Merry Christmas dear friends! I am so excited to be joining my friend Stacy Ling of Bricks ‘n Blooms and several talented bloggers for a Festive and Fun Christmas tree hop today!

 

 

If you are coming over from Kim’s beautiful cottage at Shiplap and Shells or if you just happened to stop by for a visit, I am thrilled to have you! Today I am sharing some of my favorite Vintage-Traditional Christmas trees over the past few years and the different ways I have decorated them (and under them too!)

 

If you were here earlier this week for my Vintage-Traditional Cozy Christmas Entryway tour, you saw a sneak peek of our main tree in the music room through the French doors. I had planned for today’s post to be a tree reveal, but as soon as I finished decorating the music room and started to take pictures, it decided to turn very gloomy and started raining non-stop! In addition, my star tree topper broke just before I started taking pictures! So, in a change of plans, here’s just a few more “preview” photos our our tree at night and a few other favorite vintage-traditional Christmas tree ideas from the last few Christmases.

 

This week marks the 6th anniversary of moving to our 1921 yellow brick home! After six Christmases, I think I have finally created the Christmas look I had envisioned when we first bought our home. Vintage-Traditional Christmas themes using red, gold, and green with lots of plaid is definitely the best look for our home’s aesthetic.

 

Christmas 2019

After a few years of trying using just green or gold ribbon, I added plaid to the tree last year and loved it!

 

Antique mirrors all around the music room create magical reflections during the holidays.

 

 

 

This year I decided to try just the plaid ribbon while filling in gaps with lots of ornaments. It is looking so pretty and I can’t wait to share some sunny day time pictures! While I enjoy the beauty of designer trees, our main family tree is always decorated traditionally with an ornament mix we have collected over the years. Some are handmade, others are keepsakes, and most are thrifted! Even though I do use some newer ornaments, the tree still has an old world feeling with the plaid ribbon, orange slices, and vintage ornaments mixed in. 

 

Using antique ornaments with newer ornaments creates the “collected through the years” look I love. Our main family tree is an authentically decorated tree!

 

 

 

Each year I create fun vignettes under our trees too. This year I put together a little sled of vintage Christmas joys! The sled was purchased the first Christmas my husband and I got engaged, 20 years ago, so it’s almost “vintage.” We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary in July!

 

The beautiful 1930’s composition doll was a consignment shop score from this past summer. Someone had already given her some TLC by dressing her up with lace, ribbons and vintage bling. I made her a quick no sew Christmas cloak with with some scrap red velvet and fur. She will getting more “blog time” soon!

 

A now-vintage (1990’s) Boyd’s bear snuggles up with Dolly as they slide over an icy pond (a vintage mirror sprinkled with Epsom salt snow). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

This photo from Christmas 2017 gives you a better idea of how our tree looks on a sunshiny-winter day. When my son was in elementary school we always put his train around the tree with my Putz village in the center. It wasn’t uncommon for Darth Vader to be light sabering an innocent caroler in the village, or army men to be having wars around town..

 

2018 Green, Ivory, Gold and Copper

In 2018 I wanted to try something a little different, yet still traditional. The inspiration came from some beautiful green velvet ribbon I found just before Christmas. I used only dark green, gold, ivory and copper on the tree, but still incorporated the collected family ornaments in those colors. It was so pretty and elegant! There is a strange effect of a purplish halo around the lights in this picture, but the lights were all clear.

 

Because I am a music teacher and we have a musical family, there will always be lots of music ornaments on our tree. There is always a lot of dark green velvet too, because I just love it!

 

In 2018 I made some Charming DIY Shabby Victorian Style Ornaments using The Graphics Fairy images. I just love them!

 

 

Using vintage and antique items in unique ways is my forte! You might find any kind of old treasures on our trees, from antique door hardware to vintage teacups, and even shabby old picture frames mixed in among traditional ornaments.

 

In 2018, the “under the tree vignette” was a winter forest “picture” featuring one of my ivory Belsnickel German Santas, a fuzzy vintage reindeer and a pretty tree in an urn, framed by a vintage picture frame.

