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Deck the Halls Sustainably: Thrifted Christmas Decor on a Budget

By Rachel

published 11/27/2024

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Last Updated on November 27, 2024 by Rachel Granholm

Uncover the magic of thrifting with these sustainable Christmas decorating secrets!

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, right?! But did you know that it’s also the most wasteful?? However, I am here to let you know that you can have a beautifully decorated home for the holidays without breaking the bank or harming the environment! Join me for a cheery post on how to deck the halls sustainably, and on a budget, using thrifted Christmas decor!

Table of Contents

Secondhand and Vintage Christmas Decorations for a Sustainable Holiday

Want to know a crazy statistic?! The amount of extra trash generated during the holidays in the United States alone could fill 800 football fields! And, as if that isn’t enough, the average American spends over $1,000 on decorations, most of which are used for only a few weeks before being thrown away. That makes me so sad!

In this post, we’ll explore the art of thrifting. I’ll show you how to deck your halls sustainably and on a budget! From unique, vintage secondhand finds to simple decorating tips, learn how to transform your home into a festive space without emptying your wallet or sacrificing the planet.

Thrifted Goodies Volume 29: Zero-Waste and Plastic-Free Christmas Decorating

Hello, guys!

Welcome back to the blog and to the next installment in the ‘Thrifted Goodies’ series! If you are new around here, welcome! This is a monthly series where my friend MaryJo from the blog Master’pieces’ of my Life and I share thrift hauls, thrifting tips, and general thrift shopping advice.

Today’s focus is on thrifting for Christmas decorations so that others can learn how to have a zero-waste and plastic-free holiday season. Now THAT’S the ultimate Christmas cheer!

MasterPieces of My Life

My partner in this series, MaryJo, is sharing a thrifty post all about thrifting for unique Christmas decor. After you are done here, head over to her post and say hello! You may find just the thing you are looking for.

MasterPieces of My Life Social Channels:

Shop the Thrifty Christmas Look!

Sourcing and Decorating with Thrifted Finds for Christmas: Where (and How) to Find It

To help do my part in taking care of the environment, and to ensure things stop being thrown away in landfills, I thrift! To me, there’s truly no better thing in the world. Thrifting not only saves money on everyday items and household decor but it’s the easiest way I have found to help eliminate waste.

And, thrifting for Christmas decor is especially fun! There’s a special kind of exhilaration that comes with finding vintage holiday treasures for just a few dollars. Below, I’ll share a few of my tips and tricks for sourcing Christmas items at thrift stores.

Where to Find the Best Thrifted Christmas Decor?

Obviously, thrift stores are my go-to spot for budget-friendly and unique holiday pieces. However, there are a few other places that I regularly check for decor. They include:

Facebook Marketplace
e-Bay
Mercari
estate sales
vintage or antique shops

What Items to Look for at Thrift Stores for Christmas?

Much of my vintage decor that I use for Christmas is also the decor that I use everyday, all year round. You see, neutral decor pieces, such as ironstone or milk glass, can be dressed up for any season with a few minor tweaks.

I like to decorate in this manner because 1) It eliminates the backlog or endless decor supply that I just don’t have room to store. 2) It saves money! By using everyday decor and pieces that you already have on hand, you don’t need to purchase ‘new’ things. By simply tying on a velvet ribbon or placing a stem of Christmas greenery inside a milk glass vase for example, it instantly leans holiday! 3) Favorite decor pieces are displayed and used all year round instead of just a month or two.

That being said, here’s a list of holiday decor items to thrift:

milk glass
ironstone
vintage ornaments
bottle brush trees
flocked tabletop trees
ribbon
linens
garland or wreaths
Christmas greenery stems

Deck the Halls Sustainably: Thrifted Christmas Decor on a Budget+ Thrift Haul

With that, let’s get into the thrift haul for this month! I’ve found some incredible pieces to use for Christmas decor and beyond.

Remember, when thrifting, an important tip that I always keep in the back of my mind is, if you find something you love, I always ask myself ‘how can I use this in more than one way?’ If I can come up with two or more options on how to use the thing, I usually purchase it.

