This is the Christmas we love best — soft, faded and full of heirloom charm. Whitewashed signs, fabric hanging hearts, old-fashioned figures and mercury-glass baubles that look like they've been in the family for years. A gentle, nostalgic Christmas, chosen with a shabby chic eye. Old-fashioned Christmas, or Xmas if you grew up calling it that – this is the look.
There's a particular kind of Christmas that feels like coming home — the one with faded colours, hand-finished wood, glass that catches the fairy lights, and characters that look like old friends. That's what vintage and nostalgic Christmas decorating is all about: not shiny and new, but soft, lived-in and loved. It's the look we've built Live Laugh Love around, and this is where it all lives.
Start with a few well-loved words — whitewashed signs and plaques for the mantel and the kitchen dresser. Add the shabby chic signature, fabric and wooden hanging hearts, to the tree, the door handles and the bannister. Bring in the characters with nostalgic shelf sitters and figures — old-fashioned Santas, wooden snowmen and felt mice — and dress the tree in vintage baubles: mercury glass, matte finishes, faded pastels and antique gold.
Keep the palette gentle — creams, greys, soft reds, natural wood — and mix new pieces with family treasures so it all feels collected rather than bought in one go. That's the secret to a home that looks like it's been Christmas there for generations. Everything here is made to last, so your favourites come out year after year and become part of the story.
