Vintage Christmas Tree Ornaments

Blue Monday is sponsored by our gracious Sally at Smiling Sally. This post is also being linked to Vintage Christmas Monday, hosted by Joan @ Anything Goes Here.

Here are some of the vintage ornaments I bought in December 2008. I just enjoy the colors.

In November 2007 I visited a local antique shop and selected these blown glass indent ornaments. The redflective indents really look pretty on the tree.

My finds included a few Santa ornaments. A couple of them look like they’re made of bread dough. One cute little Santa is in an unopened package from Grant, a store which went out of business years ago.

The vintage and other ornaments seem to combine well with the tinsel tree I bought in 2007 at Home Depot:

Merry Christmas to all our blogger friends and their loved ones!

Holiday Show And Share – Christmas Collections I

At The American Homemaker Angie is sponsoring the new weekly feature, Holiday Show and Share: "The holidays are quickly coming upon us. Do you have a favorite holiday tradition? A favorite holiday recipe? A great holiday party idea? A holiday decoration you’d love to show off? How about a favorite holiday picture of your family? Let’s show and share our favorites. Each Tuesday from November 4th until December 23rd blog about something you love about the holidays and add your link to Mr. Linky."

Having an item you collect for the holidays means you can be on the lookout wherever you are throughout the year to find special items to add to your holiday décor.

For years the only tree ornaments I collected were angels and musical instrument ornaments. I built up an interesting accumulation of angels in pottery, metal, glass and crystal, plastic, wood and porcelain. It was the same with the musical instruments.

Here are some photos showing how I’ve used them in my holiday décor.

This stair garland is strung with mini white lights and brass musical instruments.

Musical instrument ornaments also decorate the ends of garlands for the entry to the dining room:



and the door to kitchen:

The small tree in the guest bedroom has musical instrument ornaments in porcelain, metal, blown glass and crystal.

Under the tree are melodious silver nativity bells from Reed and Barton

Thank you, Angie, for providing the opportunity to share our holiday collecting and other enthusiasms.

My Holiday Home, Part I

What do I love about my holiday home? That it is a "Nativity House," with numerous nativity scenes and related items on display throughout. Besides nativities, prevailing themes are angels, musical instruments, evergreen trees, holly – all, of course, relating to the true reason for the Christmas holiday.
Coming up the six steps from the front door the Holly Dining Room is ahead. The lighted garland over the entry has musical instruments swagged at both ends.

The table setting is monochromatic ivory with hints of gold. It is accented with the green on the linen, the green glass ornaments strung on green ribbon and tiny stars scattered on the table runner. The centerpiece is the China Jewels nativity which is ivory china embellished with enamelled trim. The place setting has "Holiday" plates, green goblets, and "Autumn" clear goblets


On a small table is a new silver tinsel tree with mostly vintage glass ornaments.


Two special ornaments are from Karla Nathan’s Etsy shop.



The ceramic nativity under the tree is the second nativity I bought (1991).

I have truly enjoyed sharing this subdued but festive setting with friends and relatives over several years.

The Living Room’s front window displays the 4’ tree with its nativity ornaments and ivory and soft gold glass balls. In the window is a lighted silhoutte of the Holy Family with a Star above.


The creche ornaments are of many different materials and design concepts.



The fireplace mantel has a lighted garland with angels in robes of blue and ivory. The nativity is of stained glass done by a school teacher as a fundraiser.

Next to the fireplace, the curio cabinet has a crystal and gold nativity and a porcelain nativity.

Beside the couch a lamp table holds a Pam Schifferl nativity set in an Italian wood stable.


Continued in Part II

[Sorry, but this incurable collector likes detail…]

My Holiday Home, Part II

The Bedroom dresser and mirror display a 3’ tree covered in ivory and gilt glass balls and ivory ornaments of angels and nativity figures. Flanking the tree are the Holy Family on the right and the Wise Men on the left.

The lighted garland around the mirror has ribbon, ivory glass balls and angel ornaments.

The Guest Bedroom features a lighted garland around the low four-poster bed, a 3’ tree with musical instrument ornaments and two nativity sets. The set under the tree is Reed & Barton’s silverplate nativity bells with one figure as the handle of each of ten bells. The set on the round side table is a tall handpainted tin set with a whimsical style.






The Study tree is 1.5’ and bears hallmark mini nativity ornaments. The nativity is a stained glass scene.




In the Kitchen the Spode Christmas Tree dishes sets the theme of evergreen trees. To add variety the place settings include Avon Ruby Red Cape Cod dishes.

The breakfast table tree is 1.5’ and displays Hallmark mini angels. The nativity is Hallmark’s Merry Miniatures 5-pc. set.



The hutch displays Spode dishes, and green Bordallo Pinheiro wares, and green Libbey goblets. The fresh arborvitae sprigs were cut on Friday Nov. 30 when I set up the hutch display.

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The microwave top displays tree shaped figures, cookie cutters and a tiny gift book.


Finally, in 2005 the Den was converted to a Nativity Scenes Gallery with sets from a bit over 50 countries. I will give an overview of this in another post. Yet another (briefer) post will share my St. Nicholas collection in the study and perhaps the dolls and bears display in the bedroom.

Thank you for stopping at Oak Rise Cottage. I hope you enjoyed your visit and that it revealed a desire to focus on the birth of Christ as the ‘reason for the season.’