Great collections aren't born overnight, over a weekend, or in a single trip to a flea market. Vintage holiday collectibles require time, patience, and sometimes research to acquire. Having a stellar stack of vintage Santas isn't impossible, but it could come to fruition with a few of these tips.
Not all holidays are the same - The first thing to know is that some holidays are easier to collect than others. Vintage Christmas decorations are much more plentiful and often cost much less money than vintage Halloween collectibles. This is because Christmas has been mass-produced for longer. Halloween has recently become a big party for decoration. People tended to save Christmas decorations from year to year and took care to store them instead of a bucket and Halloween costume that might have been thrown away. Also, things like vintage Halloween collectibles were often toys or dainty papier-mâché cubes that wouldn't survive a night of kids jumping on sugar.
It's the season - Many times antique dealers will not bring out their holiday collectibles until close to that holiday. Vintage vendors with stalls often resist displaying all their Easter collectibles until spring, and your favorite thrift store won't put out donated pumpkins until close to Halloween. Start browsing your favorite booths and stores during the season you're hoping to pick. Sure, most of these items can be found online any time of year. But true collectors love the thrill of the hunt.
The low season - Don't completely ignore Christmas in July. Many times when you can find Easter bunnies in October or Valentines in July, they are often much cheaper than when they are closer to the holidays. If you want to have the world's largest Halloween collection, you need to see everything through pumpkin orange glasses all year long while you shop.
Shop often - When items are in season, especially at thrift stores, shop often, as new items sell daily. Also, many people are taking out their decorations and donating what they no longer want. Also, don't forget to shop for next year. Many people will also donate right after a holiday when they are putting away their decorations. Pro-tip:Sunday nights and Mondays tend to be the best at thrift stores because most items are donated on Saturdays.
Be careful with reproductions - There are some pretty stellar reproduction holiday items on the market. These work well for building a collection, just do your research and make sure you realize what you're paying for. Reproductions will most of the time be considerably less expensive.
Eye of the beholder on vacation - Think less obvious items when collecting and decorating for the holidays with a vintage vibe. A collection of black and orange glass antiques suddenly becomes perfect for Halloween when placed in the right vignette. Antique toys never looked better than the ones displayed under a vintage-themed Christmas tree.
Be careful how you store your collection - You have worked so hard to acquire your holiday collectibles. Be careful how you store them in the off-season. Hot attics can warp and discolor things, just like garages. Rats and bugs can destroy items made from papier-mâché, like Halloween pails and Easter bunnies.
A great collection takes time - It can take years to amass a significant collection of vintage holidays. Even the most avid holiday collectors of the time started somewhere with just a ceramic angel or a solitary stuffed reindeer. Fabulous groupings of collectibles can take years. Those that were put together in a whimsical show and those where each piece was brilliantly hand-picked.
