The best vintage Christmas ornaments to keep on your holiday radar

As someone who more or less lives in thrift shops, I’m not quick to buy Christmas stuff new. I’m especially of the belief that everyone should buy Christmas ornaments secondhand. If you’re an avid thrifter, you probably know how truly disorienting it is when vintage ornaments fill up charity shops during the holidays. People get excited to buy brand new ornaments for Christmas, then get rid of them once January rolls around or when they need to clean out their attics. This vicious cycle continues year after year.

The great thing about thrifting for Christmas ornaments is that you can build a truly eclectic, one-of-a-kind holiday tree. But, if you’d like, you can also start a curated vintage ornament collection. The thrift store is perfect for affordable collector ornaments if you’re partial to a specific style, motif, or brand. In fact, there are quite a few vintage ornament brands out there with a devoted following—here are just a few of the most beloved. 

Shiny Brite

True to their name, Shiny Brite ornaments are shiny and bright, often featuring glittery designs and letters. They actually come from a long line of hand-blown glass ornaments from Europe. When European imports were restricted during World War II, German immigrant Max Eckardt launched Shiny Brite in 1937, touting his sparkling glass ornaments as American made. He teamed up with the Corning Glass company, which was, fun fact, best known for producing light bulbs. 

As much as they’re beloved for their craftsmanship, Shiny Brite ornaments are really valuable because of the nostalgia factor. If you take a look at most of the styles, you’ll notice that they’re not particularly ornate or detailed. Additionally, the build is pretty fragile. These ornaments do, however, exemplify that classic mid-century holiday style with their colorful, shiny designs, and that makes them very valuable. 

Shiny Brite waned in popularity in the 60s, when people started eyeing plastic ornaments that were less fragile and expensive. While there have been Shiny Brite reproductions since the early aughts, it’s the vintage ornaments from this mid-century era that are truly prized. A lot of people will even pay good money just to have the original boxes with the retro designs.

Hallmark Keepsakes

Hallmark has a reputation for being sickly sentimental and sweet, but I have to admit that I have a soft spot for its Keepsakes ornaments. The brand has been around since 1910, but it wasn’t until 1973 that it released its first set of Keepsake ornaments, which were mostly modest string and glass ornaments.

Today, there’s a type of Hallmark ornament for virtually every family-friendly pop culture reference you can think of, and they’re mostly made of plastic as opposed to glass. The Henry Ford Museum touts a sprawling collection of over 7,000 ornaments, and Hallmark keeps releasing hundreds of new ones each year. As a vintage reseller, I like picking up Hallmark Keepsakes when I can get them for cheap — I find that they actually have pretty devoted collectors!

Danbury Mint ornaments

Chances are, you’ve probably seen a Danbury Mint figurine or plate at your local thrift store at some point. The brand has is best known for its coins and jewelry, but it’s also well loved for its collectible trinket offerings. The very first set of ornaments I’ve ever sold was a dog one by Danbury Mint—animal and sports ornaments by this company are highly coveted. 

If you prefer a ritzy rather than kitschy holiday aesthetic, you can’t go wrong with Danbury Mint’s traditional gold ornaments. These collectible ornaments feature flat, gold-plated components that are meticulously arranged into eye-catching 3D designs. They look great hanging from Christmas trees, and they make for elegant holiday gifts. 

Department 56 Snowbabies ornaments

Department 56 is synonymous with high-end Christmas figurines — some rare collector pieces can fetch you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. While the company’s vintage ornaments aren’t exactly expensive, they’re fairly collectible. One of the brand’s most beloved ornament lines is its Snowbabies one, which first came out in 1986. Snowbabies are made out of bisque porcelain, featuring snow-textured exteriors and cherubic baby faces. The premise is simple: They resemble children playing in the snow. 

I once went to an estate sale with HUNDREDS of Snowbabies, and resellers hovered over them like vultures. And honestly, I get it. They remind me of more refined, less twee Precious Moments figurines.

Pottery Barn glass ornaments

Phoebe from Friends might hate Pottery Barn, but there are actually a lot of people out there who love the brand for its Christmas offerings. While Pottery Barn isn’t technically vintage, there are Pottery Barn pieces that could definitely be considered vintage. Pottery Barn blown glass ornaments are actually fairly popular, especially those from its retired ’90s line with all of Santa’s reindeers — think Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, and so on and so forth. I’d also keep an eye out for vintage or vintage-inspired Pottery Barn mercury glass ornaments. The kitschier it looks, the more desirable it is. 

Bonus: Jim Shore Santas Around the World resin ornaments

The Jim Shore craze is real, y’all. I first came across Jim Shore Santas while hitting up my local comic books and collectibles store. As a vintage reseller, hitting up collectibles stores is kind of like doing market research. These folksy Santas immediately caught my eye — I felt drawn to their hand-painted, homespun charm in the sea of PVC comic book figurines. You can find Santas from all backgrounds, including German, Turkish, Canadian, and many more. 

I include these as a bonus because they’re not exactly vintage. Many of them are actually from this past decade. But Jim Shore stuff does have a certain nostalgic, vintage charm to it, so it’s worth checking out the Santas Around the World collection if you’re partial to a folksy, handcrafted aesthetic. 

Along with carrying your typical filler holiday baubles, thrift stores are often a treasure trove of collectible vintage ornaments. Skip the trip to Target and Macy’s this year — stop by your local secondhand shop to get the good vintage holiday decor.