If you are looking for some ways to simplify Christmas and make it less commercial, here are some frugal vintage Christmas celebration ideas to help your family slow down and enjoy the season.
I don’t know about you, but I am starting to become very overwhelmed by the amount of pressure we place on ourselves every time the Christmas season comes up. It seems that good old-fashioned fun has been traded for too much busy time. We scramble and stress out on ways to make the Christmas season magical for our kids and family. However, the season can be very magical if we just bring it back to basics. After all, the simple things in life are often the most magical of all. If you are looking for some ways to slow things down and have good, innocent fun this Christmas, here are some vintage ways to celebrate Christmas to help you and your kids be reminded of what really makes memories.
Frugal Vintage Christmas Celebration Ideas
Stuff stockings with classic items.
When I was a kid, stockings or boots were for simple, inexpensive items and stuff we needed like toothbrushes and batteries to run our new toys. If you look back at generations before me, stockings often contained hard to get or seasonal items such as oranges and nuts. This year, why not bring back this tradition of getting a ripe juicy orange in your stocking?
Go caroling.
I was just saying to my husband the other day that I hadn’t heard of a caroling troop doing it in years. Caroling used to be a staple Christmas activity! Many churches still form caroling groups, though, so if you are able to, carol with your kids this year. It is fun to bundle up, share some favorite songs with people (many of whom are homebound) and drink hot cocoa afterward.
Make some of your own Christmas tree decorations.
It used to be that folks made their own tree decor and garland. Do you remember ever seeing popcorn or orange and cranberry garland on trees? It is a super easy Christmas decoration to make and can really bring some fun vintage charm to your holidays while providing a low-key activity to celebrate as well. Check out these tips on how to dry oranges.
Make candy and cookies rather than buying them.
Some of my most fond memories when I was younger are helping my mom make candy such as fudge or bark and decorating cookies for hours while the snow fell around me outside my kitchen window. I especially loved how the house smelled and how fun it was to decorate gingerbread men. Bring back this holiday tradition and you can create cherished memories with your kids.
Cut your own tree down.
In most areas with pine trees available, a permit to cut a tree costs very little. This can be an amazing time to spend with your kids and they will be filled with pride and joy when they take it home and decorate it as well.
Decorate the outdoors for wild birds.
In years past, people used to decorate their trees with apples, popcorn garland and homemade seed bird feeders for the wild birds that stick around in the winter as a way to spend time together and so they could enjoy seeing them visit from the windows. Make your own bird feeders and go out as a family and decorate for the wildlife in your area. You never know who will visit!
Skip buying wrapping paper and make it instead.
Butcher paper can be bought fairly inexpensively and all you need to make your own paper is stamps, paints, markers, and crayons and you and your children can have a fun old-fashioned time making your own wrapping paper. It makes gifts even more fun to give! You can do this with rubber stamps, homemade potato stamps, or these homemade sponge Christmas tree stamps.
The good news about these vintage ways to celebrate Christmas is they are not only old-fashioned, but they are also frugal!
More Frugal and Simple Christmas Ideas:
Frugal Tips for Celebrating Christmas on a Budget
7 Christmas Eve Traditions to Start with your Family
8 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Christmas Tree For Less
Heart of Christmas: A Christian Alternative to Elf on the Shelf
M Wilson says
When I was growing up my Mom would always come up with a craft idea for Christmas gifts for the teacher or ornaments for the tree. One of my favorites to this day is cutting circles out of cardboard about the size of a milk jug cap, then take 4 old fashion hair pins (not bobby pins) inserting them into the circle to create a star, the side ones nipped to be shorter than the top & bottom ones. Then she would spray paint them gold or silver and then we would lightly sprinkle them with glitter of whatever color we chose.
Alea Milham says
What a lovely idea! I will have to try this with my kids. Thanks for sharing!
Lindsey says
I really wanted to do a homemade gift wrapping idea this year, unfortunately I ran out of time :/.