Retro Holiday Decorating Tips
Are you dreaming of a Modern Christmas? Many Mid Century Modern enthusiasts are challenged at this time of year as to how to decorate their homes for the holidays. No need to fret - you can incorporate a festive look without sacrificing your MCM sensibility!
As a former vintage modern dealer and author of “Kitschmasland!,” a book devoted to Retro Christmas decor from the 1950s through the 70s, I have amassed quite a collection over the years. My partner and I like to mix these holiday decorations with our year-round collections.
You can do the same - look around your space for accessories that may translate easily into that “Atomic Yule” look. Ceramics or art glass in red, white, or green can be used as tablescapes with dramatic poinsettia arrangements. Fill up a modern glass cylinder vase with silver ball ornaments for a simple but elegant centerpiece. Display your vintage tin toy collection on shelves with other Christmas decorations or around the base of your tree. The possibilities are endless.
For interior decorating there are such classics as the 60s felt Pixie elf dolls for grouping on a fireplace mantle or dining table, small light-up plastic Snowmen and Santas - these are actually great displayed on a bathroom vanity or kitchen counter to add mood lighting for parties creating an endless assortment of vintage centerpieces for tablescaping, garlands, and more. You can even still find those cardboard stencils to make window designs with spray fake snow!
Outfitting your front yard can be just as easy: the larger sized plastic light-up lawn decor such as Santas, Carolers, Candles, Snowmen, etc., I found a large number of 60s toy soldiers to line our walkway on eBay. Always check the shipping charges on these listings - sometimes they can be more than the item is actually worth. Also, this year Walmart is offering a vintage style light-up plastic Santa that looks like the real deal. We found him in their garden department. Target has similar designs.
Also found on eBay are the paper posters to hang on your front door of Santa welcoming visitors. But you can be creative and do something more personal - covering the door with foil gift wrap, ribbon, and a huge bow is a very classic 50s/60s look and quite elegant (and inexpensive too!).
For lighting you can find the old school large outdoor bulbs to outline your ranch roof in classic vintage style. I have also seen some really cool homemade lawn decor from those periods which have a one-of-a-kind “folk art” look.
For your Christmas tree you can find stunning blown glass ornaments or the old standby “Shiny Brite” ornaments (Christopher Radko currently reproduces many of these designs), angel tree toppers, and those atomic looking sputnik ornaments from the 60s. Again, a lot of these are being reproduced by the more hip stores - especially Target. We always make several pilgrimages to Target during the holiday season - their displays, marketing, and merchandise never ceases to be brilliant.
One of our personal vintage Christmas collectibles is the line of Starry Eyed Santa ceramics by Holt Howard from the 50s and 60s. These whimsical little guys really have that atomic look - we display them in groupings on shelves along with other favorite Kitschmas items. Look for these on eBay or your favorite vintage shops.
If you really want to get some wonderful ideas for holiday decorating, look for vintage magazines and books from the 50s and 60s dedicated to this decor. Old “Better Homes & Garden” type magazines published yearly holiday issues that offered a huge assortment of craft ideas that you can recreate at home - kids love it too. And even better, you will most probably be the only one on your block to have them!
I hope this article helped to inspire you with your holiday decorating – next week we’ll discuss the perfect vintage tree...
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Travis Smith