5 Iconic Vintage Christmas Decor Items

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Updated For The 2023 Holiday Season

This post was originally published in December 2018. It's been recently improved to include updated shopping links for 2023 and additional information on my vintage holiday obessions The year may have changed, my love of vintage has not.

Santa Mugs

There ain't no party like a Santa mug party!

They're cute, they remind you of cookies and milk at your granny's house (even if Cousin Susie is drinking out of your favorite Santa mug as we speak), and some of the reproductions out there are spot on.

Where To Buy Reproductions:

Pottery Barn has a wonderful traditional set of 4 Santa mugs that look just like the vintage ones. Seriously, it's hard to tell them apart from the original version.

They also have little mini Santa mugs. Shot glasses, if you ask me. But hey, I'm not judging what you drink out of Santa's head.

And they even have a matching Santa pitcher you could fill with Tom & Jerry drinks. The holiday drink, not the cat and mouse. (I have a recipe showing you how to make traditional Tom & Jerry drinks HERE).

Not into traditional red and white in your holiday decor? They do have plain white glazed Santa mugs if your aesthetic is more subdued Christmas colors.

Shiny Brite Ornaments

Nothing says nostalgic Christmas more than a Christmas tree filled to the brim with Shiny Brite ornaments. Most of the ones on this white tree were from my mom's house, but I have found quite a few at estate sales and thrift stores also.

This tree also has some handmade pipe cleaner ornaments I created to look like the 1940s originals. I have instructions and downloadable faces to make this super easy craft in my post titled Chenille Pipe Cleaner Christmas Craft.

Where To Buy Reproductions:

Amazon is my go-to place for all things Shiny Brite if I can't find them out in the wild.

And I've also found some nice Shiny Brite ornaments at West Elm this year. They come in all the traditional shapes (balls, bells, indents).

West Elm also has some fun Shiny Brite Tinsel Garland that would look great on a vintage-style Christmas tree. And even a whole small Shiny Brite Tabletop Tree (a little tree with ornaments) if you want to just buy it all together and throw it on the coffee table.

I have also seen boxes of Shiny Brites and Shiny Brite tree toppers sold at HomeGoods, but that's sort of a crap shoot since each store has different items in stock at different times.

(Can you say crap and Santa in the same article?)

Vintage Ornament Wreath

I've been wanting to make my own for a few years now, but I just haven't gotten up the nerve to glue a bunch of my Shiny Brites onto a wreath yet.

But if you aren't squeamish like me, having a vintage ornament wreath is a great way to show off your love of vintage Christmas decor all in one space. It definitely makes a statement!

Where To Buy Reproductions:

Wayfair carries this retro-styled ornament wreath this year. The ornaments are shatterproof, which is a good thing in my house, so you get the look of vintage without the fragility of vintage.

Grandin Road has an interesting take on this type of wreath by using mixed greens, lots of colorful ornaments and battery-powered lights. It all combines for a fun look!

Of course, Etsy is a GREAT place to find these types of wreaths using ORIGINAL vintage ornaments. One of my favorite sellers is Kitschmas Wonderland whose wreaths are jam-packed with both new and vintage ornaments and a whole lot of whimsy.

Blow Molds

Blow molds are one of those retro Christmas items that I didn't think would ever make a comeback, but come back they did! In all their glorious plastic luminosity!

Like the candles I have on my front porch or the Santa I put out every year.

Where To Buy Reproductions:

I purchased this cute snowman at Michael's a few years ago (I just checked, he's not available for 2023!), but I did find some similar snowman for you. Ace Hardware has a 40" very vintage-looking Union Products snowman version. It's based on an original blow mold mold from the original Union Products company so they tend to have that same very old-style look. Ace Hardware also carries a fun 3 ½ foot Santa for the porch also made from the original Union Products molds.

Menard's always carries a surprising variety of blow molds. I always enjoy walking through their forest of fake trees and outdoor decor every year. Or you can find all sorts of Santas, candles, toy soldiers and such on Amazon.

Traditional blow mold Christmas porch candles are always a fun way to decorate the porch for the holidays! Or you can't go wrong with a Toy Soldier beside your fireplace.

And Walmart has this amazingly cute 24" vintage-style reindeer blow mold! Doesn't she look like Clarice in the Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Movie?

I just bought this one for myself last week. Not really based on a vintage blow mold,  but very retro-looking!

WARNING - they also had these last year and she sold out VERY quickly.

Ceramic Christmas Trees

I think other than the blow molds becoming popular again this year, the one that really surprised me was ceramic Christmas trees! They are all over the place!

Where To Buy Reproductions:

Where CAN'T you buy them should be the question!

Of course, Etsy and eBay are great if you want authentically vintage ones.

I've seen the new battery-operated LED ones that have the same look without the cord at Target and Amazon sells corded versions. All mine are corded, but I can see where the battery-operated ones would be convenient for a mantel or dining table.

Psst - You there. The ceramic Christmas tree lover. Yeah, you! - You have to check out Ariel at PMQ For Two's lineup of ceramic trees on her sideboard! Stunning!

Speaking of ceramic Christmas trees, I picked up the little guy in the photo above at a local antique store. It's cute at just 10 ½" tall and oh-so colorful!

What's your favorite vintage inspired item to collect for Christmas?