Before you break bread with family and friends this season, keep in mind that cutting boards made from repurposed wood are classic, sturdy gifts that will make a delightful addition to your kitchen anytime of year. Give your kitchen’s prep space a rustic look with a cutting board made from old barn wood, or, make it a part of your kitchen wall by attaching a piece of slate and fashioning the bread board into a chalkboard instead.

Who doesn’t love warming up with a cup of hot cocoa when the temperatures plummet outside? For a cost-effective gift that will warm bellies and hearts, buy some old canning jars at your local antique shop and fill each of them with hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows.

If you’re buying for a tea drinker, you’ll find many mid-century brass and porcelain tea pots and tea sets online. You’ll be the talk of the party when they’re used for your next big holiday get-together.

Repurposed vintage Scrabble ornaments are a fun way to make your Christmas tree stand out among all others this year. Whether your Scrabble set has seen better days or you’re on the hunt for a used copy of the popular game at a local flea market, you can personalize this fun DIY gift by spelling out the recipient’s name with tiles, or string together a fun holiday message.

Your best Holiday wishes

Send your best holiday wishes to friends and family this year – and include a message from the past, too! For years, one of my friends has mailed those on his Christmas card list an antique holiday card along with his own personal greetings for the season. It’s a fun way to look back and see how Christmas greetings have changed over the centuries – and, in some cases, how often it stays the same.

Speaking of holiday cards, I’ve recently found myself enjoying cards of a different sort, in the form of recipe cards. Especially common is the Betty Crocker recipe card set, produced in 1971 and usually sold in antique stores for less than $20. Your gift recipient will love remembering some of his or her favorite recipes from yesteryear – and giggle at some of the more ludicrous ones, too (why on Earth were we so obsessed with encasing every conceivable food in aspic? It’s a culinary trend that should be relegated to history).

Your Christmas gifts, of course, don’t need to only be focused on the season. I don’t know about you, but I’m already looking forward to the beauty and renewal that will accompany spring. If your gift recipient is a gardener and loves the great outdoors, help give her garden a vintage touch by gifting antique cookie or candy tins containing a small plant, such as a succulent. Many of these tins can be found for only a few bucks at antique stores, making them an economical choice and an attractive, too.
You’ve heard the adage that the most thoughtful gifts are those you make yourself. If holiday baking is as enjoyable for you as it is for me, use one of those antique tins to gift a variety of holiday cookies you prepare in your own kitchen (my favorite since childhood have been my mother’s Russian tea cakes – also referred to as “Mexican wedding cakes.” Yum!).

We’ve all heard of the trend of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters to work or a family function, but if you’re a fan of kitsch, it would be folly to stop there. Ugly Christmas socks complete your fun, cringe-worthy look while keeping your toes warm from the winter chill.

Hard to Shop for…

Shopping for the guy who seemingly has everything? Get him the gift of a clean shave from yesteryear. Small vintage shaving kits will spruce up your bathroom space and are increasingly affordable despite all they offer. These highly collectible items make a keen decorative statement and would look especially at home in a guest bathroom.

Say cheese! My father has collected antique cameras for as long as I can remember, and early and mid-century cameras such as Kodak’s Brownie, while commonly found, will give an office space a conversation piece that is sure to be a hit. Pair the camera with a small box of flash bulbs for an illuminating gift idea for the shutterbug in your life. In these days when everyone fancies himself a photographer, cameras such as these remind us that photography is still an art.

Often, the most simple ideas are the most appreciated. It’s been a tough year for everyone – with that in mind, give the gift of your time this holiday season, whether it’s volunteering at your favorite charity, babysitting your beloved grandchildren, enjoying coffee with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, or just popping by a neighbor’s home with a cake or pie and checking up on their health and wellness, being physically present is a more meaningful present than anything you could ever find in a storefront.

Have a top-notch antique or DIY gift idea? E-mail me to have your idea shared on our website and social media. Holiday blessings to you and yours.