14 old fashioned Christmas Decorations for Earlier Times

Hey there, fellow Christmas lover. Let’s chat.

Do you ever look around at the holiday aisles and feel… a little overwhelmed? Everything is blinking, beeping, and, let’s be honest, so plastic. We’ve got LED lights so bright they could land a plane and inflatable yard Santas that are bigger than my car. It’s a lot!

Lately, I’ve been craving something different. Something quieter. Something that feels like the holidays I remember. I was helping my mom clean out her attic last year and found my grandmother’s old ornament box. The smell of old paper, dried pine, and faint cinnamon just hit me. It was pure magic.

If you’re like me and you’re yearning to capture that warm, nostalgic, “Christmas-card” glow, you’re in the right place. We’re going to skip the mega-store trends and dive into 14 beautiful Christmas decorations for earlier times. These are the simple, heartfelt, and timeless ideas that make a house feel like a holiday home.

🌿 The Heart of Old-Fashioned Decor: Natural & Simple

Before the first string of electric lights, decorations came from the original source: nature. Bringing the outdoors in is the number one way to capture that vintage holiday spirit. And the best part? The smell is incredible.

1. Real Evergreen Garlands

Forget the plastic-y ropes. I’m talking about a real, fragrant garland made of pine, cedar, fir, or juniper. You can often find fresh-roped garlands at local tree farms or garden centers.

Drape this everywhere. Wind it up your Christmas staircase, lay it across your mantel, or frame your front door. The scent alone will transport you back in time. It’s the perfect base for your entire decor scheme.

2. Dried Orange & Cranberry Strings

This is a classic for a reason. It’s beautiful, simple, and makes your house smell amazing. Plus, it’s a super easy DIY project.

How to: Thinly slice a few navel oranges (about 1/4 inch thick).
Pat them very dry with a paper towel.
Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake at a low temperature (around 200°F or 93°C) for 3-4 hours, flipping them halfway through. You want them to be dry, not browned.
Once cool, string them onto twine, alternating with bright red, fresh cranberries.

These look stunning hanging on the tree, draped on the mantel, or even hung in a kitchen window. The light shining through the orange slices is just gorgeous.

3. Classic Popcorn Garlands

Is there anything more nostalgic than this? Making popcorn strings is a perfect snow-day activity for the family. It’s a little bit of time for a whole lot of charm.

A quick tip: Use day-old popcorn. Seriously. It’s less likely to crumble and break as you’re stringing it. Use a sharp needle and strong thread (like button thread or dental floss), and just go to town. You can mix in cranberries here, too, for a pop of color.

4. Clove-Studded Pomander Balls

If you want to know what “earlier times” smelled like at Christmas, this is it. A pomander is simply a piece of fruit, usually an orange or apple, studded with whole cloves.

You can create intricate patterns—swirls, diamonds, or just random polka-dots. The sharp, spicy scent of the cloves mixes with the sweet citrus… it’s divine. Cluster them in a wooden bowl as a centerpiece, or tie a ribbon around one and hang it from a doorway.

✨ Lighting Up the Past (Without Burning the House Down)

That soft, warm glow is a hallmark of a vintage Christmas. Modern LEDs are efficient, but that bright, blue-white light can feel a bit sterile, can’t it? Let’s get that warmth back.

5. Clip-On Candle Lights

Okay, let’s be real. Our ancestors were brave. They put actual, flickering, open-flame candles on a dry, dying tree. Indoors.

I am not suggesting you do that. But you can get that beautiful, elegant Victorian look with modern safety. Hunt for electric, clip-on candle lights for your tree. They come in strands, and each “candle” has a little clip that attaches to a branch, so they sit upright just like the real thing. They provide a gentle, vertical light that’s so different from wrapped string lights.

6. Big, Bold C7 & C9 Bulbs

Remember these? The big, colorful, torpedo-shaped bulbs? These are the C7 and C9 bulbs of the 1950s and 60s. They have a warmth and a presence that tiny twinkle lights just can’t match.

These are fantastic for outlining your front porch Christmas decorations or for use on a larger tree. You can find modern, energy-efficient LED versions that have the same vintage shape and warm glow. They just feel right.

🎄 Decking the Tree, Vintage Style

The tree is the star of your Christmas living room ideas, and “earlier times” trees were all about homemade charm and delicate details.

7. Shiny Brite & Glass Ornaments

This is my personal favorite. “Shiny Brite” was the king of ornaments from the 1940s to the 1960s. They are those colorful, lightweight glass baubles with the signature scalloped metal cap.

