Vintage Russians

Vintage Russian tree ornaments: (clockwise from bottom left) snowman, pony, monkey, bear with banjo, chilli.

Many years ago, I stumbled across some gorgeous Russian Christmas tree ornaments in a quaint Melbourne shop, Babushkas. I didn’t buy any at the time as they were quite expensive. However, the year before last I went hunting on eBay and discovered vintage Russian Christmas ornaments.

I fell in love. I bought a couple dozen and waited in breathless anticipation for them to arrive. They did – just a few days before Christmas. I hung them on ribbons in my windows. Afterwards I turned them into earrings.

This year, I managed to get hold of that rare commodity – a small white Christmas tree – through the efforts of a friend ($1 from an op shop!) and decorated it with the ornaments. It’s my first Christmas tree for many years.

I found these vintage glass ornaments so much more inspiring than modern-day versions … until I ventured into Myer’s Santaland and discovered a number of retro glass finials, ribbed ‘onions’, and spotted and striped baubles and bonbons that would complement my vintage pieces admirably. The same friend tipped me off to Boxing Day sales, and sure enough, I returned after Christmas and swept up a handful of bonbons at half the price.

Christmas Loot

…I ventured into Myer’s Santaland and discovered a number of retro baubles and bonbons…

Sadly, they aren’t as robust as their Russian counterparts. Two broke by the time I got home, and bereft, I had to replace them the next day. I took those home heavily bubble-wrapped. By contrast, the Russians date from the 1940s–80s and apart from scratches and worn paint, are still intact.

Next year I will be investing in a bigger tree, to accommodate all these goodies.

I’ve entered the second photo in Hipstamatic’s ‘Holidays Captured’ competition – please vote for me!