My Santa Christmas Cabinet

Come see how I created the cutest little Santa Christmas cabinet. I filled it with the best vintage Santas around and a few new ones too!

A few weeks ago I shared that Mark went to an estate sale – by himself – to pick up this amazing old cabinet for me. I had purchased it on a whim (having only seen it through FaceTime) because I instantly fell in love with the raw wood and the old bubbled glass. You can read all about the cabinet here. It truly is a beautiful old piece.

I was so excited to style my new cabinet for Christmas this year but I wasn’t sure exactly sure which direction to go in. I do have a lot of vintage Christmas collections and it was hard to narrow it down. As soon as I saw my tote full of red Santa’s inspiration struck and I decided instantly that this would be my Santa Christmas Cabinet. I just knew that the pops of red would really give this old cabinet a special look this Christmas season.

Which Santa’s Did I Use

There are so very many Santa’s out there and it can be hard to choose which ones to use in your home. I clearly love things that are time worn and vintage so my eye (and heart) usually always goes for those first. I have been collecting vintage Christmas for a long, long time so I have a lot to choose from. And, I love anything with a story. Many of the Santa’s that I have in my home are ones that I remember finding out on a vintage shopping trip with my dad or at an estate sale. Finding these old gems makes them even more special. Let’s chat about the ones that I chose to add to my Santa Christmas Cabinet this year.

Paper Mache Santas

Paper mache Santa figurines were made form thick pulp and were typically used as candy containers. People would keep these figurines as decorations and they were quite popular back in the first half of the 20th century. I only have one and he is very fragile so I like to find a safe place for him each year. The Santa Christmas cabinet is indeed the perfect spot!

Santa Blow Molds

These charming Santa’s (and other blow molds too) are really gaining popularity again. These hard plastic beauties were created long ago and most were meant to be illuminated. Many times, when you find them, they are missing their light plugs. Don’t worry, you can easily find a replacement online or in your local big box store. I have many of these and I love to style them together in small groupings. If you look closely, you can see the subtle differences in each of them.

Ceramic Santa Planters

I only have three, but I love these ceramic Santas. These were used long ago to hold small plants but I think they would be the perfect vessel to hold bottle brush trees or candy canes. The three that I have are all different sizes and I love them grouped together. The chippy paint does not bother me at all. I feel it actually adds character!

Smaller Celluloid/Plastic Santas

There is a wide variety of vintage plastic Santas out there. From old candy containers to vintage ornaments, these plastic Santas fit perfectly inside mu Christmas cabinet! Something cool to look out for are celluloid Santas. Celluloid is the name for plastic that was widely used in the 1800s – mid 1900s. Older celluloid tends to be vey thin and light weight than other plastics (similar to a ‘thin’ ping pong ball). You can often see right through some of the older celluloid pieces. These Santas are very fragile and will break easily. Celluloid Santas along with these other vintage hard plastic Santas are very collectable. If you see them, be sure to scoop them up!

Vintage Santa Ornament

This little guys is so cute. I did some digging and from what I can tell, he was made in Japan somewhere around the 1950. He is made of styrofoam that is covered in mica and he has the classic chenille arms and beard. His little face says it all, “Merry Christmas!”

New White Santa Mugs

While I love old things, I also do love new things as well! These white Santa mugs were from Walmart last year. I snagged a few of them last year and was so happy to add them into my Santa Christmas Cabinet this year. All I did was pop some vintage candy canes inside of them to continue that pop of red. I love the idea of mixing old and new together!

Paper Mache Santa Boots

Even though these paper mache boots aren’t a “true Santa”, they are indeed unique to Santa so I felt they should be mentioned here also. Just like the paper mache Santas, these paper mache boots were used to hold treats. These boots come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and I decided to style just three of them in tapering sizes here. The amazing weathered red color of the boots compliments the santas so nicely! I really do love them.

Beginning With A Good Base

You may have noticed that I did not start with a totally clean slate in this cabinet. It was important to me to use some of the existing pieces in this cabinet as my ‘base.’ I didn’t want to have ONLY Santas in my Christmas cabinet, rather I wanted to layer the Santas in. I did have to take out a few items – but I happily kept many pieces. My little tip with this is to use neutral items for your ‘base pieces’. That makes it very easy for the Santas (and the pops of red) to shine!

FIlling In

After piling in all of the Santas, I did realize that there were some empty spots. That was a quick fix for me! I just used some old books that I had laying around. I simply tucked them in, making certain that the binding was facing out. This helped to carry that gorgeous red throughout the cabinet as well. These small faux trees also worked well to fill in the dead space in the bowl. I even decided at the last minute to fill in under the cabinet with some red books! Why Not!?!

How To Recreate The Look

I have to admit, if you were to ask me to source out these old Santas I wouldn’t be able to. As I mentioned above, most of my Santas come from estate sales and antique malls and my collection has grown over time. I have been very lucky over the years and have managed to grow quite the collection. Each Santa that I choose to keep is special in it’s own way – they are here because they spark joy! I realize that not everyone has access to shop for these cuties the way that I have, so I have included a few online options here below. In addition, you can always find great vintage Santa options by searching Etsy and EBay yourself as well.

To Wrap It Up

There is no doubt that Santa holds a special place in the hearts of many during the holiday season. While most Santas are special this time of year vintage Santas can be even more charming and whimsical – especially to those who love hunting and collection old things. My hope is that my Santa Christmas cabinet will inspire you to pull out all of your old Santas (or hunt for new ones) and admire them this year! Don’t be afraid to mix and match them either, the more the merrier! Cheers to creating Your Santa Christmas Cabinet.