Do you love vintage Santa mugs? Do you have a large collection and need new ideas on displaying them? Bring a little jolly nostalgia to your home with these creative ways to style and display vintage Santa mugs!
I gravitate towards neutrals, decorate with neutrals, and dress in neutrals, but I have a soft spot for vintage Santa mugs and classic vintage Christmas decor.
It's the only time I decorate with red and I'm 100% here for it! How can you resist those rosy cheeks and jolly little winking faces?
Throughout the years and after many days and hours of hunting, I've been able to grow my collection of vintage Santa mugs. They're getting harder and harder to find (and much more expensive!), but deals are still available.
WHERE DID I FIND MY VINTAGE SANTA MUGS?
My vintage Santa mugs were purchased at auctions, antique stores, vintage markets, thrift stores, and yard sales. I've bought and sold many throughout the years but recently began keeping more for myself. These nostalgic sought-after mugs are gaining popularity and getting harder to find, especially Holt-Howard. Co. mugs. If you want to start an immediate collection Etsy and eBay are great sources.
If you're not picky about having authentic vintage mugs, Amazon has great new mugs with the perfect vintage Santa look.
I typically display my Santa mugs in the kitchen, but since my mug collection is growing, I decided to have a little fun and play around with other styling and decorating ideas.
6 WAYS TO DECORATE WITH VINTAGE SANTA MUGS
1. Classic Mug Rack Display
Hanging Santa mugs from a mug tree stand is a simple and classic way to display your favorite mugs. I like to add a few vintage thermoses next to my mug tree for a classic hot chocolate/coffee bar vibe.
2. Glass Cloche Display
I use vintage glass cloches to display some of my favorite vintage Cameras and Westclox clocks. At Christmastime, the cloches are perfect for displaying a few Santa mugs. Depending on the size of your cloche you can add winter greenery, bottle brush trees, flower frogs, antique sleigh bells, vintage ornaments, and brass or plastic deer.
3. Filled Santa Mugs
The most common item to place in vintage Santa mugs are bottle brush trees, but have you thought about adding other Christmas items inside your mugs? I tried out vintage sheet music pages and small vintage-inspired ornaments and loved both ideas!
For the sheet music, I rolled up one page, secured it with clear scotch tape then cut the page in half for a super quick and easy holiday mug filler.
4. Santa Mug Planters
A few months ago, I found this awesome three-sided vintage Santa planter for $.99 at a thrift store. I know it's not a mug, but the larger Santa mugs (usually not vintage) also work great as planters.
Isn't he so cute?
5. Mug Decorated Tree
Decorating a Christmas tree with vintage Santa mugs might sound like a crazy idea, but I think it works. It's unique, uncommon, and a great way to display your favorite Santa mugs.
TIP: It's best to hang mugs on artificial trees with sturdy branches. Real trees tend to droop over time and you don't want to risk your mugs falling and breaking.
6. Wood Cubby Display
You can't go wrong with filling a wood cubby with Santa mugs and other small vintage Christmas items. I used a $9.00 wood cubby from Goodwill and filled it with mugs, antique sleigh bells, flower frogs, greenery, and rolled-up sheet music.
Vintage Santa mugs are adorable and perfect on their own so it's easy to make them look good in your home!
What's your favorite way to display your Santa mug collection?