Christmas Tree Vintage Styling

For the past few years I have been having has a sense of longing for the Christmas trees and ornaments in the 1950's and 60’s. I do not know where the ornaments went that were at our house while we were growing up. I always remember the shimmering aluminum tree my aunt and uncle had. I believe it came with a revolving color wheel that splashed light on the tree. It seemed so stylish at the time.

Well, a visit to an antique store day before yesterday, November 28, provided me with a small group of vintage ornaments -- plus one lone crystal prism.

Many are not in the best shape, but they serve to evoke the nostalgia for Christmases past.




The lot also included a few Santa ornaments. A couple of them resemble bread dough. One cute little Santa is in an unopened package from Grant, a store which went out of business years ago.



At the Family Dollar store I found a $2.50 tree topper in the style of the fifties.



Then yesterday, Nov. 29, at T.J. Maxx I found a container of 16 silvery and soft gilt pinecone-shaped ornaments for $3.99.


Earlier, at Home Depot I had found a 2.7 ft. silver tinsel tree for $14.99.



This is how it looks so far with the ornaments and topper on:




Actually, I am scared to use the topper on the tree, since it has a warning to not use it on a tree with any metal. To take the pictures, I got the camera ready, then switched on the lights and snapped quickly, and unplugged the tree and the topper immediately. I took this without the lights and the ornaments seem to combine well with the tinsel tree.



Now, I must locate a suitable tree skirt, and also a few small angel ornaments to try to fill out the decorations. I must also select a nativity scene, since each tree at Oak Rise Cottage must have a creche underneath.

I decided to put this tabletop tree in the Living Room since I have not put up the 6 ½ foot tree in there since about 2002:


That big tree is in a box in the Garage. It is very realistic looking and I have missed putting it up each Christmas and filling it with angel ornaments. However, it takes quite a lot of effort to set up the pole in the tree stand, put on the branches, and string on all the lights. Then, it’s time to add all the glass balls and angels.

Maybe I’ll invest in one of those pre-lit, easy-to-assemble trees. In the meantime, it’s fun setting up the much smaller trees. My next project is the 4 ½ foot tree for the Dining Room. That one will have glass balls and nativity ornaments.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. Happy Holidays!