5 Things To Make Your Home Feel Vintage This Christmas

Christmas is certainly the most wonderful time of the year. And bringing vintage into your decorating theme is the perfect way to evoke the Christmas spirit of times gone by. Life was simple. Things were handmade. They were built to last. It was about using what you had and sharing with friends and family. It wasn’t about how much crap you have or how big your tree is. Here at the farm, we are surrounded by history. Incorporating vintage elements, especially at Christmas, brings extra warmth and personality into our home. It reminds me of people I love who are no longer here. It elevates the ordinary, everyday things and celebrates their beauty. Even if you don’t live in an old house it’s easy to make your home feel vintage this Christmas. Try some of the ideas below.

Handmade Decorations

A long time ago before plastic, people decorated their homes with natural and found elements. Children made paper garlands. They strung popcorn or dried fruit to hang as ornaments. A handmade decoration shows you’ve taken a little extra time and given your space a little extra thought this year. You haven’t dug out the same tired old ornaments and slapped them on the tree. By making or up cycling your ornaments, you are truly celebrating Christmas. Try making an orange garland one weekend. The very act of sitting down and threading the slices onto twine is relaxing and slow. Hanging the garland from your window will instantly make your home feel vintage this Christmas.

Make Your Home Feel Vintage with Hand Me Down Ornaments

Yes. The bling sucks me in every time. When it comes to decorations, I’m like a Bower Bird, falling in love with all the bright shiny things. But as much as I love those new glittery baubles, I appreciate the ornaments I’ve inherited the most. I will always find a way to bring them into any Christmas theme. I don’t care if my angel looks weird with the rest of the tree. I don’t care is she’s so old she looks a little tattered and worn. She is on the top. She has been there every Christmas since I was born. Our kids made little bead decorations when they were young. Those decorations will always sit on the mantel. The memories they bring are worth more than a coordinated scheme to me!

Use Traditional Colours to Make Your Home Feel Vintage This Christmas

Nothing says vintage Christmas like red, white and green. These traditional colours have been used for decorating for centuries and meant good luck or an end to the winter. But many people find red hard to decorate with and have shied away from using these colours. I am one of them! This year, though, I’m loving how vibrant our farmhouse looks with red and white pops everywhere. It seems to fit the Victorian era our home was built in. I haven’t used a lot of red but in the spots I have it feels very traditional. In fact, visitors have commented on how lovely our home looks this year. I think its the vintage vibe they’re getting from the colours I’ve chosen!

Use Vintage Style Fabrics and ‘Real’ Garlands

This might seem so easy to do, but if you bring real natural elements into your home this Christmas rather than faux, your house will take on a more vintage feel quite quickly. A garland of cut eucalyptus or pine smells divine and will add more personality than a fake one. I cut branches of cedar and spruce from the garden for the top of our dresser. It’s simple and compostable but adds a vintage feel that a bunch of fake mistletoe will not.

Using ribbon instead of tinsel also has a vintage feel. One quick garland idea that’s has a very vintage feel is to create one using paper from old books. Cut the pages into bunting, tree, star or gingerbread man shapes and glue them onto jute string as I did in our hall for Christmas 2019. The Victorians used ribbon and popcorn strings to decorate their trees. It feels far more vintage to decorate with these than strings of plastic. If you choose a plaid ribbon as I did, your home will have an instant vintage feel.

Bake A Traditional Recipe

I think baking has had something of a resurgence in 2020. We’ve been forced to stay at home and many of us are trying new things. Baking is such a fun way to pass the time, as long as you don’t eat it all at once! A long time ago I used to bake every Christmas. I’d make cookies for my friends, put them in a Christmas tin and tie them with a big Christmas bow. The last few years I’ve been too busy. And my friends have resorted to giving me bought gifts too. But what better way to spread traditional Christmas cheer this year than to bake something to share. You might take a plate to work or give them to your friends. The very idea of cinnamon and gingerbread smells filling the house is vintage to me!