Merry Christmas and Secondhand Stuff

I have a favorite Christmas decoration, my most favorite thing to decorate.  I am a little ashamed to admit what it is.  It is not a nativity set, or anything religious at all.  It is not a precious ornament hand-made by one of our small children.  Nope.  It is a 3 foot tall, tacky, fake, white Christmas tree that we bought on clearance after Christmas one year.






But then, there's the beautiful part:

The awesome photos in this post were taken by Jeff

The only decorations on this tree are vintage "Shiny Brite" style glass ornaments. 

I was at an auction about 5 years, and I came across a box of someone's old ornaments.  And, considering it was August and they were in a cardboard box on the front lawn they looked pretty shabby.  Which was good for me, because no one else apparently wanted them, and I bought the box for $1. I was remembering a cover story from Country Living Magazine, about decorating with these old beauties.  (although I do confess that their photos looked quite a bit more sophisticated than my plastic white tree)

So I brought them home, and put them away.  And I kept my eye out for more.  Here is where I should post photos of the lovely containers I have bought ornaments in at tag sales and auctions and second-hand stores.  There are original Shiny Brite boxes, with fragile cellophane and old-timey print.  And there is a box that used to contain "Camp Fire Girls and Boys Chocolates" which is filled with many tiny colored ornaments.  But, alas, I have put those boxes back into the dungeon that is our storage area under the steps and I will not be going back there until I have to.  So just imagine them, please.  They're cool in that vintage-y way, I promise.  It only took about a year and a half until I had enough to decorate this small tree with.  I have kept adding to it, too- whenever I find more I buy them.  I have never paid more than $1 for a box, and most of the time I can find them for a quarter, sometimes even a dime.  Cheapest things I have ever found to collect!

The first year we put the tree up downstairs.  This was 2007.  The girls were dressed up to go to Katie's 4 year-old preschool Christmas program.  Gosh they look little!

When the girls got older and I could trust them not to play with the ornaments, I started putting it in their room on the night stand.  Their room is painted an aqua color (one of those situations where you have in mind a lovely pale color.... and then when you have painted the whole room it is way too teal?) and the white tree plus all the colors of the lights and ornaments makes the whole room glow.  Yes, a slightly tacky bluish glow.  But I love it.

I have one last thing to point out.  The top of the tree:

What?  It's bare?  No angel?  No star?  Well, I can't put just anything on there!  It has to be old, and shiny.  I have seen them, but I have yet to find one for sale.  Please keep your eye out for me.  Or, if you happen to have some of these old ornaments in your Christmas boxes, and you no longer want them..... I do!  I will pay you a quarter for them.