Not so long ago the nostalgic desire for things of long ago has caused a boom in the production of vintage Christmas decorations in the last ten or fifteen years. Nowadays, it is easy to buy "vintage" Christmas items, made out of silver and/or tin, as there are a lot of both regular retail as well as web based stores specialized in that type of market. Hand-blown, amazing glass ornaments to dazzle the eye, vintage 1920s looking tin decorations engraved with the early renditions of jolly old Saint Nick, and softly shining bubble lights in an array of beautiful colors.
In spite of the use and abuse of ultra modern technology and the hurrying hullabaloo of the 21st century, people often get nostalgic when it comes to home decorating for Christmas. Norman Rockwell's creations - wonderful pictures of Victorian villages under the snow, children eagerly expecting the arrival of the Great Saint Nicholas while carolers walking around the village singing Christmas carols. Thinking to families decorating a beautiful Christmas tree and drinking the traditional eggnog makes our hearts feel merry. These "old time" visions are the reasons why many of us desire vintage Christmas ornaments for decorating our homes. However, truly old vintage decorations can be hard, and pricey, to acquire.
Perhaps an old fashioned way tin tree top star or arrow on the top of the tree painted with a scene coming from Norman Rockwell's imagination or a gold
and silver foil angel. A homemade garland of popcorn strung around the tree along with crystal 'icicles' shining by the light of burning candles. These tiny "present" looking decorations and other gold, silver, glass, tin, cotton or even carboard decorations that look like apples, pickels, birds... In the past, people used to use tiny candles placed in holders to illuminate the Christmas tree... Actually, this practice was a very high-risk idea as it resulted in a huge number of fire; however contemporary world brought to us alternatives that look like real old world candle without real fire.
Current trends are moving towards these old wreaths that are made of foil and tin and with brass bells attached as well as traditional wreath made out of pine and holly with colored glass balls. I personally would choose a nice vintage garland made of small pine branches and decorated with gold pine cones and dried fruits rather than a synthetic one.
Christmas time is for a lot of us a time to slow down and a reminder that there is a time to breathe and have some rest. Nostalgia sneaks in and makes us wistful for a rather romanticized period when wintertime was still a time of rest for all creatures — including all of us rushed and harried humans. The beautiful and wonderful vintage Christmas ornaments seem to have the power to recreate for a lot of us the soft and warm atmosphere of past times. So do not wait to raise Norman Rockwell's imaginary and foremost, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
