There are many types of vintage Christmas ornaments that are can be found online or at your local antique store. You could probably easily find some at flea markets or even thrift stores, as well. For the best prices, the best time to buy vintage ornaments is during the off-season. As soon as Thanksgiving rolls around, prices tend to start rising, especially for online auctions. But if you see something you like, it pays to bid now or look for a Buy It Now opportunity. Often, an ornament that is fetching high bid prices in traditional auctions can really skyrocket, but if you take a look at Ebay Express you can frequently find a duplicate of the more popular sorts of Christmas ornaments for much less money.

The two most collectible time periods for ornaments tends to be the Victorian period and the mid-century modern stuff. Ornaments made between the 1940s and 1960s by the Shiny Brite company are particularly collectible.

You’ll find a variety of vintage Christmas collectibles so don’t limit yourself to the traditional glass balls. You can find Victorian Christmas decorations, beads, tinsel, and artificial Christmas trees and wreaths. One of the most collectible Christmas decorations is the artificial Christmas tree. The Space Age era aluminum Christmas trees are particularly popular, but many collectors also enjoy the feather trees that were popular with the Victorians. There are also Christmas lanterns and candles from companies like Gurley.

If you want to make collecting vintage ornaments an annual tradition, one way to begin is to start with the Christmas tree. For the first year’s purchase you could start with an aluminum Christmas tree and color wheel. Then each successive year, buy some ornaments to decorate it, or consider a vintage tree topper. Once the tree is fully outfitted with ornament, then it’s time to consider the rest of the house. Vintage bubble lights make an attractive adornment, or some stockings for the fireplace. The Victorians liked to dress their dinner table with ornate mantels that run the length of the table.

Your family and guests surely will be amazed and captivated when they see and feel the nostalgia to be brought about by the variety of different vintage decorations you’ve put together and it will make your holiday environment both whimsical and unique.

Most people looking for vintage holiday decorations are probably searching for vintage Christmas ornaments, but don’t forget the vintage Christmas lights that can also be added to your decor — whether on the Christmas tree itself or decorating other parts of the house.

Emma Martin loves vintage collectibles, especially Halloween and Christmas decorations. You can visit her website at: http://www.retroholiday.com/

Plan a tree decorating party.

Firstly, you will have to decide if you are going to use a live tree or an artificial one. Live trees are popular – reserve one well in advance to make sure that you are not disappointed.

Now plan the tree decorating party. Set the tree up in a spacious spot – where there is place for everyone to gather around the tree and there is space to put the gifts under the tree. Cover the container that holds the tree with green paper. Purposely leave your tree naked, and invite your friends, family and especially the children to dress it up for you.

Make a list of what you need to decorate the tree:

• Ornaments
• Tinsel
• Glowing strings of lights
• Art materials to make ornaments
  • Card board
  • Glue sticks
  • Glitter
  • Magic markers
  • Yarn
  • Cotton balls
  • Popcorn to pop (Try to get colored microwave pop corn)
  • Construction paper
  • Large needles with a large eye
• Bake gingerbread men, stars and hearts
• Cookie icing and sweets
• Prepare stencils of hearts, stars, snowflakes and snowmen

On the day:

Lay out your collection of ornaments and lights, as well as art materials.

Gather the older children and let them pop the corn. Pop enough corn to make pop corn strings and for eating. Eating pop corn while decorating adds some fun.

Ask for volunteers to make pop corn strings by threading pop corn onto long sections of yarn.

Instruct the younger children how to make star, heart, snowflake and snowmen decorations. Demonstrate the use of a stencil. Cut out the different shapes. Cover the shapes with shiny paper or paint and decorate them with glitter and magic markers. Everything goes — even the hideous ones will be funny. Write the names of all the guests on a heart or star decoration.

Make a few bowls with cake icing, each a different color. Put the different sweets into small bowls. Gather the youngsters in the kitchen and have a gingerbread man decorating demonstration. Leave the rest to them to decorate.

Once all the decorations have been made gather everyone around the tree and decorate. Don’t forget to put the fairy on top!

Lastly, switch on the tree lights.

Now your tree is ready for gifts to be placed underneath.

Themes – There are several options: You can use one single theme for your entire home or create a different theme for each room. How to do it? It all depends, certain families might prefer one colour that dominates all others, some a set of matching ornaments that appear all over the house.

Leave nothing untouched – How about bringing Christmas in to unusual spaces, such as the bathroom? It can be much fun to decorate unusual places. Don’t forget practical thinking – refrain from using materials such as paper or water paint in wet areas and watch for places that produce heat – I’m sure your home to be “burning with enthusiasm”.

