When it comes to decorating for Xmas, a vintage ceramic Christmas tree with lights is the cream of the crop. These little trees are highly decorative, collectible and can even light up. However, sometimes they are hard to come by.
On the other end of the buyer’s spectrum, people love vintage Xmas products, but getting them isn’t always so easy. In this short blog post, I’ll be showing you a few known and some lesser-known locations, websites and methods for getting your hands on vintage ceramic Xmas trees.
A small caveat before we go any further
The word vintage, retro or old-fashioned gets thrown around a lot when it comes to Xmas decorations, clothes, furniture, and other products. My idea of an item that is vintage relates to something that is old, high quality and has a lot of character.
Here’s a definition I got from Google for the word “vintage.”
Denoting something from the past of high quality, especially something representing the best of its kind.
The way I see it unless the ceramic Christmas tree you purchase through any of the methods I mention below is second hand and at least a few years old, preferably before the year 2000, it won’t be vintage.
If it says it’s vintage, then it might come from a ceramic tree mold that was used in the late 90’s or of a vintage type of design. Don’t get confused when buying or be surprised when it arrives at your front door brand new and without any dust on it.
Amazon & eBay
From my shopping perspective, these two sites are some of the most accessible websites to buy ceramic Xmas trees from. Most sellers go where the customers hang out, and a lot of them hang out at here.
I wouldn’t bargain on finding any real vintage trees at Amazon, but on eBay, you might be surprised.
On eBay, I’ve seen the selection of ceramic decorative products to be a bit bigger than Amazon since there are a lot more second hand and small-time sellers. Amazon is a much more trustworthy source with better shipping, and that’s why my ceramic tree guide is based solely on products from them.
Classified websites
People sell all kinds of second-hand products on classified sites. I wouldn’t be amazed if you’d find a massive selection of Christmas decorative items for sale on your local classifieds website. Some of the most popular options include Craigslist, Kijiji, and Backpage.
Check out this beautiful tree for sale on Craigslist:
Thrift shop & Estate sales
If you’re a lover of vintage products, thrift shops, and estate sales are probably like your second home. I remember being dragged to similar events with my mom when I was a little kid, but hating every second of it.
Little did I know all the awesome collectibles that were hanging around just waiting to find a home. If you have some of these shops and events in your area be sure to visit them and you might just see a classic 1960’s ceramic Xmas tree with a rich history.
Facebook groups
A few weeks ago I was trying to promote my ceramic Xmas decoration guide and discovered a bunch of Xmas Facebook groups full of members posting decoration ideas, selling products, handing out tips and more.
Naturally, I shared my guide, and besides getting great responses, many people commented saying that they own a lot of trees.
The chances are that they would be willing to sell some of them to you. All you would have to do is join the group and make a post saying that you’re in the market for vintage ceramic decorations.
If you are struggling to find Facebook groups, just search for any group related to Xmas. If that doesn’t work, joining a general town-based Facebook group might also do the trick.
Friends and family
Once upon a time going to ceramic classes and making a tree was all the rage. You would be amazed at how many people own one, including your family members.
If you have living relatives, who are past the age of 50, they might be willing to give you one of their ceramic creations.
I wouldn’t hurt to ask.