Vintage Christmas Haul

I couldn't even guess how many collections I have. Some of my passions strike out of nowhere, some come and go, and still others wither away completely before ever amounting to much. But some of my collections, like my beloved vintage Little People and my vast stash of vintage Christmas decorations, are unquestionably here to stay.

Unlike the decorations in the stores, you can hunt for vintage Christmas anytime of the year. Some of the bigger thrift stores do seem to hold a lot of seasonal decor back for the holiday shopping season, but there's always tag sales and rummage sales that offer a wide array of holiday merchandise, no matter what the calendar says. So I'm always on the lookout for things to add to my collection.

A few weeks back, I took a couple of hours and hit two church rummage sales. One was amazing! (The other not so much, but I did score an awesome Crewcuts winter coat for my son for about 10 cents, as well as a calico skirt that I am going to wear to host my daughter's pioneer party--as a costume, mind you, not as a fashion statement!) When the gates to the sale were opened, most people rushed either the clothing racks or the huge furniture barn, but I made a beeline to the porch where all the holiday goodies were arranged. I am so glad I chose to focus on that area first, because I found lots of wonderful little Christmas things.

First up, I found these wooden creche figures, and yes, I do know I am missing the most important person! But I am sure I can find or make a baby Jesus to go with these striking characters. My kids love these already, and have been playing with them in their doll house. Personally, I love the pretty, fragile creche figures, but I think its important to have ones around that the kids can handle and interact with and not worry about breaking anything.

Then I found these wooden Scandinavian inspired angel candleholders. I have always wanted to do a traditional Swedish Christmas as my mother's family was from Sweden as well as some of my husband's long-ago relatives. I've slowly been collecting decorations here and there, as well as recipes, so someday I can make this little Christmas wish come true. By the way, my beloved Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren is a wonderful source for Swedish holiday ideas.

Next, I found a few vintage wooden ornaments. I especially like the Italian Pinocchio. The angel obviously needs a little TLC--she's about to lose her halo!

I absolutely adore these little Scandinavian girls. My little girls stole them from me as soon as they saw them, and I later found them hidden away in their rooms. I don't blame my girls--they are irresistible.

I also fell in love with these felt angel ornaments.They could work with the Scandinavian theme, too, I think.

In the book room of this same sale, I found this lovely vintage book:

The colors and illustrations are just stunning. This, too, could work with my Swedish theme. Perhaps 2013 will be the year of the Scandinavian Christmas, but you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!