Let’s get into it!

Creating a Minimalist Christmas with Thrifted Finds

This season, I was inspired by the Swedish and German Christmas aesthetic. My vision was to use loads of greenery paired with more neutral, muted colors such as brown transferware, creamy whites such as ironstone and milk glass, and accents of brass.

Through the use of thrifted finds and decor that I already had, my minimal Christmas look came to life. I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out.

Below are seven recent thrift finds that I am using, one way or another, in my home for the Christmas season.

Thrifty Christmas Decor #1: Vintage Soda Crate

First up is an incredible vintage soda crate!

I purchased this off of a FB Marketplace seller for just $10. Initially, I had bought it to use as a holder for my vintage creamer collection. Unfortunately, the squares were too short to hold many of my creamers. So, I pivoted and hung it vertically on the wall behind my desk and now it holds all of our essential oils!

The old, vintage lettering on the sides is super nostalgic. A crate such as this one could totally be used for Christmas decor, too! Some ideas could include:

turning it into a centerpiece
using it to hold small vintage ornaments for a wall or coffee table display
it could hold accessories at a hot cocoa or coffee station
use it as front porch or patio decor

Thrifty Christmas Decor #2: Restaurantware Jar

You guys! Have you ever seen such a pretty piece of restaurantware?! I declare I have not! I’ve never seen anything like it.

This adorable green and white vintage jar was tucked on a shelf in a really neat antique shop. I’ve been to this particular store many times but it’s quite the drive so I don’t get to it often. But, it was worth the trip because I scored this jar for just $12!

Over the past few years, my collection of green and white restaurant ware has grown considerably.

Since the bead board backsplash in my kitchen is a similar green, I love to decorate with it in my kitchen all year round. However, Christmas is my favorite season to use it. I styled this beauty in my hutch along with more of my collection and some vintage holiday accents.

Each one of these pieces has been found secondhand for just a few dollars. The beauty about vintage decor is that, no matter what, it all just seamlessly pairs and flows together. Vintage Christmas decor especially creates a timeless scene, as seen in this simple vignette!

Shop Vintage RestaurantWare

Thrifty Christmas Decor #3: Ironstone Vase

Okay…hear me out on this one.

I saw this vase, for only $2.99, sitting on the back of a shelf at my favorite local thrift store a few weeks ago. It is not marked nor does it have any stamp of any kind on it. But, I truly do think it’s a piece of old ironstone. The crazing that is present throughout the whole vase makes me think so and, when I looked down into the bottom, it looks super old and crusty.

It could totally be a new piece that is doing a super good job of looking old but, due to how heavy it is, and the shape of it, makes me believe otherwise. Let me know what you think!

Vases of this size are perfect for tucking in to vignettes and seasonal displays.

For the Christmas season, I styled this pretty vase on my mantel alongside some vintage green books, flocked trees, and brown transferware. It’s the most lovely shade of white and blends in beautifully with the trees.

Thrifty Christmas Decor #4: Pair of Green Hall Cups

I’m pretty stoked about this find. ‘HALL’ is a very popular and collectable pottery brand. If you remember, a month or two ago, I found a green Hall teapot for just a few dollars.

Well, fast forward to this month and not only did I find one but TWO matching custard cups that go with the teapot! Isn’t that so crazy?! The best part is that each cup was just .99 cents!

As the story goes, I was doing my first lap around the store when I spotted one of these cups mixed in with the coffee mugs. I was elated to find one and immediately went into my cart.

Then, practicing what I preach, I did a second lap around the store but in the opposite direction as the first. That’s when I spotted the matching cup literally in the same area as the first one! You guys…this is why I always tell you to do two laps because you will miss something the first time around.

For Christmas, I styled these cute cups into my hutch display. They look so festive paired with various pieces of ironstone, green enamel, and vintage postcards!

