, “Wow. Must be nice to ‘jump on’ Amazon to buy an almost $400 tree.” The glittery Christmas envy might as well been oozing from my pores. My $17.50 Dollar General tree would just have to do this year. Thinking maybe I could splurge on something, I wandered from the magazine-worthy tree to the wreaths by the same company. I’d be lucky to be able to afford just a sprig, so I moved on and decided I’d try to thrift something this week. Well… the thrift stores might as well be empty of anything Christmas. That’s an entirely different conversation for another day. Unlike every other year, it seems my wreath choices were rather limited. My eyes rolled to the back of my head when I picked up an old, ratty wreath marked with an $8 price tag. I guess that’s what happens when there’s nothing to sell. The one next to it looked even more sad, but it had only a $.50 price tag. That’s closer to my thrift jam, so I grabbed it - knowing it needed a little love. With a little glitter and a $.10 Clearance Bow from last Christmas, I got myself a pretty spiffy wreath for a total of $.60 and about 15 minutes! I see you. I see you scrolling through the commercialized beauty of IG. I see you looking at viral “thrift hauls,” thinking “my area never has anything like that.” Not only do I see you, I’m sitting next to you. 🤣 Still though, I encourage you to steal a few minutes to walk through your subpar thrift stores. When you do, think about how you can elevate anything and everything to meet YOUR price range and taste. New ribbon? New faux flowers? A little paint? A little glitter? Or maybe my FAVORITE-Rub’n’Buff! You CAN do it, and when you do, take pride in it. Creativity is worth more than a few clicks. 😉

What is it about them? The cold glass? The spots of wear on the silver nitrate? The colors we imagine that drench heaven? I don’t know, but they are beautiful. They are magical. They are Vintage Christmas Ornaments. These are going on the tree! #vintagechristmas #christmasornaments #vintagechristmasotnaments #myvintagechristmas #antiquechristmas #antiquechristmasdecor #vintagechristmascollection #shinybrite #shinybrites #ornamentcollection

A brief history of the beloved Aluminum Christmas Tree. #vintagechristmas #christmas #vintagechristmasdecor #christmasdecor #midcenturymodern #midcenturychristmas #mcm #shinybrite #aluminumchristmastree #christmasiscoming #vintageornaments #yeahthatgreenville

The 4th Graders at Abner’s school have put their flair on our Christmas Nursing Home project. 🥹 Their pictures and notes can melt anyone’s heart. I’m certain they will bring joy and warmth to the TWO rural Nursing homes our IG Community is bringing Christmas to this year. ♥️🎄♥️ #vintagelovers #vintagechristmas #helpingothers #christmaswishes #christmasjoy #givingback #tistheseason #christmascards

Tree #2 for this Christmas! All vintage wooden ornaments. These were the ornaments of my childhood. For so long, I’d pass these guys by in the Thrift Store. They weren’t truly vintage because I used them as a child. 🤣 Once Covid came and thrifting became all the rage, and in particularly vintage Christmas items, I started picking up those little wooden ornaments that took me back to my own childhood Christmases. I knew that as ornaments of the Midcentury became harder to find, so too would the wooden ones become scarce at the Thrift Stores. This year, I’m embracing my little wooden ornament collection and gave it a sweet tree for my boys to enjoy. #vintagechristmas #vintageornaments #vintagechristmasornaments

Have you ever wondered where the black ornament “trend” came from? I remember one of the first times I saw them for sale. It was at a big box store and I thought it was comical and went against everything Christmas. Then last Christmas, I bought a small box of vintage and antique Christmas ornaments on Facebook Marketplace. Inside the mix was a very old black glass bell ornament. I loved it! After doing some reading, I came to learn that Victorians loved their black and that included Christmas ornaments, too. Anything the Victorians did was genius and elegant, so I was sold on keeping the bell. I put the black bell on my vintage ornament tree, but it looked more like a black sheep amongst all my blues, pinks, and greens. I’ve been a vintage Christmas Ornament collector for nearly 2 decades, and I didn’t remember seeing many (if any) black ornaments. Turns out that’s because the genuine antique ones are fairly hard to find. When I started looking for more, I realized I was falling in love with the antique dark glass ornaments - black, brown, dark green, and dark purple. Their uniqueness appealed to me, but their prices did not. So I began a more than year long quest to obtain as many antique dark glass ornaments as possible for as cheap as possible. The dark ornaments aren’t glitzy or glammy. They don’t look like sweet treats dangling from the Christmas tree. Instead, they look like ornaments of Christmas Past. They bring a certain kind of maturity and sophistication to my Christmas decor with their first Christmas appearance. Alongside the genuine antique red Chenille bump garland, I don’t think I could be any happier with this new-to-me collection. #antiquechristmas #antiquechristmasdecor #antiquechristmasornament #vintagechristmasornaments #victorianchristmas #victorianantiques #christmasdecor #vintagechristmasdecor #feathertree