Combining Treasured Heirlooms With Current Trends to Create A Sentimental Vintage Christmas

 Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing, but reflection. 

-Winston Churchill

What a true statement! Reflection....that's exactly what decorating for holidays is for me, a time to bring out pieces that take me back to cherished times and people and surround myself with memorabilia from family members who have left this earthly place. And if I'm totally honest....I also love adding new pieces to the collection but it's the mementos that make the Welter household feel warm and personal.

Let me say up front.....this is NOT a showcase of my decor.  I am absolutely not sharing to boast or because I think my home is anything but my little corner of paradise.  My purpose in sharing is to demonstrate how anyone can mix everyday items, including pieces of family history, to make your decor personal and meaningful.  Let me show you what I mean!

Let's start here....with John's childhood Radio Flyer wagon.  It works perfectly to make our 6' tree look a little more stately.  While we're in this room notice the piece of barnwood on the wall above the tv.  It's a piece of wood from my favorite (now gone) barn on Wells Road in Easton.  I was gifted two pieces of wood by the Gillis family. I painted a beach scene on one and a winter scene on the other.  Below that are two pieces of art by the very talented Shelly Broughton.  https://www.shellybroughtonart.com/  You'll notice I have quite a collection of her art scattered around the house.  You can purchase her art online and at Bluebird Home Decor on State Street in Schenectady.

This shelf houses my collection of Santas, many which I painted many years ago, some I collected at the craft shows where I sold my crafts.  Seeing them reminds me of those days when I'd stay up late making inventory to sell at local shows with my dear friend, Lori, who now lives in Virginia.  Speaking of Lori, she is so talented.  This Santa is one of her masterpieces and I think of her every year when I bring him out (since 1996).

Of course I'll always cherish this gift below ..... my 1933 Underwood typewriter that John gifted me last Christmas from Sugarbush Lane Mercantile in Charlton Sugarbushlane Merc Facebook.  Next to it, this crackle glass red jar was my mom's.  She and my grandmother collected colored crackle glass back in the 1960's.  I have several pieces of their collection, but this one I only bring out for Christmas.  The pipe, purchased this year, (along with the bulk of my home decor) at the Speckled Hen (https://www.facebook.com/thespeckledhenscotia) reminds me of my grandfather whose pipe scent I can still vividly remember.

Many, many years ago, John's mom gifted me (four Christmases in a row) this collection of Hummel cottages. She didn't drive, but she always managed to find the most thoughtful, cherished gifts, often things she knew we'd love but wouldn't buy ourselves. The ceramic tree was painted by my mom many years ago. 

Speaking of ceramics, this large (24") lighted candle was painted by my mother's sister who was a ceramic teacher.  This goes back to the 60's or 70's.  

The mementos continue into the dining room where I made a centerpiece using my great Aunt Antoinette's cake plate.  She was more like a grandmother to me and lived to be almost 102.  I've written about her here on the blog.

Her sister-in-law, my Aunt Harriet, was the owner of this old suitcase. She died in 2011 at almost 101, she's also the subject of a story on the blog. The suitcase is holding a lantern we purchased early in our marriage for power outages.

Holidays always bring us back to childhood and these sure help remind us of the magic of Christmas in a child's heart.  

Also created in my aunt's ceramic studio, this beautiful nativity set was a collaboration of effort by my aunt, my grandmother and my grandfather back in the 60's or 70's.  The counted cross-stitch hanging above it was made by my mother-in-law in the 80's.  

One very special heirloom....my dad's Santa. I keep him safe under this cloche. I'm so very fortunate to be an only child and have all of these special pieces.

Here's a short tour of a little more of the holiday extravaganza..... 46 years of collected pieces mixed with a few of this year's new treasures.  Again, not professional or magazine worthy,  just cozy and personal to our taste.

This old window has been made more interesting using my favorite decorating outlet - Etsy digital art.  For just a few dollars, you can purchase art of all sorts and have it printed at your local CVS or Walgreens and have seasonal, new art all year 'round.

This enamel wash basin belonged to my Aunt Harriet.  I've been dying to use it!

Again....Etsy digital art!!

My living room tree this year features brown and blue ornaments, frosted pinecones and my woodland ornaments collected over the years.

This snow globe was made last Christmas when the grandchildren came over for a pre-holiday craft party/Santa visit.

The gorgeous country landscape over the fireplace is new this year - from the Garden Bug in Amsterdam.

