90s Christmas decor is the family room you remember: big colored bulbs on the tree, tinsel catching the light, and a ceramic tree glowing on a side table. A Santa or two stood by the TV, and a blow mold lit up the yard.
These 16 ideas come from real homes and craft rooms. Some use pieces from the family boxes or the thrift store. Some use new vintage-style lights. A few you can make in an afternoon, like a popcorn garland or a paper chain.
1. Big Colored Bulbs, Tinsel And An Angel On A Traditional Tree
Colors: Red, green, blue and amber bulbs
Materials: Big multicolor bulbs, popcorn and cranberry garland, single-strand tinsel, mixed shiny ornaments, an angel or a plastic star
Difficulty: Beginner; styling only
Kristine in Between calls this the tree from old family photos. The bulbs are big, warm and multicolor. A popcorn and cranberry garland hangs in loose swoops. The red, green, gold and silver ornaments do not match, and that is the point. The tinsel goes on one strand at a time, and an angel glows on top.
She calls it a 1940s-style look. Her post starts a series that builds it step by step.
2. C9 LED Bulbs On A Big Cabin Tree
Room: A Maine cabin, the loft railing and outside
Materials: Tru-Tone Classicolor C9 bulbs in the Classic Mix, a two-tone green C9 light string
Difficulty: Beginner; each bulb screws into the string
The year before, the Renovation Husbands used vintage-style incandescent bulbs. They ran several extension cords and lived in “constant fear” that the tree would catch fire. This year they switched to LED C9 bulbs that look like the old ones. The post says they use 88% less energy, and up to 24 strings can be connected.
Bulbs and strings are sold separately, so the colors can be swapped. Tru-Tone sent the lights; the post says it is not sponsored.
3. Bubble Lights On Every Branch With Tinsel Icicles
Room: Living room, in front of the window
Materials: Bubble lights, glass bead garlands, glass ornaments, two light-up star toppers, tinsel icicles
Cost: About $20 a pack for replacement bubble lights (2012 prices)
Difficulty: Beginner; it takes patience
James at The Cavender Diary sets his tree in a whiskey barrel by the window. There is a bubble light on the tip of every branch. Glass bead garlands go on next, then about 20 years of collected European glass ornaments, mostly Christopher Radko pieces from eBay. Two retro light-up stars from Target, $5 each, sit on top. Tinsel icicles are the last layer.
4. A Family Ornament Tree With Plaid Ribbon
Room: Sitting room
Materials: Family ornaments, round warm-gold balls, wooden ball picks from Hobby Lobby, one red plaid ribbon, a gold starburst topper
Difficulty: Beginner
Kelley Nan’s tree follows the same idea as her mom’s. It holds years of family ornaments, including the his-and-hers ornaments her mom gave her and her husband each year. Gold balls and wooden ball picks pull the mix together, and one red plaid ribbon runs through it all. She says one ribbon pulls it together. Too many ribbons take attention from the ornaments.
Christmas toys and animated animals sit under the tree in place of gifts.
5. A Vintage Tinsel Tree From Marketplace
Room: Attic bedroom
Materials: A vintage aluminum tinsel tree, mercury glass ornaments, ripped fabric ribbon, gifts wrapped in old newspaper
Difficulty: Beginner
She bought this aluminum tinsel tree on Marketplace without seeing it, and her mom picked it up. At French Country Cottage it stands in the attic bedroom with a handful of mercury glass ornaments and ripped fabric ribbons. The gifts under it are wrapped in vintage newspaper with fabric scrap bows.
These trees came without lights. A color wheel shone light onto them instead. She added fairy lights only for the photos.
6. DIY 18-Inch Tinsel Tabletop Tree
Size: About 18 inches tall, seven tiers of branches
Materials: Wire, thin wire, tinsel garland, a chopstick, a glue gun, brown embroidery thread, a wooden plaque
Time: Best spread over a couple of days
Difficulty: Intermediate
Happy Happy Nester builds a small silver tinsel tree from wire. A 36-inch wire, bent in half and twisted, makes the trunk. The branches run from 1½ inches at the top to 7 inches at the bottom, with the tiers 1 to 1½ inches apart. Each one is wrapped in tinsel garland and glued at both ends.
A chopstick glued at the base keeps it steady on its wooden plaque. Tiny ornaments and lights finish it.
7. Paint Your Own Light-Up Ceramic Tree
Size: A thin tree for a mantel or windowsill
Materials: A ceramic tree blank, green and white acrylic paint, DecoArt Clear Gloss Varnish, little colored bulbs and a star
Difficulty: Beginner; kids can help
This is the ceramic tree many people remember from grandma’s house. Tamara Bennett at Southern Adoornments Decor paints it from a blank. The whole tree goes green first, then gets dry-brushed with two more shades of green. White on the branch tips looks like snow. She paints upward, so the undersides get snow too.
A coat of gloss varnish seals it before the bulbs and star pop in.
8. Blow Mold Santas Brought Indoors
Room: Living room mantel, dining room and the top of a china cabinet
Materials: Vintage blow molds, tinsel trees, wood tabletop trees, a shadowbox
Difficulty: Beginner; styling
Jennifer Perkins brings her blow molds inside. A huge Santa face from Round Top Flea Market hangs over the fireplace, with two standing Santas from thrift stores on either side. Little drummer boys stand in the dining room. Carolers and snowmen line the top of a china cabinet, and small ones fit in a shadowbox.
Many blow molds spent years outside, so faded paint is normal. She painted one angel’s wings with acrylic paint to suit the colors around it.
