The holidays remain one of those consummate occasions when almost everyone becomes old-fashioned in one way or another. What I mean by that is that even the most current forward-facing of people will get caught in a time warp of cherished movies, favorite decorations, and customs old and new. It is when we all return to those roots (real or perceived) for our families and ourselves.
In thinking about Christmas, in particular, this is a time when your collections can be showcased to their fullest. It is when your teaberry china can make an appearance. It is when the toy trains can appear under the tree. This is the time to put the quilts and the coverlets out or even to think about a party called Deco the Halls, which showcases your jewelry or clothing collection. It is when a plate full of cookies delivered on a piece of flow blue or fiesta can be both spectacular and inspire future collectors.
For me, the holidays are a time that takes me back to my own childhood when we lived with my grandparents. Both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners were occasions for the silver, china, linens and decorations to be out. Roast beef on Christmas Eve and turkey the next day, both carved with great aplomb (excluding the year when the cord on the electric carving knife was cut). Today, our daughters have grown up with similar traditions in the house. The holidays are a return to that holdover Edwardian world of dressing for dinner and the use of silver and china. I have colleagues my own age who bristle at this and revel in their lasagna on paper plates for Christmas dinner. To each his own. For me, it is about the special qualities of the holidays, that time when we can reflect upon the past and hope for the future.
This year, with us moving, it will be a challenge to find everything. In the last couple of Christmases, we have decorated three trees in the house. One is an artificial tabletop tree with a large collection of glass clip-on birds that we have found antiquing over the years. The second tree is usually a large white pine with white lights that is decorated with the old ornaments. My friend Jim Morrison, at the now sadly closed National Christmas Center in Lancaster, taught me about dating ornaments and so we have filled this tree with treasured discoveries. The third is a fir that is filled with ornaments that the kids have acquired over the years. No tree is any more or less important to us, and everyone takes part in decorating them.
So call me a bit (no, make it a lot) old-fashioned, but the holidays are a time for looking backward and into the future. If you don’t have family customs, then start some new ones. Start with some old cookbooks and maybe some of the wonderful Schiffer guides to decorations, and let your imagination run wild.

Peter Seibert, a native Pennsylvanian, grew up in the antiques business and remains closely tied to auction houses, collectors, and dealers. Professionally, he has served as a museum director and public historian in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wyoming. He holds an M.A. in American Studies from Penn State and has authored two books and numerous articles on decorative arts, interior design, and history.