Christmas Story House: 13 Cozy 1940s Decor Ideas From the Famous Cleveland Home
The Christmas Story House in Cleveland, Ohio is one of the most loved holiday homes in America. This 19th century Victorian house on a quiet street in the Tremont neighborhood became famous from a 1983 holiday movie, and today thousands of visitors walk through its rooms every winter. What pulls people in is not glitz. It is the simple, homey 1940s Christmas look: a shiny tinsel tree, big colored bulbs, paper chains, lace curtains and gifts tied with yarn. It feels like grandma’s house on Christmas Eve. The good news is that this look is cheap and easy to copy at home. Most of it comes from thrift shops, the craft drawer and a little patience. Here are 13 cozy ideas inspired by the real house and its old fashioned holiday style..
The Christmas Story House Living Room Look
Visitors to the Christmas Story House say the same thing: it feels like stepping back in time. The rooms are small and warm, with patterned wallpaper, wood floors and a tree that sparkles in the corner. You do not need a Victorian home to get this feeling. Start with one corner of your living room, add a silver tree, a few wrapped gifts and an armchair with a knit throw. Keep the colors to red, green and silver. Which room in your home would you turn into a 1940s Christmas corner..
You will need: A small silver or green tree, colored bulb lights (battery LED), a few wrapped gifts, a knit throw, an armchair and a small side table.
How to make it: 1. Pick one corner and clear it. 2. Place the tree and set the chair beside it. 3. Add the throw, gifts and a few pine sprigs on the table, then switch on the lights.
Heavy Silver Tinsel Tree
In the 1940s, families draped their trees in heavy strands of tinsel, one piece at a time, until the branches looked like they were dripping with silver. It is slow work, but it is also very calming. Put on some old records and hang the tinsel strand by strand instead of throwing it in clumps. A plain green tree turns into a shimmering showpiece in one evening. It is the centerpiece of any Christmas Story House style room, and it sparkles even more once the lights go on. Do you remember someone in your family who hung tinsel this way?
You will need: A real or artificial tree, two to four packs of silver tinsel strands and a few glass ornaments.
How to make it: 1. Fluff the branches and add your ornaments first. 2. Hang tinsel two or three strands at a time, starting at the top. 3. Step back often and fill any bare spots.
Big Old Fashioned Colored Bulbs
Nothing says 1940s Christmas like fat colored bulbs in red, green, blue, orange and yellow. Many of today’s strands look just like the old ones but use cool, safe LED bulbs that run on batteries or a timer. Drape them along a window frame with some pine, wind them around a stair rail or lay them across a mantel. The glow is soft and cheerful, and it looks great from the street too. Strung across a window, they give your home that Christmas Story House glow that people love to photograph. Where would you hang a strand first?
You will need: A strand of large retro style LED bulbs, fresh or faux pine branches and small clear hooks.
How to make it: 1. Lay the pine along the window frame. 2. Tuck the bulb strand into the pine and fix it with clear hooks. 3. Set the lights on a timer so they glow every evening.
Mercury Glass Look Ornaments
Old glass ornaments have a soft, worn shine that new plastic ones cannot match. You can fake the look easily. Spray the inside of clear plastic ornaments with a little water, then mirror effect paint, and they turn spotty and antique looking. Pile them in a wooden bowl on a lace doily and you have a centerpiece that looks like it came out of grandma’s attic. Would you put yours on the tree or keep them in a bowl?
You will need: Clear plastic fillable ornaments, mirror effect spray paint, a spray bottle with water, a wooden bowl and a lace doily.
How to make it: 1. Remove the ornament tops and mist the insides with water. 2. Spray a little mirror paint inside, swirl and let dry upside down. 3. Replace the tops and pile them in the bowl.
Christmas Story House Paper Chain Doorway
Paper chains were the decoration every family could afford, and kids made them at the kitchen table for days. They still look wonderful. Cut strips of red, green and yellow paper, loop them together and drape the chain around a doorway. It is a sweet nod to the homey kitchen spirit of the Christmas Story House. For more ideas for the heart of the home, see these cozy Christmas kitchen decor ideas. Who in your house would help make the chain?
You will need: Red, green and yellow construction paper, scissors, a glue stick or stapler and removable hooks.
How to make it: 1. Cut paper into strips about one inch wide. 2. Loop and glue each strip through the last one. 3. Hang the chain around the door frame with removable hooks.
Old Radio Vignette With Greens
In the 1940s the family radio was the center of the living room, and on Christmas Eve everyone gathered around it for music and stories. A thrifted old radio, even one that no longer works, makes a lovely holiday display. Set it on a side table and tuck pine, holly and a few small ornaments around it. It adds instant history to any room. Pair it with a lamp on a timer and the whole corner feels like a Christmas Story House living room. Do you have an old radio or record player that could join the party?
You will need: A vintage style radio (thrift shop find), pine sprigs, faux holly with berries and a few small ornaments.