You can find authentic vintage ones at thrift stores and antique malls (that’s half the fun!). Look for the classic round shapes, but also the “indented” reflector ornaments and the longer, tear-drop shapes. Their delicate, hand-painted look is pure nostalgia.

8. Heavy Lametta Tinsel

I’m talking about the real tinsel. The heavy, metallic “icicle” strands that you have to place one by one. Yes, it’s a mess. Yes, it’s a pain to clean up.

But… IMO, nothing else looks like it. 😉

The way it catches the light and drips off the branches is pure magic. It’s the ultimate 1960s retro look. Just commit to the process and embrace the sparkle.

9. Hand-carved Wooden Ornaments

Long before glass, ornaments were often hand-carved from wood. Think simple reindeer, rocking horses, angels, and soldiers.

These add a wonderful, rustic, and humble quality to your tree. They are the opposite of all the glitter and glam. They feel sturdy, timeless, and grounded. You can find beautiful, simple sets online or even try to find some from a local artisan.

10. Simple Paper Chains & Snowflakes

Another perfect family craft! All you need is construction paper (or even old book pages or sheet music for a more ‘olde-worlde’ feel), scissors, and a stapler or glue.

Cutting paper snowflakes to tape in the windows is a tradition that costs pennies. And a paper chain, looped together by little hands, is a sweeter garland than anything you can buy at a store. It’s all about the joy of making, not just the having.

🏠 Creating a Cozy, Nostalgic Atmosphere

Finally, let’s pull that vintage feeling into the rest of the room. It’s about creating cozy corners and focusing on timeless patterns.

11. A Ceramic Christmas Village

What’s a vintage mantel without a ceramic Christmas village? Those little light-up houses, the tiny bottle-brush trees, and the fake snow batting… it’s pure, condensed charm.

This is the perfect thing to set up on your mantel. In fact, it’s one of my favorite winter mantel ideas because you can keep it up long after Christmas. Start with a few key pieces—a church, a bakery, a little house—and you can add to your collection year after year.

12. Classic Tartan Plaid

Nothing says “cozy Christmas” quite like a classic tartan plaid. The rich reds, deep greens, and navy blues are timeless.

This is an easy one to incorporate. Think about:

Plaid Ribbons: Use wide, wired plaid ribbon for your tree or to tie bows on your evergreen garlands.
Textiles: Swap out your regular sofa pillows for a few plaid ones.
Throws: A soft, wool-blend plaid blanket draped over a chair is instantly inviting.
Stockings: A set of matching plaid stockings is a classic for a reason.

This pattern fits perfectly if you already love a farmhouse living room aesthetic.

13. Displaying Vintage Christmas Cards

Here’s a decor idea that’s basically free! Do you save Christmas cards? Go dig out your favorites from past years. Or, even better, pop into an antique shop and find a handful of actual vintage cards from the 50s and 60s.

The artwork on them is often stunning—think rosy-cheeked Santas, mid-century modern designs, or peaceful winter scenes. String them up with twine and clothespins, or just tuck them into your mirror wall decor or mantel garland.

14. A Nostalgic, “Charlie Brown” Tree

Finally, let’s talk about the tree itself. The trend for years has been toward these perfectly full, “flocked-to-an-inch-of-their-life” trees.

But an old-fashioned tree was often a little… sparse. It was a simple, real tree with gaps between the branches. And you know what? Those gaps are perfect. They give your special ornaments room to breathe and be seen. So embrace the “imperfect” tree. It’s got character, and it’s 100% authentic.

🎁 It’s a Wrap on Earlier Times

See? Creating a nostalgic Christmas isn’t about spending a ton of money or having a “perfect” magazine-ready house.

It’s about slowing down. It’s about using natural materials, focusing on warm light, and celebrating simple, heartfelt traditions. It’s about the smell of oranges and cloves, the feel of a wool blanket, and the sight of a delicate glass ornament that has a story.

You’re not just decorating; you’re crafting a feeling. You’re creating a backdrop for new memories while honoring the old ones.

So, what’s your next step? Maybe you’ll plan an afternoon to bake and string some oranges. Or perhaps you’ll start your hunt for the perfect ceramic church for your mantel.

What’s the one decoration from “earlier times” that instantly takes you back to your best Christmas memories? I’d love to know.

14 Old-Fashioned Christmas Decorations That Look More Magical Than Anything Modern