Christmas is already in the air this year too! I am always excited by the challenge of evoking it by searching for objects, fabrics, ceramics, and other materials exclusively from the past without giving in to the easy temptation of new decorations.

The Old Kitchens

My fascinating journey in search of the taste of Christmas of yesteryear can only start from the beating heart of the house, that is, from the old kitchens with their large fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, witnesses to the preparation of elaborate and special dishes that were reserved for Christmas.

I imagine the generations of women who have gathered together in the warmth to cook together, the oldest near the youngest and even the little girls, passing on culinary traditions, the most precious recipes, the secrets for the best success of the dishes, certainly the Christmas period was ideal for this rite.

Here are the old iron molds that were used to make sweets, cookies, madeleines, they have the most diverse shapes and Santa Claus chocolate molds could not be missing.

Just arrived

 

I also found some stunning enamel objects in the red series with white checkered decoration Lustucru, France from the 1920s-1930s:

• A beautiful and rare old enamel laundry shelf of French origin with Lustucru decoration, dating back to the 1920s-1930s, produced by the French manufacturer “Société Française des Fers Émaillés”;
• A red enamel coffee pot with white checkers Lustucru.

 

Finally, here are the ceramics! Many cheerful French café au lait bowls, i.e., the mythical French latte coffee cups, and lastly, a rare French tea set from the early 1900s with holly decoration.

 

Christmas Brocante Chic

The inspiration comes to me thinking about the atmospheres of Victorian and Edwardian parlors and boudoirs. A lace curtain with silk flower tiebacks, a petit point rug embroidered with roses, a painting with romantic roses, a small elegant étagère, picture frames adorned with little roses, a stunning framed Victorian sampler, an antique patchwork quilt made with tiny hexagons featuring countless intricate patterns…

 

I imagine a large Christmas tree adorned with sparkling trinkets made of blown glass from German and Bohemian origins, small wax candles in their candle holders with tweezers.

In the photo above stands out a splendid chromolithograph of French origin, dated on the back as 1933, depicting a large blue vase with pink-shaded roses and a small cricket on the side. It has truly fabulous colors, it is not signed, but it strongly reminds me of the works of the famous watercolorists Catherine Klein or Paul de Longpre. The chromolithograph is framed with a beautiful, quite heavy frame painted in a splendid Gustavian gray.

Antique Toys

Certainly, gifts for the little ones cannot be overlooked! Here are the cuddly teddy bears, the bisque doll, the small dollhouse furniture, and the wonderful illustrated books from the early 1900s with stories to read and reread, featuring delightful images of children in all their adventures.