My love of pink Christmas began when I found my first pink Santa at the Rose Bowl flea market in California many years ago. I soon started collecting them and learned they were first made in the 1940s by Harold Gale, who sold them as displays for department stores.
Now 25 years later, I am thrilled I have designed and produced my own Shabby Chic version with white boots and a belt.
Once my collection of Santas grew, I decided to start looking for other decorative holiday items in my pink palette with complementary accents of white and gold. Even though we think of traditional Christmas décor as reds and greens, there is a surprising amount of vintage décor in my pink palette.
A pink tree is a must for my holidays. Preferably raspberry or bluish pink. Because they are faux, they last from year to year. Looking through flea markets, I often find lovely old mercury-glass tree decorations in silver, white, gold and pink.
And then, of course, in the end, pink is just a faded red, so finding my beloved vintage Rudolph and sleigh was just perfect for me. Rudolph’s vintage faded-red nose was now pinker, and Santa Claus shares the same initials as Shabby Chic.
So, still staying in my signature palette, I consider my Christmas décor to be authentic and calming.
I love the tradition of collecting a few special pieces from year to year. At this point, I have quite a magical collection.
Need more design ideas for festive season? Check out this article on how to pick a color palette: Rachel Shingleton’s Tips.
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