The Christmas tree – If you opt for living trees, make sure you’re going to cut the stump with a fresh cut and put it in water immediately. You want to cut it diagonally, making the area of absorption larger. Set reminders and check the water level a couple times daily for the first week and refill if needed. If you have space in your home, it’s fun to put a tree in the smaller rooms as well. Get a mini-tree for the kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom, and get it to match with the theme of its surroundings.

Fake snow – Instant snow can be so much fun, it doesn’t melt and can produce many hours of joy.

The big snowman – Why not make a snowman right in your living room this time? You have two options – either you can use fake snow or paper, glue, a couple cheap inflatable balls and white textured paint. The rest is up to your imagination!

Lights – Instead of mimicing the presentation of a Christmas store, think about using lights with slow transitions and new colours that will accent the best features both outdoors and indoors as well. Often it’s just the matter of changing the light bulbs or use suitable coloured sheets.

Candles – Candles are an element which shouldn’t be missing from any Christmas decoration. The easiest way to make them more attractive and personal is to get blank candles of any colour and use three dimensional textured paint.

Christmas garland – Garland is one of the best tools to cover door frames, window frames and the edges of mirrors with. Don’t forget to secure the decorations with tape or something similar.

Reusing Christmas cards – You can cut out elements from Christmas cards, old or new, and put them on various items, such as curtains or tablecloth.

Bells – Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the bells. With ribbons, you can tie them together and knot at the top. Drape the bells over a door knob, this way they’ll ring every time as someone enters or leaves. Watch out, it might get a tiny bit irritating after a while!

As always, there are no limits for your imagination! Christmas is a great excuse to entirely change the feel of your home. It will not only bring a little variation but will affect you and your family’s mindset – which can result in stronger bounding and many wonderful memories that you will never forget.

And Scottish Christmas are a mixture of different customes from Europe and USA. In result, everything goes around shopping, food, Christmas tree and decorations.

Shopping heat starts very early – just before Hallowe’en when shops start filling up with a variety of gift ideas. Shopping centres are decorated with fairy lights putted not just into the trees but almost everywhere. And also as in America Santa appears in shopping centre and children can stand in the queue to tell him what they want for a Christmas gift, and are given a small toy. One of the signs that the Christmas are coming is that the neighbours are decorating their houses. They are doing it usually with light up musical Santas climbing into windows and fake snow being rolled out across roofs. The smallest one can join in the countdown by using advent calendars, which have little doors that opens for every day in December with a little chocolate in it and picture behind. The calendar is ending on Christmas Eve. Of course on this day children are thrilled with excitement of waiting for presents, usually left under the Christmas tree. Sometimes kids can find their gifts the next day – in stockings filled by Santa as children were sleeping. On Christmas day all family is gathering around the table, eating turkey, pudding or chocolate cake (swedish Yule log), drinking wine or champaigne, and hopefully waiting for snow.

So as you can see it looks just as in any country in Europe or in USA. The things that are unique for Christmas in Scotland are beliefs associated with scottish Christmas like “Bees leave hives Xmas Mornining” or a Black Bum cake. There are also scottish gifts. Only in Scotland you might get for a present: original scotch whisky, wool kilts (in Tartans or in solid colors), and even picnic blankets or a Scotland’s Unique Cat Breed – the Scottish Fold. And also specific is that the presents are opened very carefully to make sure that the wrapping paper can be used once again.

In order to answer that question, I decided to do some research and I found that there are several possible stories behind the Christmas stocking. No one is exactly sure which story, if any, is true. However, the most accepted story entails a man whose wife had passed away and left him with three daughters to take care of. He was not a rich man and he was worried that even though his daughters were kind and gentle, they would never get married because he could not afford to pay their dowries.

One day St. Nicholas, also known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, was walking through town and overheard the townspeople talking about the mans dilemma with his three daughters. St. Nicholas wanted to help but he knew that the man would never willingly accept money from him. So he waited until it was dark and went to the mans home and dropped three bags of gold down the chimney, one for each girl.

It just so happened that the girls had washed their laundry that evening and had hung their stockings by the fireplace to dry. When St. Nicholas dropped the bags of gold down the chimney they landed in the girls stockings. When the girls woke up the next morning and went to get their stockings they discovered more than enough gold to pay for each of their dowries. Each girl then got married and lived happily ever after. Once word spread of how the girls had found gold in their stockings, everyone started hanging their stockings by the fireplace in hopes that they would be as fortunate.

While we do not hang our laundered stockings or socks by the chimney to dry, most of us do honor the Christmas tradition of hanging a stocking on Christmas Eve. The biggest difference is that now our stockings are made in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures and they are made especially for use as Christmas stockings. Instead of putting gold in the stockings, we put special gifts in them. If we are really bad during the year, we might just get a lump of coal instead of gifts.