Thrifty Christmas Decor #5: Brown Floral Bowls

You may have seen my collection of brown and white Royal Sussex Cavelier ironstone dishes throughout various decorating posts. I have been picking this dish pattern up for years, whenever I see it, but it’s rare and very difficult to find out in the wild. I’ve picked up a plate or two here and there but I’ve never come across a set of four, until now.

There is a thrift store that is near the CostCo that I go to. So, one day, I decided to take a quick spin before doing my CostCo run.

Well, as luck would have it, there was a set of 4 bowls just sitting on a shelf, waiting for me, for only $4.99! I couldn’t believe it. It’s so hard to thrift plates in this pattern let alone bowls!! Out of the whole haul, I think this is my favorite find.

Usually I only bring out these dishes for fall. But, since I wanted a more neutral, rustic yet elegant Christmas aesthetic this year, I decided to keep them out and am SO happy I did. This pattern looks particularly stunning with holiday greenery. I styled the bowls with the rest of my collection as well as a few select ironstone pieces.

To make it feel more Christmas, I placed a small bottle brush tree behind them and then tied a velvet ribbon to a sugar dish knob. Voila! Instant Christmas!

This just goes to show that you don’t need to use actual Christmas decor to decorate for Christmas. With a few simple holiday embellishments, you can turn any kind of decor into festive decorations!

Thrifty Christmas Decor #6: Vintage Ornaments

You guys know how I feel about vintage Christmas decor, especially ornaments!

Hubby and I went to a few antique stores over the weekend to ‘ooh and ahh’ over all the Christmas decorations that all the vendors have out this time of year. I really wasn’t looking for anything in particular…just out to enjoy the day. But, as I was standing in the basement of one of the stores, staring at a beautifully styled vintage Christmas tree, these two ornaments caught my eye.

They were the most stunning shade of, like…gold, bronze, and silver all mixed into one hue. The little bell-shaped ornament is a first for me…I don’t have anything like it in my vintage ornament collection. And, the vintage ball ornament has a very unique crazed, glossy pattern around the top of it that I’ve never seen before.

Each ornament was $3.99, which, for this style of ornament, I thought was a very fair price!

I knew when I saw them that I wanted to style them with milk glass. So, that’s just what I did! I created this little holiday vignette on a shelf in my bathroom using a few select pieces of milk glass from my collection, green velvet ribbon, and a vintage green book. When the candle is turned on in the evening, it casts the most magical glow over the whole scene!

Tip for Thrifting Vintage Ornaments: When sourcing vintage ornaments, specifically of the Shiny Brite variety, always look around the top of the metal hanger for markings such as ‘Made in USA’ or ‘Shiny Brite’. This way, you know you are getting an actual vintage piece rather than a new piece that was made to look old.

Shop Vintage Ornaments

Thrifty Christmas Decor #7: Antique Book

Last, but certainly not least, is a super old book!

I actually found this book at an estate sale back in August for just $2.00! I wanted to wait until now to share it because I knew I would somehow style it for Christmas. Well, today is the day! The book I am talking about is the ‘English Literature’ one; second one in from the right in this row of green books.

If you’ve seen my mantel styling for summer and fall, you will probably remember the rotating row of colored vintage books that I’ve been loving. Well, one of my decorating philosophies is, ‘why change what’s not broken?’

So, I used the same decorating method for Christmas by simply switching out fall colored books for green ones. Paired with some vintage decor and a few flocked trees, the green theme really comes to life on the mantel this season!

Closing Tidbits on Thrifted and Sustainable Decor for Christmas on a Budget

Creating a sustainably decorated home for the holiday season does not need to be complicated…I promise! By incorporating thrifted Christmas decor into your home, you not only save money but also reduce waste and support a more eco-friendly holiday. If that’s not Christmas spirit, I don’t know what is!

As we continue to have conversations and explore more sustainable options, let’s make this holiday season a truly meaningful one by thrifting for decor as well as gifts.

Be encouraged to gather with loved ones and enjoy the joy of this holiday season while also being mindful of our impact on the planet. Happy thrifting and Merry Christmas!

Do you decorate with thrifted items for Christmas? I love hearing from you!

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If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.

Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!