Vintage (and Minimal) Christmas Decor

I don’t know who decides these things, but apparently 2025’s Christmas decor trends will be “a mix of vintage and retro styles, earthy and sustainable materials like wood and greenery, and a color palette that favors deep jewel tones and warm metallics.” Some have dubbed it the Ralph Lauren style. And I had to laugh because that’s always been my Christmas aesthetic! Though I will say I want real vintage and retro, not just “styles,” and I lean on the minimal side of it. While we still get a cut tree every year for our living room, the rest of the house gets just a tiny sprinkling of nods to the season.

Create a bowlful of pretty bits

There are always a few extra bits that don’t make it onto our tree and they look great in a bowl mixed with other things. One year this huge hand-carved Massim Trobriand Island bowl served as gathering spot on our coffee table for a few vintage ornaments, an old prayer book and a lovely cross. The bell, clip-on bird and faded Polish tree topper were all found at Goodwill in years past.

**Later I added a few sprigs of pine for greenery.**

Parker + Gibbs like to use old dough bowls as receptacles for pretty glass ornaments. As you might guess from my arrangement above I am a fan of mixing textures and disparate items to create intrigue.

Add candles

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas falls in our darkest season and candlelight is always a welcome part of the decor and festivities. I have loved old brass beehive candlesticks for decades and almost always have some on our living room mantel. This time of year I pair them with some “Christmasy” item. One year it was a decoupaged Italian gilded plaque of a magi from N. G. Fabriano’s “Adoration of the Magi.” (I was sad to see this magi sell.)

I like this elegant but simple mantel display by Edward George (edwardgeorgelondon.com) but I would remove the velvet ribbon. For some reason I find it distracting.

Add retro nostalgia

Christmas is a perfect time to add our past into the decor. Childhood toys are a natural with teddy bears and toy trains leading the way.

**Photo courtesy “Merry & Bright” book by Country Living.**

I have very few toys from my childhood but eight years ago I bought this vintage teddy bear for myself from another Etsy seller. No idea why except that he captured my heart. Now I need to find an ornament for him to hold!

Before they were hip my mother made a ceramic Christmas tree for me. This one is circa 1980s and I treasure it. One year I paired it with this old wood shoe box on a Fortnum & Mason wicker hamper given to me by a friend. Not sure where I’ll put it this year!

Bring the outside in

Adding branches, pinecones and berries here and there lends subtle festive charm to a room. I don’t have much in my own yard to bring in other than some bay laurel branches and rosemary, but I rather like the looks of these branches with red berries.

This heap of pinecones suits this room perfectly. You could add a few colorful glass ornaments or pine boughs to give it more flair.

**Photo courtesy of Under the Roof Decorating.**

So that’s just a couple of vintage and minimal ideas that I like. Nothing innovative. Nothing glitzy. Nothing that requires expense (other than the noble fir we buy each year). But it suits us.

Would love to hear how you decorate for the holidays.

Karen