I am intrigued by the fact that what may be an old wives tale could create such a wonderful tradition as Christmas stockings. The story of the father and his three daughters started a tradition that is now as much a part of Christmas as Santa himself. Christmas just would not be the same without Christmas stockings.

MINIATURE “MINI” CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS

Mini lights were introduced in the 1970’s as a solution to the excessive power consumed by C7 and C9 lights. Their lower wattage, brilliant sparkle and diversity make them an ever popular choice.

The quality of Christmas tree mini lights will dictate the life of the bulbs; the less expensive the string, the shorter the life. Inexpensive string lights only last about 300 hours, plan on replacing them every year. The better quality mini lights can last up 2,000 hours but will cost you more.

Most Christmas tree mini lights come in strands of 50 or 100 bulbs but other choices are available. Some string lights are designed to stay lit even if a bulb burns out (this is called “wired in parallel”). Be sure and replace the burned bulb promptly as the voltage to the remaining bulbs will increase and reduce the life of the string lights.

DECORATING WITH CHRISTMAS TREE MINI LIGHTS

The important thing to remember with incandescent Christmas tree lights is to never connect more than three strings together.

Mini lights are suitable for both indoor and outdoor decorating. They are mostly used in indoor trees, outdoor shrubs, around tree trunks, as window borders and as accents to other decorations. Basically anytime a large amount of small points of light are needed for the desired affect.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN C7 and C9 LIGHTS

C7 and C9 bulbs are generally considered traditional outdoor Christmas lights. Their large size makes them easily visible and bright.

The difference between C7 and C9 bulbs is mainly the size of the bulb and the wattage. They are available in either 2,000 hour life (120V) or 3,000 hour life (130V). C7 light bulbs are about 2 inches while C9 light bulbs are about 3 inches. The wattage varies anywhere from 3.5 watts up to 10 watts depending on the bulb size.

C7 and C9 lights use screw type sockets so bulb replacement is easy.

DECORATING WITH C7 & C9 LIGHTS

Because these lights are large, they make an excellent choice for decorating large outdoor trees and shrubs, building perimeters, fences or anywhere that a “classic” holiday look is desired.

Once again, you can only connect up to three strings together at once.

ROPE LIGHTS

Rope lights are the “new kid on the block” in holiday light choices. Essentially rope lights are just mini lights encased in a PVC jacket. There are a multitude of colors available and a variety of lengths making them an easy and affordable choice. Retail stores generally sell them in lengths of 3, 6 and 8 feet. Rope lights can also be purchased in spools of 50 and 150 feet for larger projects. Rope lights sold in spools can be field cut at 3 or 6 foot intervals for custom looks and designs.

DECORATING WITH ROPE LIGHTS

Rope lights are an excellent choice for creating figures, designs and as accents for walkways, handrails and borders. Their flexibility makes them perfect for creating shapes like snowmen, reindeer, wreaths and the like. They are limited only by your imagination.

One thing to note with rope lights is that if one bulb burns out, then a section anywhere from 3 to 6 feet will also burn out. If you have a long continuous run you can splice in a new length. If you’ve purchased short lengths then the entire rope light will have to be replaced.

The quality of the rope light will determine its dependability, so as you evaluate your choices bear in mind that the less expensive rope lights may have to be replaced much sooner than their more expensive counterparts.

Decorating with lights is the most effective way to create a festive atmosphere any time of the year. We’re all accustomed to seeing Christmas lights in the winter and Halloween lights in fall, but string lights can be used for any special occasion. Select the right string lights for your project and you’ll be pleased with the brilliance and sparkle they give to any holiday or event.

The very first artificial Christmas tree was nothing like the fabulous recreations of woodland beauty we see today. Today an artificial tree not only looks great, but it will continue to look its best throughout the holiday season and can be reused every Christmas, making it an economical choice. In addition to being quick and easy to set up, artificial Christmas trees have a compact design for easy storage.

Once you have your Christmas tree in place, be it real or artificial, you need to decorate it. Whether you are decorating a natural evergreen or an artificial tree here are some tips for making the entire experience a little less disorganized. If you have little ones that are prone to pulling ornaments off of trees, it may be a good idea to invest in one of the already decorated trees that have ornaments that can’t be removed.

Ornaments

Last year if you packed everything in an organized way, you won’t waste time sorting through damaged ornaments and piles of old tinsel. When decorating, place ornaments openly on tables so that family can move about freely and add their special touch to the tree at will. This may also help to keep your precious glass ornaments away from the prying fingers of children. Whatever ornaments you decide to go with, you will want to space your ornaments and have large and small ones spread evenly amongst the tree branches.

