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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The Book Nook - New Owners, New Location, Still A Great Used Bookstore

Vincent Van Gogh said, "Bookstores always remind me there are good things in this world".   We had the pleasure of visiting one of those good things this weekend when we checked out the Book Nook in Burnt Hills. 

You may remember I did a post about the Book Nook in Ballston Lake back in March of 2023. The shop was very popular but personal circumstances arose causing the shop owner to close the shop. Like all proud business owners, Sue hoped to find someone to take over the shop and love and nurture it the way she and her husband, Phil, had.  Maybe an answer to everyone's prayers, the Hawthorne family came along and purchased the business.  We stopped in late Saturday afternoon and were given the grand tour!  Like so many other small business owners, Bob and Nicole, were welcoming and informative!

The Book Nook relocated down the road a piece to Route 50 in Burnt Hills, a great central location in the Burnt Hills Commons Plaza, just a short hop down the road from Lakehill Rd.  Like Sue and Phil, Bob and Jean and their daughter, Nicole, have a love of books and a knack for creating an organized and beautiful venue for displaying and selling used books.  Neatly organized by subject, avid readers or shoppers looking for gifts, will have an easy time browsing and selecting beautiful quality used books, dvd's, puzzles and even some gift items.  There's a very neat Kid Room that all kids will love to hang out in too.  

Nicole and her dad, Bob

The shop has already hosted a terrarium workshop and has many fun events in the works.  If you loved the original Book Nook, you're sure to love it's new location and owners.  Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00 and Sunday, 10:00-4:00 at 772 Route 50, Suite 5, Burnt Hills, NY.  For more information, you can call (518)579-0006 or email them at burnthillsbooknook@gmail.com.   You can follow their social media, which Nicole keeps up-to-date and full of photos and announcements at:

Book Nook Facebook

https://www.thebooknook2023.com/

@burnthillsbooknook

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Stayin Alive - Reliving the Bee Gees Music Sensation

 There are a number of things that remind me I'm not as young as I used to be, some of those are reminders I could do without, others are the ones that I'm happy to have.  Last night was one of the good ones!

John and I had the pleasure of attending a concert last evening at the The Egg in Albany.  The band performing was Stayin Alive, A Bee Gees Tribute Band from Canada.  We learned about the upcoming concert during a PBS special about the Bee Gees and jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets.  John loves the Bee Gees, in fact, they rank up there with his other all-time favorite group, the Beatles.  In his younger days, he'd seen the real Bee Gees in concert three times so we knew a tribute band might not quite measure up to the 'real thing'.  I mean, how could they?  Well, at the risk of spoiling the ending - they came pretty darn close.

The Egg is a beautiful venue for any sort of production, able to accommodate 982 people, small enough to be 'intimate' but large enough for a group of dedicated Bee Gees fans.  Every seat in the house is a good seat and ours in row K center were great.   The one thing about The Egg is that, except for the back row which is saved for handicapped people, patrons must walk down stairs to their seats. The access aisles are shallow stairs, not a ramp.  We arrived to the show about an hour early when the doors opened and relaxed in our seats until showtime.  It only took a couple minutes before we were reminded that most of tonight's patrons were people like us, the beyond middle-age generation - many of which took some time and effort to navigate the many stairs.  I bet if they did a poll of how many audience members had or needed new knees or hips, the number would have been right up there (along with our ages).  But what would you expect, the Bee Gees hit popularity in the late 60's - over 50 years ago - way, way back when we were all in our prime.  While there were plenty of folks under 50 in attendance, the majority of us seemed to be over 60 or 70 which made the evening quite fun and probably made the crowd one that Security didn't have to work hard to manage.  We seniors are a pretty harmless bunch.

Stayin Alive Canada did not disappoint.  Not only did they look and dress like the Bee Gees, they sounded like them.  Tony Mattina belted out Barry Gibb's falsetto almost without effort eliciting cheers from the crowd several times.  Todd Sharman, Robin Gibb's counterpart, took the lead as MC and sang and danced the entire show.  His dance moves took me right back to my dancing days at the Rafter's in the 70's.  Joseph Janisse, Maurice's counterpart played keyboard and did vocals.  The Bee Gees have quite a catalogue of hits and during the 90 plus minute show, the band covered most of the big ones.  The crowd really came alive during 'More Than a Woman' and, of course, all the Saturday Night Fever songs.  It didn't matter that we were not 20-somethings anymore, all that mattered was that the music last night touched us in a place deep within our souls, deep within our memory banks.  What mattered was how those songs and the people singing them - 50 years ago and tonight, touched a nerve and stirred us to get up and move to the music and for a few minutes forget we were not young anymore and didn't have to act our age.  Instead we took a trip down memory lane.  We remembered our beloved Bee Gees, we mourned when they played a couple Andy Gibb songs, and we savored the days gone by and the music that filled the background of our youth.  Stayin Alive didn't just play music last night.  They took us back, they made us young again and for a couple hours they distracted us from the state of the world today.  That's no small feat.  During a brief break to accommodate a costume change, a video montage of images and music of the 70's played evoking cheers and applause from the crowd after being fairly sedate first set.  That enthusiasm continued throughout the second set and by the end of the show, everyone was dancing, some in their seats. 

 I'm not a big concert goer but at this point in my life when I do get out to enjoy live music, it's almost always to hear music from my youth.  Why is that?  I think it's because music has a way of letting us relive the old days, even the days when we didn't realize how good life was or that someday we'd one day look back on those days with melancholy and smile because now what we remember is the joy, not the disappointments or heartbreaks.  Music takes us to a time we can't travel to on our own.  It provides the transportation if we're willing to go for the ride.  If you're not usually a concert goer, I urge you to take time to listen to the music of your younger days - even if it's not at a concert with a bunch of folks who aren't young and wild anymore, but even better if it is.  

Thank you Stayin Alive Canada for a great concert, for bringing us back to our 'good 'ole days' and for a night we won't soon forget.  To watch for future tour dates for Stayin Alive Canada:

 https://www.stayinalivetribute.com/ 

and their Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/StayinAliveCanada

photo courtesy of Stayin Alive

 

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