5 Old Fashioned Christmas Decorating Tips & Ideas

Learn how to decorate your home for Christmas and the holidays this season using old fashioned decorating ideas.

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old fashioned Christmas decorating ideas

Hello friends! I hope you had a happy, happy Thanksgiving. We definitely did. Its so nice to step back and spend time with friends and family.

So I have to know, are you a Christmas decor up before Thanksgiving kind of person, or do you only wait until after?! I really love this time of year and it takes everything in me not to go all out decorating before Thanksgiving.

This year I’ve tried to take it really slow and intentional, especially since I made a lot of our decor. I would make a few things each day and slowly put them out as I had the time. I also searched thrift shops for holiday decor I loved, so that took a little time as well.

I teamed up with a couple of friends to each share with you some tips and ideas for decorating your homes for the holidays! Hopefully our ideas will be a little different and you can get a good variety of inspiration heading into the Christmas season ahead.

I think we can all take a hint from how things were done in the past, and I get so nostalgic thinking about old fashioned traditions. I love the challenge of weaving old fashioned traditions, skills, and ideals into our modern lives.

One of the ways that you can do that is by incorporating old fashioned Christmas decor around your home this year. I mean, doesn’t an Old Fashioned Christmas give you ALL the feels?!

Think homemade garlands and handmade gifts, Christmas carols, snow angels, from scratch eggnog, snowy mornings and late nights with cards by the fire, and picking out a REAL Christmas tree!

I want an old fashioned Christmas, how about you?!

Get one step closer to the old fashioned Christmas of your dreams by incorporating some of the vintage Christmas decor ideas below.

Old Fashioned Christmas Decorating Tips

Use Natural Decor

Old Fashioned Christmas decorations used to consist of mostly natural elements. They’re usually readily available, less inexpensive, and more beautiful to decorate with.

You can forage some evergreen clippings for wreaths, garlands, and more. What’s more nostalgic of an old fashioned Christmas than a REAL Christmas tree?! Give your real tree an old feel by draping it with cranberry and popcorn garlands and hanging dried orange slices as ornaments.

You can also make wood slice ornaments, or have a bowl of fresh cranberries out on display. The options are endless!

Head to Your Local Thrift Shops

I am always seeing old fashioned Christmas decorations at my local thrift shops that people have passed on. You might have to do a little digging but you can for sure find something old fashioned for your home.

Look for little trinkets, vintage Christmas plates, fabrics, and more. I found some Christmas fabric recently, for free, that has a very old fashioned feel. I’ve been having so much fun making different things for our home with it!

You can find old, Christmas style fabric at a thrift shop and turn it into table runners, pillowcases, stockings, etc.

Make Your Decorations Yourself

Spend a few days this holiday season, listening to your favorite old fashioned Christmas songs and making homemade decorations. You could even get together with some friends and family and make a day of it.

Here are a few old fashioned and handmade Christmas decor ideas to get you started.

DIY Christmas Wreath With Ribbon & Dried Oranges

DIY Button Garland for the Christmas Tree

Four Homemade Garland Ideas

DIY Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments

Keep it Simple

There weren’t any elaborate Christmas decorations in the past like we have today. I do love a decked-out house on occasion, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed you can try the old fashioned way and keep things simple.

A wreath on the front door and a few citrus garlands may be all you need!

Although I haven’t wrapped any actual presents yet (sigh, I’m a late shopper) I put a few rolls of this vintagey wrapping paper on display. My grandma gave me this old, Christmas wrapping paper that she found in her basement! So simple and easy!

Weave the Same Decor All Throughout Your Home

Whatever old fashioned and handmade decorations you decide to use, try to weave them all throughout your home for a more uniform look. If you made handmade salt dough ornaments for the Christmas tree, add a few into your bedrooms.

I made homemade, dried orange garlands and I hung them in our kitchen, in the bedrooms, and plan to drape a few around the Christmas tree when it goes up.

This will just help the decor to flow throughout your house and look better from a design standpoint.

I hope this post gives you some inspiration for old fashioned Christmas decorations. Please head to my friends’ posts below for more holiday decor ideas. Samantha from Tidy Cape Cod is sharing her tips for keeping your decor budget-friendly. Alexa from The Duvall Homestead is sharing a holiday home tour! We hope you enjoy.

Scandinavian Christmas Home Tour by The Duvall Homestead