How to make it: 1. Dust the radio and place it on a small table. 2. Lay pine sprigs around the base. 3. Tuck in holly and ornaments so the greens look natural.
Vintage Paper Gifts With Yarn Ties
Before shiny ribbon was everywhere, many families tied their gifts with yarn from the knitting basket. It still looks charming. Pick wrapping paper with small old fashioned prints, like holly, plaid or little stars, then tie each box with red, green or white yarn and a simple bow. Add a plain paper tag. A pile of these under the tree looks just like an old holiday photo. Wrapping like this is an easy way to bring Christmas Story House charm to even the simplest gift. Which yarn colors would you choose?
You will need: Vintage style wrapping paper, red, green and white yarn, scissors, tape and plain paper tags.
How to make it: 1. Wrap each box neatly with sharp folds. 2. Wrap yarn around twice and tie a bow on top. 3. Add a paper tag and tuck a small sprig of pine under the bow.
Christmas Story House Lace Window With a Wreath
Look at old houses on a snowy street and you will see the same thing in many windows: white lace curtains and a simple wreath with a red bow. It is quiet, classic and lovely from both inside and outside. Hang a small evergreen wreath on a ribbon in the middle of the window, add a line of tiny colored bulbs along the sill, and let the lace frame it. Does your front window face the street?
You will need: Lace curtains or a lace panel, a small evergreen wreath, wide red ribbon, a tension rod or removable hook, and battery LED mini bulbs.
How to make it: 1. Hang the lace panel on a tension rod. 2. Tie the wreath to red ribbon and hang it from the top of the window. 3. Line the sill with the LED bulbs.
Stockings Hung Along the Radiator
Not every old house had a fireplace, so many families hung stockings wherever they could, often along the radiator under the window. It is a charming and practical idea for apartments and homes without a mantel. Use a garland of pine as a base and clip the stockings on with clothespins or removable hooks. Make sure the radiator stays cool or switched off. A red check ribbon tied to each one adds a little extra old fashioned color. Where do you hang stockings in your home?
You will need: Knit or felt stockings, a pine garland, wooden clothespins or removable hooks, and twine.
How to make it: 1. Lay the garland along the top of a cool radiator or a shelf. 2. Tie twine loops to each stocking. 3. Clip or hook the stockings evenly along the garland.
Red Check Kitchen Table
The kitchen was the busiest room of a 1940s Christmas, and the table was where it all happened. A red and white check cloth instantly brings back that feeling. Add an enamel coffee pot, old china cups from the thrift shop, a plate of sugar cookies and a jar of greens. It is simple, cheerful and perfect for a slow holiday breakfast with the family. It is the kind of homey scene that makes the Christmas Story House feel so welcoming. What would be on your Christmas morning table?
You will need: A red and white check tablecloth, an enamel coffee pot, mismatched china cups, a glass jar and a few sprigs of greens.
How to make it: 1. Spread the cloth so it hangs evenly. 2. Set the coffee pot in the center with the jar of greens. 3. Add cups and a plate of cookies around them.
Visit the Real Christmas Story House
The real house sits at 3159 W 11th Street in Cleveland. A fan bought it online in 2004 for about $150,000, then had it restored and opened to visitors in 2006. It is now a city landmark, and the outside is plain and honest: mustard yellow wood siding, green trim and simple windows. Take a cue from it and keep your own front of house classic this year. Would you like to tour the house one December?
You will need: A simple evergreen wreath, a red bow, a strand of battery LED bulbs and a doormat.
How to make it: 1. Hang the wreath at eye level on the front door. 2. Run the bulbs along the porch rail. 3. Keep everything else plain so the house itself shines.
Old Fashioned Paper Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes were a free and fun decoration in the 1940s, and they still bring that same joy. Fold a square of white paper, snip little shapes along the edges and open it up to see what you made. No two are ever the same. Tape them to the windows or hang them on thread so they spin. It is a perfect quiet craft for a snowy afternoon. Snowflakes taped to old wavy glass suit a Christmas Story House style window perfectly. How many could you cut in one evening?
You will need: White printer paper or thin tissue paper, small scissors, clear tape and white thread.
How to make it: 1. Fold a square in half three times to make a wedge. 2. Cut small shapes along the edges and the tip. 3. Unfold gently and tape to the window or hang on thread.
A Christmas Story House Candy Dish
Many grandmas kept a jar of hard Christmas candy out all season, and the bright stripes and swirls are as pretty as any ornament. Fill a clear glass jar or footed dish with fruit drops, ribbon candy or peppermints, and set it on a side table or the kitchen counter. It is a sweet finishing touch to a Christmas Story House style home and a treat for every guest. Which candy did your family always have at Christmas?
You will need: A clear glass jar or footed candy dish, old fashioned hard candy, a red ribbon and a small sprig of greens.
How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the jar well. 2. Fill it with candy, mixing the colors. 3. Tie a red ribbon around the neck and tuck in a tiny sprig of greens.
