Christmas, Collected: Vintage Treasures with a Story to Tell

The BON TON collector’s Christmas

A face with a little character. A colour softened by time. An ornament that asks to be looked at twice. Vintage Christmas begins with the pleasure of finding something particular.

Among the most evocative Christmas objects are those that seem to have a life of their own. A Father Christmas stands patiently with his sack. A little nisse rests beside a tree stump. On a bauble, a painted winter scene turns slowly into view. Their appeal is immediate, but the details reveal themselves more gradually: the shape of a beard, an expressive pair of eyes, a paper seam, a trace of wear on the edge of a coat.

Our newest vintage Christmas finds bring these qualities together in a particularly charming company. We have photographed them against warm, rustic backgrounds, allowing their painted surfaces, glossy glazes and richly coloured paper illustrations to take centre stage. The result is an invitation to look closely, and to imagine the place each might find in a Christmas interior.

Begin here, with the latest arrivals. Then follow the story into a smaller selection of other pieces from our in-stock collection: Italian glass characters, Scandinavian nisse, delicate ornaments and a few wonderfully unexpected woodland treasures.

A Father Christmas with presence

The large painted plaster Father Christmas has the bearing of a figure who belongs to the house. His scarlet coat, black boots and grey-and-ivory beard are familiar, yet the ochre sack and bright, watchful eyes give him a distinct personality. At 43 cm tall, he is substantial enough to be the centre of an arrangement on a broad console or sideboard.

Give him space. A dark wooden surface, a small group of ornaments and a quiet background allow the figure’s colour and silhouette to register. There is no need to surround a piece like this with competing decorations: one strong character can set the mood for the whole room.

Painted hollow-cast plaster. The supplied German, early twentieth-century attribution remains unverified; the figure is unmarked and its maker is unknown. See the product photographs and condition notes.

The Christmas picture, wrapped around a jar

Decoupage has a particular intimacy: a printed image becomes part of an object we can hold and turn. On these glass jars, Father Christmas crosses a midnight-blue sky in a wonderfully ornate sleigh, above a snowy village. The deep blue ground makes the red coat and golden scrollwork feel especially rich.

At approximately 15 cm high, the jars are small enough to join a shelf of favourite objects while carrying a whole little Christmas journey around their curved surfaces. Display one beside old books or a bowl of ornaments, turning it until the detail you love most is in view. They are offered individually, so a single jar can be a complete small gift.

Baubles with a story to tell

The new decoupage ornaments offer two different moods. On one, Father Christmas appears against a warm cream ground, with fine black images of a horse-drawn sleigh and a wintry landscape winding around the form. On the other, a child, toys and festive greenery gather around a richly coloured Santa scene. One is quiet and almost like an old printed greeting; the other has the warmth of a storybook opened on Christmas Eve.

The papier-mâché construction gives them a different character from glass. Visible paper joins and small surface irregularities remain part of their appearance, bringing texture to the glossy finish. Hang a few among plain ivory and gold ornaments, or let one particularly lovely image be the reason for beginning a small collection.

A Christmas illustration that stands on its own

The 19 cm metal Father Christmas has the charm of a cut-out picture given a place in the room. In his red coat, carrying a small Christmas tree, a parcel and a basket of toys, he is full of the detail that makes seasonal illustrations so absorbing.

The image appears on both sides in mirrored orientation, with gold-painted edges and a rectangular base. That makes him especially pleasing on a console or a table where the figure can be enjoyed from more than one direction. Surface wear, patina and visible losses to the applied paper remain part of the object; the photographs invite a close look at both faces.

Small characters for the Christmas dresser

Not every Christmas treasure needs to hang on a tree. The ceramic Santa pitcher and the nisse beside his hollow tree stump belong to that delightful category of objects which seem to animate a shelf simply by standing on it.

The pitcher has a generous white beard, rosy cheeks, bright eyes and a red handle that curls around like the tail of his hat. Place him where the sculpted face can be seen at eye level, perhaps on a kitchen dresser or a sideboard among other ceramics. His maker, date and country of origin are unknown; the pleasure is in the object itself.

The nisse is a smaller, woodland companion, pipe in hand, beside a stump glazed in yellow-green and ochre. The open form suggests a planter or decorative cachepot. A small inner nursery pot can be used if you wish to add a plant, since watertightness has not been established. The precise date and origin remain unconfirmed.

A little Italian theatre for the tree

The two vintage De Carlini glass figures introduce a more theatrical note. One wears aqua and cobalt, with glitter and applied hair; the other is a “Marie Antoinette” style character in luminous gold with painted floral details. They are particularly lovely where a clear space in the branches allows the complete silhouette to be seen.

Rather than arranging every ornament at the same depth, bring a few expressive figures towards the front and let simpler baubles sit behind. The tree begins to feel inhabited, with something new to notice from each side.

A woodland corner, with a little company

For a shelf or sideboard, gather objects at different heights. A small green-coated Santa, a wooden nisse with his sled and a seated ceramic elf create a company of distinct characters. Leave space between them, allowing the gestures, clothing and materials to remain readable.

Christmas beyond the tree

A framed textile brings the season to the wall; a group of reflective mushrooms gives a table or sideboard a woodland note. These larger accents help connect a Christmas collection to the room, allowing it to extend beyond the branches.

What to look for in a vintage find

Begin with what you can observe: the material, the construction, the painted finish and the condition. Look at the back and underside as well as the front. A maker’s mark, label or documented history can help establish an attribution; a charming face on its own cannot tell us an exact date or country.

Some of our finds have known makers or labels. Others remain unmarked, with an origin or period that is only tentative. We keep those distinctions in the individual descriptions, alongside visible wear, repairs or losses. A small scuff may be something you are happy to live with; more substantial damage deserves a closer look. The right piece is one whose condition, as well as its character, suits you.

The next chapter is yours

Vintage Christmas objects arrive with their earlier histories only partly visible. We may not know which mantel a figure stood on, or who first chose a bauble for a tree. There is no need to invent the story. What we can choose is the place it will have now.

Wrap delicate ornaments individually when the season is over, support projecting details and keep paper and textile pieces dry. When the boxes return next December, there will be familiar faces to greet—and perhaps space for one more discovery.