The family room tree is traditional red and white featuring  snowball garlands and suede pom-pom clusters from Hobby Lobby, red berries,  red balls, glittery snowballs and a handful of my very large collection of mouse ornaments.

Now I'll make a little confession....my 14 year old granddaughter did almost all of this....the mantle, the trees and the enamel basin! She's got a great eye and I'm so lucky to have her help - and her energy. She's been a few years in training and all I do is hand her the items and she places them! Impressive huh?

It doesn't matter what your personal style, whether your decor is all new or a collection passed down through the generations as long as it makes you happy and evokes whatever holiday look you are aiming for. I think in this age of social media and influencers constantly in our feeds, it's easy to feel like we have to measure up or keep up with trends. Neither is true. Surround yourself with the people and things that make your own heart happy and remind you of holidays past and remember those no longer with us.

I hope this holiday post brings you joy and inspires you to savor each day before the holiday season. I hope you find time to pause for a moment and enjoy the magic around you and the people who make the holiday special. Thank you for the opportunity to share this post and all my posts with you throughout the year! Merry Christmas!

For more inspiration (of the professional sort), check out one of my favorite lifestyle bloggers, Colleen at My Life On Kaydeross Creek.  She will definitely inspire you  and will give you a world of droolworthy ideas for your home all year 'round. 

https://mylifeonkayderosscreek.com/cozy-vintage-rustic-christmas-home-tour-festive-charm-with-timeless-style/

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Experiencing a Little Grown-up Christmas Magic

 Christmas is supposed to be a magical time, even the biggest scrooge understands that.  I understand that and in most aspects I'm pretty good at doing my part in making my corner of the world look magical.  I mean, I even arranged for Santa to make a special stop just two days before Christmas.  I'd say that's quite a feat. The aspect I'm not so successful at is the one involving gifts, which we can all agree has become a big, if not too big, part of Christmas.

It seems many of us are fortunate, blessed and living in what I think of as the "world of plenty".  Even the littles in my life had trouble coming up with a wish list this Christmas. For years now, John and I have skipped the gift exchange.  We buy what we need all year, and at Christmas we focus instead on buying for others.  You see, I don't really enjoy buying just 'for the sake of buying'.  Although gift cards are handy and appreciated, they don't hold the same sentimental value as a well thought out, personal, uniquely chosen gift.  The problem lies in the simple truth that those unique gifts are not easily found and they depend first on coming up with the perfect gift idea.  I've known a few people in my lifetime that were champions in the gift giving arena and I can assure you I've never been one of them.  I can also assure you that in my almost 70 years, I can probably list on one hand gifts I've received that fit this high standard.  The fact that I can only list a few of them isn't a bad thing, in fact, it makes this year's home run that much more special and meaningful.

For as long as I can remember, I've loved to write.  I kept journals in my teens, and began writing my memoir in my early 20's.  I studied business courses in high school and typing was one of my favorite classes.  I was really good at it and was lucky to have a typewriter at home thanks to my mother buying me one from NYS surplus.  I won awards for my typing speed and graduated with the highest 3-year average in business subjects.  I didn't go to college and instead took a clerical job at Skidmore College for two years before following my parents'  footsteps with a job with the State.  I spent my lifetime in office jobs where typing was a necessary skill.  

My love of writing continued and technology evolved and computers were born. I've since written almost 500 pages of memoir and almost 10 years of blogs. Though I kept up with the times, my love of my roots didn't fade and in 2016 I wrote a blog about the Black Sheep Antiques where I fell in love with this 1915 Underwood typewriter.  This is what I wrote: "I also loved how many items just really hit a nerve and brought back so many fond memories - like the typewriter above.  I learned to type on something that didn't look so much different from this one.   Well, it was a bit younger than this 1915 model, but many of its features were just like ones I learned on. (Thank God ours in high school were electric, not manual.)  But I did have a manual one at home. If I had had a spot to display this, I would have bought it in a heartbeat."   

Last month John and I visited Sugarbush Lane Mercantile and I wrote a blog about it (my 586th blog).  One of the items that really caught my eye there was this compact little Underwood Universal typewriter. Nearly eight years after spotting the one at Black Sheep, I still had a soft spot for this relic that symbolized a hobby and passion that has been part of my life for many, many decades.    Again, I left the shop without it for two reasons, 1) that's not the sort of thing one indulges in for oneself and 2) I really felt it should have the proper setting to showcase its beauty and I wasn't sure I had that. 

