Christmas in July!

I love Christmas!!! Christmas is my favorite!!!

– Buddy the Elf

I think we all can agree with Buddy on that one! Though I love different things about each season and its holidays, Christmas definitely takes the *fruit* cake;) Despite the often self imposed stress of the holiday, it’s the one holiday where everyone gets together, and we all pig out on our favorite foods all day long. All my kiddos are home, and when that rarity happens, I am always grateful:) Right now they are scattered across the Midwest as 3/5 have grown out of the nest, so I love looking back at old Christmas photos and looking forward to the coming holidays when we’ll all be together again. So, grab your Rae Dunn mug full of hot cocoa and join me as I reminisce and go on my Christmas in July tour!!

Joy to the world!!!

Christmas decor doesn’t have to be expensive!!! What a joy, am I right?! As you already know, most of my decor comes from antique stores. Christmas decor is no exception. I love taking old vintage pieces that aren’t specifically “Christmas” and repurposing them for the holiday. An example is the lanterns above! Those are just some old lanterns from one of the many coal mines around my area, but when they are put in the holiday setting, they suddenly seem “festive” and give the table a nice, warm touch!

You all already know about my thermos addiction, and during the holidays, it is in full gear!!! Notice, just like my lanterns, these thermoses are not specifically Christmas. Just the colors of the season that, when showcased, suddenly seem festive!:) I talked about how I use this same technique in my 4th of July decor here!

Thermoses also work great for winter decor though because of how we tend to relate them with the colder, winter months. Display that ole Stanley thermos–which are normally green by the way;)–up on a shelf or just on your counter and watch how many compliments you get!!! I suggest making a list of things that you already have and use a lot around the holidays and then see how many of those things can actually have a double purpose as home decor!

I wanna vintage Santa Claus for Christmas….

So maybe the song doesn’t go quite like that…;)

Something that is definitely more “Christmas-y” that I love and collect are vintage Santa Clauses!!! I love a good vintage Santa:) I collect them (like the mugs above or the tiny one below) all year! You can usually find them a lot easier this time of year than after September or so. Another big reason I’m thinking about my Christmas decor now–even though it’s 95 degrees here in Southern Illinois!–is so that I don’t miss out on the good deals and items! Go hit those antique malls soon, Sister. I have a couple of guides for the best ones in the southeastern Midwest and southern Illinois here!

Homemade gifts are the best gifts!

And you really can’t beat all the homemade gifts that God gives us in nature:) There are so many wonderful ways to use greenery year round but especially around the holidays. We have lots of pine trees around our property, and I love sticking sprigs of pine or a random pinecone throughout my decor. Not to mention that they smell fantastic! 🙂

Well, I hope that your Rae Dunn is empty of hot cocoa and that you enjoyed this Christmas in July tour as much as I did:) Looking back at these photos gets me so excited for the holidays!! I’m an outdoors girl and really love the warmth of summer, but sometimes I do enjoy the peacefulness that the colder months bring. I’m excited to get back to that and drag out all of my collections! Decorating for Christmas should be just as fun as decorating for any other holiday. I hope this early Christmas in July tour and these tips brought some joy back into the holiday for you and that you, like Buddy, will again say “Christmas is my favorite!!!”:)