9. An Elf Blow Mold Mantel With Big Metal 25
Room: Living room mantel
Materials: Old metal “25” numbers, a vintage elf blow mold, a feather tree in a red bowl, red stockings
Difficulty: Beginner; thrifted finds
Kelly Elko found her vintage elf blow mold over the summer. He came with a name from the seller’s listing: David. He stands on the mantel beside big old metal numbers that read 25. A feather tree in a red bowl sits on the hearth, with a small white ceramic light-up tree nearby.
Her tip is plain: lots of one thing looks abundant. Her dining room trees hold more than 300 vintage Shiny Brite ornaments.
10. Blow Mold Candles On A Pine Garland Porch
Room: Front porch
Materials: Vintage blow mold candles, a small blow mold sleigh and reindeer, about 20 feet of pine garland, a 36-inch live wreath
Difficulty: Beginner
House of Hawthornes starts with a rustic base: pine garland around the door, a big live wreath with a wooden deer head, and bundles of fresh cedar, spruce and holly. The retro pieces go on last. Blow mold candles stand at each side of the door, and a small blow mold sleigh rides on a brown cabinet.
The stack of Shiny Brite boxes stayed out only for the photos. She usually keeps the candles on the back porch.
See the idea: Adding Retro To Your Christmas Porch Decor by House of Hawthornes
11. A Sunroom Tree With A Blow Mold Santa And 1970s Satin Balls
Room: A screened porch turned sunroom
Materials: Plaid ribbon, 1970s red and gold satin balls, glittered icicles, a blow mold Santa, an old sled
Difficulty: Beginner; family pieces and antique-mall finds
Virginia Sweet Pea uses the same plaid ribbon here as on her family room tree and mantel. The red and gold satin balls are from the 1970s, a gift from a former teacher assistant. Her mom used ones just like them.
Beside the tree, a blow mold Santa from an antique mall sits on a plaid hat box, on top of her dad’s old cooler. Her brother’s old sled and a red Coleman cooler fill the other corner.
12. A Santa Collection Grouped On One Sideboard
Size: A collection started in 1976, usually with at least one Santa added a year
Materials: Santa figures in many styles and sizes, two tall lamps
Cost: A whole flea-market box of Santas for under $10
Difficulty: Beginner
This collection started in 1976, the first year of her marriage. She and her husband were in the U.S. Navy in Adak, Alaska, and made pieces at a ceramic shop. The bright red Santa beside the lamp was the first.
Most of the Santas sit together on one sideboard, so they read as one display. She also finds them at garage sales.
13. Vintage Santa Mugs In A Wood Cubby
Room: Kitchen counter
Materials: A wood cubby, vintage Santa mugs, sleigh bells, flower frogs, greenery, rolled sheet music
Cost: $9 for the cubby at Goodwill
Difficulty: Beginner
Katie at Little House of Four puts a Santa mug in each square of a wood cubby. Sleigh bells, flower frogs and rolled sheet music fill the rest, with greenery on top. Her mugs came from auctions, antique stores, thrift stores and yard sales. She says they are getting harder to find and cost more.
Her post shows five more ways to display them, from glass cloches to planters.
14. A Thrifted Kitsch Christmas Dining Room
Room: Dining room
Materials: Thrifted knick-knacks, vintage tins, Christmas aprons, felt garlands, a jar of Shiny Brite ornaments
Difficulty: Beginner; thrift styling
Emily Retro filled her dining room with thrifted Christmas. Shelves hold a Lefton birthday angel collection, flocked Santas, vintage tins and a light-up Merry Christmas sign. Vintage hankies sit folded in a thrifted spoon rack.
On the yellow formica table, a big jar of Shiny Brite ornaments sits on a holiday runner. The hutch holds Santa mugs, jello molds and old Christmas cookbooks.
15. Christmas Die-Cuts On Kitchen Cabinets
Room: Kitchen
Materials: Vintage Christmas die-cuts, Christmas lady bells, a gingerbread house cookie jar, alpine houses, homemade tins
Difficulty: Beginner
In her kitchen, Emily Retro puts vintage die-cuts on the white cabinet fronts: a Santa, bells and a candle. They carry on to the other side of the kitchen too. Lady bells, a Christmas puzzle and a gingerbread house cookie jar sit on the counters. Her vintage pieces came from flea markets and thrift stores. The yellow toaster is from Walmart.
16. Colored Ceramic Bulb Lights On A Front Door Garland
Room: Front door
Colors: A pink door with red, blue, green and orange bulbs
Materials: Faux pine garland, vintage-style ceramic bulb lights, a pom pom wreath, a faux cedar tree in a vintage crock, flameless candles
Difficulty: Beginner
Ashley at Modern Glam strung faux pine garland around her pink front door with rainbow ceramic bulb lights. She says they “just scream Christmas.” Her DIY pom pom wreath hangs on the door. A faux cedar tree with battery lights stands in a vintage crock, and lanterns hold fake snow and flameless candles.
Most of it came back out from past years.
Final Thoughts
90s Christmas decor does not need a full room of vintage. One tree with big colored bulbs, one mantel with a blow mold or one shelf of Santas brings the feeling back.
Pick one spot this week. It could be the tree, the mantel, the porch or a single shelf. Then decide where the pieces will come from: the family boxes, the thrift store, new vintage-style lights, or your own hands. If you want to start today, pop some popcorn and leave it out to go stale. By the weekend it will be ready to string.
