17 Thrifted Christmas Decor Ideas to Shop For This Year

by | Holidays, Home

Looking for budget-friendly seasonal decor? Check out these thrifted Christmas decor ideas and a tour of our thrifted, vintage holiday home!  It’s also Thrifting with the Gals day, so keep reading to see the seasonal thrifted finds and ideas to style them in your home too!

Who agrees that budgeting for the Christmas season can get a little tricky sometimes?  Having some thrifted Christmas decor ideas has helped me create a cozy, vintage style holiday home.  At the same time, I don’t feel like I’ve had to sacrifice any style or beauty in order to use thrifted items in my Christmas decorating!

Today, I am really excited to share with you a little mini-home tour of some of my Christmas decor that I’ve thrifted over the years.  I hope it inspires you with some ideas to look for throughout the year to add to your own cozy Christmas collections!

Today is also Thrifting with the Gals day and that means I am joining up with some of my thrift-loving friends to share our finds, DIY ideas, and styling tips with you.  Of course, we are all using our thrifted decor!

You won’t want to miss any of these ideas today:

How can I decorate my Christmas without spending any money?

Of course, even the thrift store costs a little bit, but you can definitely save a ton of money on your Christmas decorations by shopping the thrift stores for thrifted Christmas decor ideas all year long.

Pro Tip: I often find the best thrifted Christmas decor ideas in January or February when people are cleaning out and reorganizing their homes!

Incorporating thrift store finds into your holiday decorating is a perfect way to create budget-friendly Christmas decor without sacrificing beauty or style.

Here are a few more tips:

  • Watch for pieces that you can paint or refinish.
  • Look for thrifted items that would make a great Christmas DIY.
  • Look for non-traditional Christmas items that blend with your Christmas colors and style.  Every piece doesn’t have to be holiday-specific!
  • Keep an eye out for decor that you can mix and match with your existing decor.
  • Shop all year long.  Keep a bin easily accessible to store away your thrifted Christmas and holiday finds until the season arrives.
  • Don’t forget about flea markets and yard sales!
  • Check out the after-Christmas sales at antique malls, vintage shops, and even discounts on holiday decor at thrift stores too!

17 Thrifted Christmas Decor Ideas to Shop For This Year

1. French horns make fun thrifted Christmas decor ideas.

Every single one of my French horn collection has come from a yard sale, thrift store, flea market, or vintage market.  I had to be patient, but I eventually found enough to create this gallery wall.  

Each year, now, I enjoy putting it up and even though I arrange it a little differently each year, I think it is a permanent Christmas display for our home.  At least for a long time!

You can find more details about my gallery wall and Christmas mantel over on THIS post.

2. Brass candlesticks are common thrifted Christmas decor ideas.

As I said with my French horn collections, all of my brass candlesticks are also thrifted.  These are definitely something you may find anytime throughout the year, so keep an eye out, even at yard sales, for some great brass candlesticks.  I have a few larger ones that I paid a little more for at vintage markets, but mostly, I have found all of my very inexpensively.

Pro Tip: Make your thrifted brass candlesticks a functioning part of your cozy Christmas decor with THESE battery-operated wax taper candles!  They are on a timer and work with a remote for ease and convenience!  These candles are my favorite and I love how cozy they make our home feel.  I have several sets and use them all throughout our home!

3. Vintage books are easy to use with thrifted Christmas decor ideas!

I use vintage books year round!  Actually, over on THIS post, I share some of my favorite ways to decorate with vintage books.

During the Christmas season, you’ll find thrifted books all throughout our home.  I even use them to add height and texture to our Nativity set.  At the same time, I use vintage books under some of my brass candlesticks to give more height variation too.

You might even get lucky and find old titles that are Christmas-related, like this favorite leather Charles Dickens book!

4. Vintage frames make great Christmas decor too!

I always keep an eye out for beautiful old frames.  Chippy, imperfect ones are my favorites!  For the Christmas season, I incorporated these chippy gold frames that I got at a flea market. They add some vintage elegance to my French horn gallery wall and I love the extra detail and texture they add to this room as well.

Pro Tip: Sometimes, the best frames have art that doesn’t match your home’s aesthetic.  Just toss the unwanted art and keep the beautiful frame!  Always go through the art and wall decor section at the thrift store and look specifically at the frames!

5. Vintage silver chalices are perfect for unique Christmas decorating.

I love this collection of vintage silver chalices.  Even though I typically use them for tablescapes, I decided to leave them out on display all season in the dining room this year.  I added some of THESE battery-operated wax candles and neutral bottle brush trees to a few of them.

The vintage silver adds some elegance and formality while reflecting the light for an extra cozy look.  At the same time, they may come off the shelf at some point for a Christmas tablescape too!

I often see vintage silver chalices for really cheap prices, but it may just be a couple at a time. You can build an inexpensive collection of thrifted Christmas decor ideas if you’re willing to be patient!

6. How can I make my house feel cozy after Christmas?

Thrifted mirrors are key to keeping a cozy glow after the holidays!  I love to use old mirrors, whether hung on the wall, leaned in a grouping, or lining the back of a shelf, vintage mirrors can add so much dimension and beauty to your cozy Christmas home.

Pro Tip: Layer battery-operated candles and thrifted brass candlesticks in front of a mirror.  The cozy glow is reflected back into the room…and doubled!

My two favorite thrifted mirrors are these fancy oval antique ones.  They are dated to the late 1800’s, per the estate where the thrift store got them, and every detail would indicate that they are indeed well over 100 years old!

I patiently waited until the thrift store put them on sale and snagged them for $25 each!!!

