who decorated outside with blue lights and how fun it looked. Indeed, when it comes to vintage decorations, though, holly has his heart at this time of the year. “I love holly – it’s just this wonderful evergreen,” he says, noting that holly, ivy and mistletoe are traditionally associated with Christmastime in England. He points out that Limoges made a lot of holly dinnerware, and his former company came out with holly china about 15 years ago. “I buy vintage holly Christmas decorations,” he confides. “It’s stuff I remember having when I was a kid.” In particular, he remembers a Santa’s sled with molded holly leaves filled with candy… “and I was always near the candy dish,” he says with a laugh. Vintage decorations are readily available depending on what one is seeking. “You can find a lot of the old cardboard decorations,” says Radko, noting that ornaments and decorations made in Germany in the early years of the twentieth century are more rare, whether they are glass or papier mache. The most frequently found vintage Christmas items are American-made decorations from the 1940s on, which were primarily sold at Woolworths and other popular stores, along with a lot of items made in Japan. Radko notes that the American brand ShinyBrite was hugely popular in the mid-twentieth century, and when the brand name became available some years back, “I picked up the name and re-created a lot of it,” he says, “and you can still see my version of Shiny-Brite in stores.” 24
Vintage decorations of all kinds, he says, can be wonderful reminders of your childhood or times past or people not with us anymore, and “there’s a sentimental value to them,” he says. Decorating with vintage items helps connect families and friends and create a joyful atmosphere in which to relax and enjoy good company and good times. “Every holiday gives you a chance to celebrate life,” he says, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or Halloween. And there are vintage decorations to be found for both of those holidays as well. “It’s been fun but I don’t want to rest on my Christmas laurels,” says Christopher Radko. “There’s so much good yet to come.”