Vintage Ornaments (and other thoughts...)
At our house, as soon as Thanksgiving is done - the very next day in fact - Christmas begins. And Christmas mostly begins with decorating the house. If you have been reading our previous blog posts, then you already know that we have been busily ‘decking the halls’ for the past few weeks. The house - both inside and out - is now fully decorated. Wreaths with red and gold balls and white twinkling lights decorate the outside windows of the cottage. The inside is filled with the soft glow of thirteen trees. Which leads me in the direction of my latest thoughts: vintage Christmas ornaments.
As long time collectors, we have watched our various collections grow over the years. And our Christmas collection is no different, which has grown in size rather substantially. This collection in particular has increased perhaps more than any of our others, as Christmas items are so readily available for purchase these days through online sites. Years ago if we were looking for a particular item - perhaps a tree stand from the 1920’s or a particular kugel - it went on a list and became a part of the hunt for when we next went to an antique store. Of course now, one simple online search will lead you to all sorts of options - usually very many options - so the mission of 'collecting’ has become much easier than it once used to be (and admittedly, perhaps not as much fun at times). The upside is that you most likely can find exactly what you want, when you want it - as long as you are willing to spend what the online dealer is asking.
And perhaps I digressed just slightly, but my point being is that if we wish to add something to any of our collections, whether that be Christmas items or vintage toys or art pottery - the opportunity to do so is easily available 24 hours a day. And while not necessarily a bad thing - rather fun to be honest - it has taken away the classic ‘hunt’ for those wonderful items that we once longed for - as those items can now be purchased instantly with only a few key strokes and a credit card. Not a complaint, just a fact, and one that we are all very much used to now. Having multiple options and easy commerce from around the world is both interesting and exciting, and provides many opportunities - both for buyer and seller. That said, I do hope that we all continue to actually go in person to the amazing antique stores and thrift shops that can never truly be replaced. The same can be said for estate and garage sales, which can provide the perfect occasion to add a little something to our collections that we did not even know that we wanted/needed. Classic ‘antique hunting’ through brick and mortar locations can never be beat, although instant gratification from online shopping is something that we all certainly enjoy.
Our Christmas collection is the perfect example of a collection that has grown much larger due to the ease of finding new things. And particularly - our vintage ornament collection (which nearly has a life of its own) - has grown the most. We have always had a love for Christmas, with many fond memories of the nostalgic decorations of the past that always added the precise amount of sparkle to our childhood holidays. Thankfully, a large part of our families’ Christmas decorations have not only been saved, but have been passed down to us over the years. This was perhaps the true beginning of our entire collection as we know it today - our family ornaments and other holiday decorations. Over the years we have added to that beginning collection. Antique stores and vintage shops, estate and garage sales - and now the internet - are all venues that allow us to find and shop for that beautiful, shiny new thing that we so very much desire!
‘Look at that ornament’, I might say. Or, ‘Oh, that would look so good on the tree in the living room!’ We have all had those moments of temptation, and if one gives into those moments enough times, one finds that they soon have a much larger collection of things than they thought. We find that out each year at Christmastime when we bring up the boxes from the basement and start the yearly decorating ritual. Of all of our items - we certainly have more ornaments than anything else. And we have enough ornaments to go on thirteen different trees! From a few boxes of combined family ornaments, our collection has indeed increased. We now, as collectors often do, put our collections into ‘sub-collections’, or categories. Meaning, while we generally do collect Christmas ornaments, we have broken down that one collection into many - which currently includes, in part: Victorian ornaments, vintage glass balls (such as Shiny Brite), Santa Claus ornaments, Kugels, 1970’s ornaments (think Elf on The Shelf), traditional ball-shaped ornaments, and vintage milk glass lightbulbs that we hang on our tree as ornaments.
I must add too, that as collectors, as large as our collection has become, we do not add frivolously to what we already have. Our family ornaments that started the collection are the most important to us, and are indeed our favorites. The ornaments that we have purchased since, to add to the collection, are also ornaments that we very much love. Most of these purchases have been fairly well thought out decisions. An impulse buy from time to time is a normal occurrence, but most of those have proved to be great additions to our collection as well. Occasionally, a few questionable items (what were we thinking?) have slipped into the collection, but they usually are found out quickly enough and given away to someone who would better appreciate them. What we are left with, and what we do still continue to build on - our collection - is something that truly matters to us and that we love and appreciate and care for; after all, no object should be unwanted in a home, or else it should be passed along to the proper person who could genuinely enjoy it. Such philosophy came from the original Arts and Crafts movement of the 1800’s and it is still an idea that makes great sense today. Simply put, the way that we personally feel about any of our collections, about any particular item in our home - and yes, even about our Christmas ornaments - is that they are beautiful and important and have special meaning or good memory. If not, what is the purpose?
Until next time…