 

 

On the opposite side of the tree sat a rusty wire basket filled with a vintage picture of a pretty little girl in pink winter cloak with her puppy and a vintage chandy that I often use in vignettes while waiting for Santa to install it!

 

2018 Flocked Tree in the Dining Room

 

Just a few days before Christmas in 2018, I purchased a small pre-lit flocked tree at Big Lots on clearance for $60. I wanted to go ahead and get some use out of it before Christmas was over, so I simply added some vintage-style red bulbs. Even though I am no minimalist, I actually loved the simple look!

 

The tree fit just perfectly in the corner. It quickly became my favorite tree ever, and when I packed it away in late January I was already making plans on how to decorate it for the following Christmas.

 

 

 

Christmas Dining Room 2019

Here is the same view from last year. As you can see, I added many more ornaments and made some changes to the dining room too. Even though it is flocked, it still has a very vintage-traditional look (with a little bit of farmhouse flair.) I just loved last year’s Christmas dining room decor!

 

Over the summer of 2019 I moved a vintage chest of drawers to the dining room. I was worried that the tree wouldn’t fit, but it just tucked into the space between the dresser and church pew, creating the coziest little Christmas corner!

 

 

Last year I loved decorating the tree with vintage ornaments, moss green bulbs, prisms, tarnished silver mercury glass bead garland, hand made shabby candy canes, and a few other shabby ornaments. 

 

 

 

I took all of my pictures before realizing I didn’t put a topper on the tree, but I still think it was so pretty and there were so many other Christmas treasures around the house, I don’t think anyone ever noticed (myself included!) 

 

I am late putting up this tree this year because half of the lights went out last winter (I kept the tree out through January) and I still have to put on some new lights. I still plan to decorate it with the same ornaments shown here, but I am adding some brighter green bulbs into the mix and few other little surprises. Be sure to subscribe by email so you don’t miss my Christmas dining room post this year!

 

 

I just loved this “winter wonderland” under the tree vignette, with a shabby snow couple on an icy lake vintage mirror.

 

 

 

A cute thrifted toy horse with a plaid bow made a perfect Christmas toy prop.

 

In my 2019 Wintergreen Home Tour, I shared I easily transitioned the tree from Christmas to winter by removing all red ornaments and anything overtly Christmas and leaving on neutral and winter themed ornaments.

 

I added some faux deer antlers and extra long shabby ivory icicles too.

 

I think this may have been on of my favorite trees ever! It’s a little rustic, but still more on the traditional than trendy side. I am definitely going to repeat this look this winter. Green is my favorite color, and as far as I am concerned it is a neutral in my home!

 

 

 

 

I packed away my Christmas snow couple that was under the tree at Christmas and put out my icy “old man winter” Belsnickels.

 

 

 I really loved this New Year’s winter tree and display (with the exception of the blocks—pay no attention to that number!)Hey, at least the year started out looking beautiful!

 

Update 12/9/20! The sun came out!

I am LOVING our tree this year!

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my vintage-traditional Christmas trees (with a touch of farmhouse and French style too!) Be sure to stop back by again on Friday as I share more of our vintage-traditional Christmas home, including our newly renovated kitchen!  Now it’s time to continue on with the Festive and Fun Christmas Tree Blog Hop! Next up is The Flowering Farmhouse with tips for decorating a real Christmas tree! Don’t forget to check out all the the beautiful trees via the links below! 

Thanks for visiting today!

Amber

 

Wait Until You See These Amazing Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas!

Bricks ‘n Blooms // White Arrows Home // The Ponds Farmhouse

My Thrift Store Addiction // Down Shiloh Road

Dabbling and Decorating // The Tattered Pew // J Dub By Design

Simply2Moms // Blue Sky at Home

County Road 407 // Shiplap and Shells // Follow The Yellow Brick Home 

The Flowering Farmhouse // My Wee Abode // Calypso in the Country

Cottage on Bunker Hill // This is Simplicite

 

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