  Christmas morning I woke to find that this year would be one of those magical years when that one special gift would melt my heart and fill my eyes with tears.  That pretty little Underwood with a bright red ribbon was waiting for me.  John had succeeded in making a clandestine trip to Charlton to secure what he knew would be a sweet Christmas surprise.  Research tells me this beauty is either 1933 or 1934 and she still works.  Now you might call my finally having an antique typewriter just a dream come to fruition, but I call it Christmas Magic.  I also call it gift giving of the very best kind - the kind that comes now and then, but not every time because then it wouldn't be special.  This gift doesn't make me love my other Christmas gifts any less.  It doesn't outweigh the truly wonderful gifts in the first photo of this blog - my sweet spouse and the family we've built together,  but it's definitely one for the record books that will go down in history as perhaps the best gift I've ever received.

To see more about Sugarbush Lane Mercantile, check out my blog: https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2023/12/sugarbush-lane-mercantile-in-historic.html

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Enjoying a Snowy Adventure Aboard the Candy Cane Express on the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway

 On this snowy day, what could be more fun than taking a ride on the Candy Cane Express?  I can't think of one thing!  Today we took the grandkids to Corinth and hopped aboard the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway on the Candy Cane Express.

The Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway is the brainchild of Hal Raven.  You may have heard his name here on the blog as I've featured his Adirondack Cruise & Charter cruises on Saratoga Lake many times.  Hal is a longtime railroad man and this railway idea has been a dream of his for many years.  Like most dreams, it took years of planning, renovations and resources to bring the broken down railway to where it is today and if you saw the beauty it is now, you'd never guess it didn't always look this pristine.  There's a lot of history behind this business, a lot of facts and figures which I'd normally share, but this story isn't about how the railway was born, it's about what I know will be a new holiday experience that is sure to be a family tradition for years to come.  I will tell you up front that this is a bit of a teaser post because the train is sold out till the end of the year.  Even if you can't make this year's Candy Cane Express, the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway has so many options available for a variety of excursions, including private charters.  Information on all the great rides they offer will be included at the end of this post.

Passengers are encouraged to arrive at the station in Corinth about 45 minutes before boarding.  Of course as luck would have it, our first snowfall of the season came today and though it made the commute a bit challenging (and terrifying at times) it added the perfect ambiance to an already spirit-filled experience.  A big fire was burning in the firepit for guests to warm up by while waiting to board.  The ticket booth, staffed by the perfect 'official ticket master' is filled with a variety of gifts and swag for those wishing to bring home souvenirs.  

We purchased first-class tickets so we had a table with four chairs.  Our tickets included hot chocolate, (with souvenir mugs), the best cookies we'd ever eaten, and candy cane lollipops.

As soon as we got settled in our seats, the sweetest elves came by with coloring sheets for the kiddos, and as we left the station, they delivered delicious, hot (really hot, not lukewarm or cold like we got on the Polar Express many years ago) cocoa and our cookies neatly tucked in napkins.  Our Conductor, Hal, made the rounds punching our tickets. 

Before long a mighty tall elf, Buddy, made the rounds chatting it up with the kids and adults, explaining that his favorite color is candy cane because that's the color of Santa's suit.  Of course, his visit was followed up by our ever-smiling, so friendly elves delivering everyone candy cane lollipops. 

Now what Christmas train ride would be complete without a visit from the big guy himself?   Sure enough, Santa arrived and passed out large jingle bells to each kiddo.  As soon as he finished handing out bells, he came back through the car, stopping at each table to hear what everyone wanted for Christmas and posed for endless photos and selfies.  All the elves did the same and graciously offered to take photos for families throughout the ride.   All the while Christmas music played in the background with gorgeous, snow-covered scenery flanking both sides of the train as we made our way 7 miles south before heading back to Corinth.

Despite the inconvenient snowstorm and driving conditions, the Candy Cane Express was the perfect addition to our holiday.  Hal and team have thought of everything when putting together this train ride. From the organized and hospitable team to the pristine rail cars, the decorations, music and atmosphere, I couldn't think of one thing he missed.   I can't wait to ride again this summer or next fall to really enjoy the gorgeous scenery.  

For more information about the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway, you can follow their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CorinthTrainRide and their website at: https://corinthtrain.com/  Thank you to Hal and his entire team for a wonderful adventure today!

I'm not sure but I think John was discussing whether I should be on the naughty or nice list. Judging from Santa's face, I'm thinking there might be coal in my stocking this year.  I think he may have mumbled, 'you've GOT to be kidding.'  

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