12 funny, unique and creative holiday decorations from readers’ houses 2012

“Santa the Damned?” … and more

After nearly an hour of sifting through each and every one of the newly uploaded holiday decorations photos from our recent uploader — 700+ reader photos of their holiday decorations — it is quite obvious that all of you absolutely love to decorate for the holidays. I was super impressed by the wide range of vintage holiday decor — and the extent to which some of you collect Christmas decorations. Time and time again there were photos showing hundreds of shiny brites, vintage santas, snowmen and even trees — like this gorgeous seven foot Imperial Arctic Star aluminum tree from the Tomar company out of Chicago. Mystery reader, your tree is a thing of beauty — I could spend hours just admiring it. Read on to see the rest of my top 12 reader holiday decor picks — our 2012 “Hall of Fame”.

Simple and sweet holiday decorations

Reader Yasmine’s adorable 1950’s reindeer couple — seen here giving each other the doe eyes under a strategically placed mistletoe wreath — is just too sweet. Yes, this is what the holiday season is all about: love.

Another simple, yet eye catching holiday decoration is this tiki statue from reader LarsErik. He’s probably a year round piece of decor that just got dressed up for the holidays with the clever addition of a santa hat — and of course the festive green glow that radiates from behind him. Well done.

Clever and creative holiday decor

This reader from Iowa gets extra points for being super creative. They’ve tucked a small ceramic tree and two choir children into a retro TV box that apparently becomes a ventless fireplace on cold winter nights. Sure beats the heck out of those fireplace dvds that make your TV look like a lit fireplace…

Reader Veg-O-Matic had a brilliant idea — underneath the 1960s aluminum tree — display that collection of NIB 1960s toys. This set up reminds me of the scene on Christmas morning — after all the presents had been unwrapped and since they hadn’t yet found homes in our toy chest, were proudly displayed under the tree.

Crazy Christmas collections

Reader Rebecca from Madison’s house is decorated chock-a-block with holiday cheer. What I found most impressive was her collection of vintage ceramic Santas — taking up residence on her Heywood Wakefield room divider. Now that’s a collection.

Reader Michael also has quite the collection. Above is a shot of his rec room — which he has decorated with six aluminum trees this year (though not all of them are seen in this shot)(and, is that a small Arctic Star in the window???). I’m not only impressed with Michael’s collection of vintage aluminum trees, but also the cozy holiday atmosphere he’s managed to create in his rec room — which is probably why he says it is his favorite place to hang out during the holidays.

This mystery reader has quite the village under their Christmas tree — an impressive collection of vintage putz, or mica houses as they call them.

The holiday uploader is filled with photos from reader Jeremy — who may have the largest amount of Christmas decorations per foot of anyone yet. His living room is packed with every sort of holiday decoration you can imagine — from shelves full of ceramic figurines to a clothesline with ornaments hanging down the middle of his house. Holy holly, Jeremy — how long does it take you to set all of this up?

Funny and freaky Santas and elves

I’m not sure what the stats are on how many people decorate the bathroom for Christmas, but this toilet top arrangement made me giggle. Our mystery reader says, “Before Hallmark and everyone had this Elf on the Shelf story, my family had an Elf in a Centerpiece. I’ve loved this little decoration since I was tiny. My older sisters always laugh when they see it and can’t believe I still have it.” This elf made me laugh too. Methinks he is working for Santa as part of the “he knows if you’ve been bad or good” team — Santa has eyes everywhere…

Speaking of Santa’s eyes — holy moly did I laugh when I saw this Santa from reader Diane. It is her mom’s 1950s, still working, Santa who rings his bell, moves back and forth and has flashing eyes. Even though her kids always called him” Santa the Damned” and her dogs bark like crazy whenever he is on, this Santa is — and will always be — one of Diane’s most prized possessions.

Last but not least is reader Wendy’s six foot tall Harold Gale 1950s animatronic store display Santa. Words cannot express how much this both terrifies and astounds me. If this guy were in my house, I’d surely keep the lights on all night long so he wouldn’t startle me. From the smug grin on his face, it seems he’s done his fair share of pranking over the years.

There you have it — my top 12 reader holiday decorations of 2012. Even after making this list and checking it twice, you know I just had to get all random brutal to narrow it down. So, if you have some time and haven’t done it already — I highly recommend checking out the nearly 800 photos of readers’ retro holiday decorations for yourself.

Thanks once again readers for once again making this one of the coolest yulests ever on Retro Renovation. Happy holidays!