This post provides ideas for thrifted Christmas decor and simple secondhand decorating for the holidays!
Christmastime is here! We spent the weekend slowly adding touches of Christmas to our home. I’ve realized that it really doesn’t require too many “big” decorations to make things to feel special, just a few small things here and there go a long way.
Thrifting takes time, and thrifting for Christmas decor is no different. Over the last few years I’ve been slowly building my collection of Christmas things. And I’ve come to accept that each year it will never be “perfect” or everything I want, but that is totally okay! It’s not realistic to DO IT ALL every year, especially on top of all the normal life things and events and commitments that come with this time of year.
All that to say, I hope this post gives you just a few ideas how to make your home special for Christmas, without spending a lot of money or fussing too much. Only do as much or as little as you want! 🙂
Ideas for Thrifted Christmas Decor
1. Trees
First up, trees of all sizes are a great thing to thrift! Though I haven’t personally thrifted a large fake tree, I see them all the time at thrift stores! Medium trees are great for kids’ rooms or a porch. And little trees are so fun to tuck around the house here and there.
The driftwood tree in the photo above I thrifted recently, and I love it!
2. Garland & Wreaths
I thrifted this faux magnolia leaf garland, but it still had the tag on from Walmart! Garland and wreaths are always in abundance at the thrift store, but it may take a little tweaking for them to fit your style.
3. Candles & Holders
I love to look for unused candles while thrifting. Last year, I found 8 brand new green tapers right after Christmas, and saved them for this year. Candle holders are also a great thing to thrift, like the wood and brass taper sconce (left photo) and brass candle holder (middle photo).
4. Ceramics
Ceramic churches and houses feel very cozy to me. Growing up we had a whole Christmas village of little buildings and I was always so into it. This little white ceramic church is one of a few I have, and I hope to keep collecting more.
5. Books
Old books are a great thing to thrift – they bring character to any space! Stories for Christmas by Charles Dickens (middle book) is the only “Christmas” book in this little collection, but the colors of all the books add to the Christmas feel.
6. Christmas Prints and Frames
My sweet sister, Sophie, has a stationary business, Common Silver. Every year, she creates a beautiful botanical calendar. The framed iris print in the photo above is from her 2021 calendar. She intentionally designs the calendars so that each page can be cut down into 8″x10″ print, which is such a great bonus!
Sophie just released her beautiful calendars for 2022, you can check them out here!
Although this iris print isn’t necessarily “Christmas,” the colors go well with Christmas decor. Don’t be afraid to “shop your home” for things that aren’t necessarily made for Christmas.
You could thrift a frame, like this one, and add your own print that you already have or download one online. And the best part is you could potentially keep it up year round, even after you put all your other Christmas decor away.
7. Stocking Holders
These stocking holders were a Facebook Marketplace find a few years back. I remember meeting the lady who sold them to me in a grocery store parking lot.
After searching for them online, setting up a time to meet, and actually going to meet, I thought to myself, “is this any easier/cheaper than buying at a store?”
Still not totally sure the answer on that one, but it’s good to keep that question in mind when you are shopping on Facebook Marketplace, because it can take a lot of work that may not always be worth it in the end. It just depends on the kind of thing you are looking for and how much spare time you have!
Nevertheless, I’m thankful now that I have these year after year to use, but in the moment I will admit that it did feel a bit complicated.
8. All things quilted!
Last, but certainly not least, all things quilted are some of my favorite secondhand Christmas decor. This quilt on our couch was a gift from my grandpa to my mom, who then gifted it to me (thank you mom!). If you’ve read some of my other posts, you may recognize this gifting pattern.
My grandpa was an avid antique auction attender and an amazing gift giver. All of his gifts to my parents and siblings were so unique, vintage, and generous.
My mom has followed in my grandpa’s footsteps and loves gift giving. She has blessed my siblings and I with so many special gifts time after time. And many of these gifts were ones that she received from my grandpa. I hope to continue this gift giving tradition to my children, passing down these special family heirlooms.
All that to say, this quilt is uniquely special to me, even though it is old and worn, I will always love it!
If you missed my last post, I made this stocking out of secondhand quilt scraps for my daughter. These quilt scraps felt very vintage Christmas to me, and I hope to continue making quilted things to add to our Christmas decorating!
Let me know if any of these ideas for thrifted Christmas decor are a success in your thrifting endeavours!
If you feel overwhelmed with the idea of thrifting, check out this blog post, or download your Thrifting 101 FREE Ebook here for all my thrifting tips and tricks.
Happy thrifting!
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