7. Don’t forget about free items from your yard for budget-friendly Christmas decorating!

If you are creating a garland or hanging display, consider a stick from your yard!  We cleaned off a long, thick stick to hang the gold bell DIY display in our dining room.  I love the juxtaposition between the gold bells and the rustic stick.  At the same time, it was totally free!

What can you do with leftover Christmas decorations?

You could create a similar idea with leftover ornaments for a cute wall hanging or “garland”!  I used another stick to hang these beautiful ornaments in the entryway.  The unevenness of the stick allows for a unique, “imperfect” style that I really love!

8. Thrifted Christmas decor ideas don’t have to be Christmas-specific!

In fact, I always keep an eye out for pieces that I love and can use not only for the holiday seasons, but all throughout the year too.  This crock is a great example of a piece that I used to hold foraged branches in the fall and then quickly switched the branches out for a pretty faux tree for Christmas and winter!

If you have some great vessels but need a pretty tree, I recommend THIS one!  Such a pretty and very realistic style!

9. Old crates are perfect for thrifted Christmas decor ideas too!

Actually, all of my bigger trees sit in some kind of thrifted crate or large basket.  I love how the old pieces add a unique look to my Christmas decor.  At the same time, they conceal the base of the tree without me constantly straightening a traditional tree skirt!

Watch for large crates and baskets that are big enough to hold the base of. your favorite Christmas trees!  Again, you will probably find them throughout the year and that’s okay.  You can use them all year long for seasonal plants, branches, stems, and even storage!

10. Silver pitchers are easy to style with thrifted Christmas decor ideas.

Especially if you love a curated, eclectic, vintage look, old silver is a great look for the holiday seasons.  I quickly stuck some faux cedar branches in this silver pitcher and I love how it makes such an easy and elegant Christmas centerpiece!

Make sure to carefully check the kitchen and housewares sections of your thrift stores.  You are likely to come across some pretty silver pieces for great prices throughout the year!

Also, you can use them all year long as vases for flowers or style them in the dining room as a pretty collection.

11. Thrifted ironstone is always a good idea!

I love using ironstone pieces year round.  During the Christmas season, you’ll find them tucked here and there throughout our home too! Usually, I even keep a little stack ready on the dining room table for last minute Christmas treats or snacks!

Pro Tip: Ironstone collections go with everything and look even better when the pieces are mixed and matched.  Check the dishware aisles carefully at your thrift stores.  You may find a piece tucked in here and there for an excellent deal!

12. Watch for unique finds to use in your thrifted Christmas decor ideas!

I picked up this old store display on the 127 Yard Sale this past summer.  It makes the perfect display for holiday cards and we look forward to filling it up with cards from family and friends this season!

Think outside the box and see how you can possibly incorporate unique finds into your Christmas decorating too!

13. Glass cloches are really fun to use in Christmas decorating!

While I’ve paid more money for some of my cloches, I have also found many of mine at thrift stores and even yard sales!  I always watch for them because you just never know!

They are so fun to style at Christmas!  One year, I even grouped several together to display our Nativity set.  I love how it turned our smaller set into the main statement piece of the room!

If you’re looking for glass cloches, there are some pretty and budget-friendly ones available HERE and HERE!

14. Thrifted Christmas angels are perfect for the season!

I love the look of these pretty brass angels.  The vintage style blends perfectly with our Christmas decor.  At the same time, I love how angels help tell the story of Christmas!  Luckily, I’ve picked up several different ones over the years and they are so fun to decorate with!

I especially loved this tablescape that I created with vintage brass angels!

Definitely watch for these because I do see them fairly often at antique malls, flea markets, and thrift shops!

15. Incorporate architectural salvage into your Christmas home decor!

You all know I love architectural salvage.  In fact, it is always one of my favorite things to shop for when we are out looking for vintage pieces.  We used these really inexpensive spindles to create fun DIY ornaments and gift packaging tie-on accessories!

You can find all the details of the DIY ornaments on THIS post.

Over on THIS post, you can see how we personalized salvage pieces to tie onto gift packages too!

16. Ornaments are perfect for thrifted Christmas decor ideas!

Recently, I came across a box of these old brass French horn ornaments.  Even though I got a steal of a deal on them, I would have gladly paid more because they are all just so pretty!

I used some for simple and festive napkin rings over on THIS POST.  

Also, I tied some onto gifts.  They would also be so pretty tied onto a DIY garland!

Watch for sets of ornaments that someone else is tired of and drops off at the thrift store.  It might be the next inspiration for your cozy Christmas home!

17. Don’t forget about a great old bucket for thrift Christmas decor!

When I was decorating this coffee table, I was looking everywhere for something to hide the plain pot of my table top tree.  I realized I had a great old bucket sitting right there!  Sometimes the best and easiest solutions are right in front of us, right?!

If you have old bucket sitting around, put a tree in it!  It will add so much character and charm to your cozy Christmas decor!

Now, check out these thrifting favorites too:

Ann from Dabbling and Decorating is sharing her Antique Christmas Decor Treasures this week.

Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse has a great idea with this Vintage Wooden Spools DIY!

Don’t miss Kristin from White Arrow’s Home with her vintage Christmas must-haves!

Can you reuse Christmas decorations?

1000% yes!  In fact, not only is thrifting for great Christmas decor a budget-friendly option, but you will end up creating a carefully curated and well-loved, timeless look with vintage favorites.  If you want a Christmas home that is all your own style, thrifting, mixing old and new, and adding those unique elements is the best way to go!

We hope that these thrifted Christmas decor ideas are going you some fun inspiration this season too!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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