Lights

Did you know In 1882, Thomas Edison’s assistant decided to use his boss’s invention to add a more “twinkly” effect to the Christmas tree – lights that ran on electricity. What an invention! If you wish to wrap lights or tinsel around your tree, do it before you hang the ornaments. This will help protect the ornaments from falling off while you work. I like to bury the lights just a bit inside the branches, so I add them as I put up the branches a couple of rounds per layer. This creates some depth to the tree, a few glowing lights hidden inside the branches. Be generous with your lights as they give the tree an opulent effect and give it impact when viewed at night.

Garlands

Any type of Christmas tree including the real, artificial or wall mounted Christmas tree looks great decorated in garlands of popcorn or tinsel. You could also make garlands with white and green licorice snaps. Use your imagination, think outside the box.

Whether you’ve decided to have a real tree or an artificial one, everyone can enjoy the ritual of hanging the lights, draping the garlands and swags and trimming the tree with your favorite Christmas ornaments. This is family time at its best.

Artificial wreaths are made from plastics and other petroleum based products. You’d have to be living on the moon to not know that petroleum is not a renewable resource. This alone should motivate people to not purchase artificial wreaths. Most artificial wreaths are made in China whose demand for petroleum is increasing by 25% a year as more Chinese can afford to have cars. Petroleum is used to make the plastic for artificial wreaths and more petroleum is used to transport them to the United States.

The biggest reason people buy artificial wreaths is because they last for many years. They have an expected life of nine or ten years. Most people don’t keep them that long and of course they end up at the landfill where they will stay for 5000 years or more.

Live Christmas wreaths have many environmental benefits. They’re recyclable if you take the wires and rings off. Many communities have recycling programs in place during the holiday season to pick up your Christmas trees and wreaths. They are chipped and made into mulch. However, Christmas wreaths are usually kept on doors far past the holiday season.

Real Christmas wreaths are a renewable resource. The trees are not cut down to harvest the branches used for Christmas wreaths. Around 12 to 18 inches of the branches are cut off or tipped as we say in Maine. These branches continue to grow year after year. Real Christmas wreaths are more of a renewable resource than even real Christmas trees. Even though Christmas tree farms typically plant up to three more trees for every one they cut down they are still cutting one down. Tipping trees is kind of like pruning your shrubbery. The branches grow back.

Live balsam fir trees used for Maine Christmas wreaths are the most fragrant of all the fir varieties. Approximately 85% of Maine is forests. Forests are very important in the fight against global warming. Trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and release oxygen. Burning fossil fuels to produce plastics adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere contributing to global warming.

Consumers concerned about the environment should choose a live Christmas wreath over an artificial wreath as it is recyclable, renewable and less of a contributor to global warming.

In addition to Christmas trees, a large number of families have small Christmas signs or pictures throughout their home. These signs and pictures often state a Christmas message or have a picture of Santa. Your children could easily make their own paintings or drawings, often with the supplies that can already be found inside your home. Your child’s picture would likely look great on your refrigerator or you could even frame the picture and hang it up somewhere else inside your home. This type of Christmas decoration craft project is ideal for children of any age and, as previously mentioned, is a great way to save money since you likely already have all of the needed supplies.

Another fun Christmas decoration that your children could do is make a centerpiece for your dinning room table. In fact, you may also want to use that centerpiece for your Christmas dinner. If you are looking for a somewhat elegant centerpiece, you could easily have your children make their own. You can do this by purchasing artificial flowers, a large bowl or vase, as well as other decorative items. Your children can easily arrange these items to create their own unique centerpieces for your dinning room table. It may also be a good idea to let them be crafty. Your child may also be able to create a centerpiece in the shape of Santa or a Christmas tree by using construction paper and a few other small supplies.

The above mentioned Christmas craft decoration ideas for kids are just a few of the many that exist. In addition to using your own craft ideas, you can also find a number of other fun Christmas craft projects for kids online. You can find a collection of ideas by performing a standard internet search. Also, in your local library or at one of your local book stores, you may also be able to find a collection of Christmas craft books for children. These books tend to outline the supplies needed, as well as give detailed directions on how to make Christmas decorations. These decorations may include Christmas drawings or paintings, tree ornaments, table centerpieces, and much more.

Regardless of which type of Christmas decorations you allow your child or children to make, they will likely enjoy the experience, especially if you participate as well. For a child, there is nothing like seeing their Christmas drawings hanging on the walls or their Christmas ornaments hanging on the tree. That is why you are advised to let your children make their own Christmas decorations. As mentioned above, there are a number of decorations that they can easily create; decorations that may require little time and money.