Celebrate Christmases past with vintage ornaments from the flea market.
Holiday shopping is a joy at the flea market. Throughout the year we hem and haw over what to buy and how much to spend, but when it’s Christmas—it’s Christmas! And you can never have too many ornaments. Kitty had clip-on birds on her wish list, and Jennifer dreamed of a classic spire tree topper.
Four Calling Birds
We knew the clip-on birds might be a challenge. Sometimes we see flocks and sometimes they seem to have migrated elsewhere. But this was a banner season for birds, and Kitty found four at the first Christmassy booth––one silver, two white, and one aqua, all with spun glass tails. A Christmas miracle at only $25!
May Your Days Be Shiny and Brite
The stall next door had tables loaded with ball ornaments. Some were still in the original store boxes marked 19¢. The gal in charge gave us each a little “shopping basket,” and we got lost in the trays of Shiny Brites and fancy globes with indents. By the time we were done, we had enough to decorate a giant spruce. We made a deal for the whole lot, and she helped us pack them up in empty egg cartons. A clever storage tip!
Over The River and Through The Woods
A few spaces down we happened upon a tabletop forest of bottlebrush trees. Jennifer thought they’d be charming in holiday bell jars on her dining table. She selected three flecked with mica and a spindly tinsel one that had Victorian flair. Only $15 for an instant centerpiece! The same vendor also had an exquisite tree topper in very good condition for $30. It was a triple ball finial, hand painted with Santas, birds, and flowers. Even the box was a work of art!
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
By the end of the day, we’d seen so many boxes and bins of old ornaments, it felt like we were kids again––unpacking the decorations from our own attic. There were angels, bells, pinecones, candles, Santas, reindeer, candy canes, more Santas, elves, and all kinds of snowmen! We couldn’t even remember which ones we bought till we got home and unwrapped them all. Kitty was tickled over her mini angels with wired tulle wings and pipe cleaner arms straight out of a 1970s Woolworth. And Jennifer was thrilled with her find of the day, an Italian half-globe glass ornament featuring a sweet little reindeer. Looks like Christmas came early this year!
Leave a Reply