Let’s talk vintage Christmas decorations. Let’s recall some of the great decorative hits of the 1970’s and 80’s. Let’s remember those red and green bubble Christmas lights–The ones that looked like they could have been made in Edison’s New Jersey laboratory. How about those light sets with the frosted glass, the odd color choices like neon orange and purple, avocado and cornflower blue, shaped like raindrops, burning hotter than nuclear reactors and straining the local power grid.
Remember those tinsel strands of iridescent silver and gold, wrapped like Burmese Pythons around the aluminum Christmas Tree and its felt skirt. They went well with the Jackson Five Christmas Album, the Mistletoe dangling over the hot-tub, the Waldorf salad and the Fondue on the table, the Patridge Family Christmas Special, and the wall-to-wall shag carpeting.
And who could forget the 80’s. Dudley Moore and Gremlins dressed up like Santa. Presents hiding Rubiks cubes and the Cabbage Patch doll that your dad literally risked life, limb, and paycheck for at the local stampede known as Toys-R-Us. Record or cassette players spinning “Do They Know it’s Christmas (Feed the World),” while the family gathers with bottles of wine coolers or Clearly Canadian to watch Scrooged.
Oh, those days. When “greed was good” and artificial was all the rage. Well times have changed. For one, aluminum trees are out and highlighting what is natural is in. For two, avocado and cornflower blue are out, and brilliant, clear white light is in. For three, we have added variety and international design and modern sophistication to the Holiday palette. Yes, you can still enjoy Classic Christmas decor watching Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and the entire cast of It’s a Wonderful Life on the television. But, because numerous options and choices are also in these days, you can sample and experience other Holiday flavors too.
You can experience those “champagne and caviar dreams” that Robin Leach used to rave about in the 80’s in your home or office transformed by soft platinum, pearl, and gold hues. You can experience the rich reds and glittering gold of a Venetian Christmas holiday. Or you can leave the living room and office and go outside to enjoy those mild California Christmas nights.
You can watch neighborhood Palm Trees morphed into Candy Canes. You can enjoy 60-degree nighttime temperatures, watching the snow-fall from that Oak Tree in your front yard, grateful you are not shivering indoors in cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, or Green Bay.
Whether its hanging mistletoe, wreaths, or stockings, or decorating trees, lighting menorah’s, and plugging in those outdoor lights, whatever you do, know that you are not limited to “vintage” décor as dated as disco. You have new and exciting choices. All you have to do now is choose.