The warm and inviting memories of past Christmases with loved ones are never too far away for Charles and Christi Goodman. As the Evansville couple unwraps each antique ornament and vintage holiday decoration, stories come alive of their grandparents and parents during the holiday season.
The Goodmans have been collecting vintage and antique ornaments for the past 30 years, accumulating more than 300 antique ornaments and hundreds of other Christmas decorations including Santa Claus figurines, Christmas cards, and candy containers.
Christi received her first antique ornament, from a friend named Karen Kellenberger, of a small wire wrapped trumpet and she says, “I fell in love with it.” They began frequenting different antique shops, shows, flea markets, and sometimes Goodwill.
“We can look at every piece and know exactly where it came from and who we bought it from,” says Christi. “It goes back to memories and you probably get twice as many presents when you are an only child like I was. I remember specifically certain presents I got and decorating with my mother. There’s something about it that makes you nostalgic.”
The Goodmans first started collecting pieces from the 1800s and early 1900s before the surge of eBay made those items harder to find in stores and more expensive. In the last 15 years, they transitioned to more recent items from the 1950s and 60s.
Christi begins the first week of November decorating her home because of the extensive process it takes to delicately unwrap and set up each room, which she organizes by decade. The decorations will stay up until around the second week of January and then she will gradually transition the rooms from Christmas to snowmen and snow scenes.
In an attempt to downsize over the years, Christi has started creating wreaths made of antique ornaments, which she sells at their son Nicholas Goodman’s Sunday Market three times a year. Wreaths also will be available at BJ’s Home Accents in Newburgh, Indiana. Charles works as principal of Perry Heights Middle School.
Nicholas, 36, owns Old Town Ladies and Gents known for its 1889 Victorian home location and vintage barber and beauty salon antiques. His love for vintage came from his parents. The Goodmans’ second child, Natasha Goodman, 35, has a knack for interior decorating and crafts, which she also took from her mother. Natasha’s daughter, Makayla Goodman, 14, also has developed a love for ornaments and makes sequin pieces to sell at craft shows.