Innehållsförteckning för December 2025 från Kovels Antique Trader

Vintage and antique markets are among the best places to discover unique holiday decor and gifts. Unlike major retailers stocked with the same mass-produced merchandise, these markets bring together an eclectic mix of vendors offering one-of-a-kind pieces and nostalgic finds that evoke holidays past. Here are several noteworthy fairs taking place across the country that deserve a spot on your holiday shopping itinerary. East Coast Vintage Market in the Mountains — December 6–7 Set against the scenic backdrop of Bethlehem, New Hampshire, this market transforms the White Mountains into a winter wonderland. Shoppers can browse vintage holiday goods while enjoying classic winter activities like ice skating and sleigh rides. vintagemarketinthemountains.com West Coast The Great Dickens Christmas Fair — November 22 – December 21 Step into Victorian London at the historic…

Bohemia, now a part of the Czech Republic, has historically been well known for its high-quality glass craftsmanship and substantial crystal deposits. At the end of the Victorian Era, crystals were cut in such ways to successfully imitate the look of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, and this remains the Bohemia region's most important contribution to costume jewelry. During the 1930s, when costume jewelry was being exported from Czechoslovakia like crazy, a new holiday tradition was born: When factory workers came across broken jewelry pieces and extra rhinestones, instead of throwing them away, they began repurposing them and turning them into decorative tabletop rhinestone Christmas trees. What started as a personal craft made from broken Art Deco jewelry soon became a growing holiday item produced by largescale costume jewelers, including…

Every Christmas Eve, before we set the milk and cookies out for Santa and my youngest sister placed a bag of carrots on the fireplace surround for the reindeer, my parents gathered us in the living room to read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. When I was young, I didn't realize this story was the heart of our Christmas Eve tradition. Back then, it was the moment when everything slowed down, and magic tiptoed into the room. My parents made a big show of flipping a quarter to see who “got to” read it to us, and we kids would hang on every word. By the time they reached “…and to all a good night,” we were fully convinced we heard hooves on the roof. A cup of peppermint stick…

I first encountered cigar label proofs as a teenager when, at an estate sale, I pulled a chest from beneath a staircase. The people running the sale had earmarked “that box of junk” for the garbage and were surprised I wanted to buy it. I bought it without inspecting the pile within—the first few told me that the trove was something special. My dad, who had a printing company in Manhattan, immediately recognized them as cigar label proofs and progressives—vital information that, before the computer age, would have taken days to discover at the library. There were 785 proofs and only a few progressives, which I still have. Since then, I have learned a great deal about cigar label proofs and progressives and have even added vintage cigars and cigar-related…

A common sight each holiday season is bowls of almonds, filberts, pecans, and walnuts, along with the implements for cracking them open. But collectors who are nuts for nutcrackers aren't interested in the plain utilitarian tools made to crush shells. They are enamored with the figures that are elaborately decorated with painted costumes. Though metal nutcrackers have existed since about the third century B.C., hand-carved wooden figural examples were first made in the 16th century. The most distinctive feature of these decorative objects is the huge painted teeth that open wide enough to place a nut and then snap tightly to crack it open. Some of the most valuable and desirable nutcrackers are made in Germany. The tradition started in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) region in the late 1600s and…

As Christmastime rocketed into the mid-century Space Age, postwar America's sugarplum dreams were on full display. New prosperity and technologies created an optimism that made anything seem possible. The holiday season in the United States was characterized by a booming consumer culture and a focus on suburban family life. New traditions, including visiting shopping mall Santas, emerged alongside popular 1950s and 1960s media like 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas, with its now iconic sad-looking but beloved tree. Kitschy and whimsical decorations also created a magical mid-century wonderland, including colorful Shiny Brite glass ornaments, gleaming aluminum Christmas trees paired with color wheels to create a dazzling effect, bubble lights, little ceramic spaghetti angels, and Holt-Howard's winking Santa mugs. These decorations are now highly prized by collectors, who had a treasure trove…

Whether it's cutting into a freshly baked ham, smearing sour cream across a crisp latke, or dipping into some candied yams, enjoying a homemade meal during the holidays is a beloved tradition for many. Crafting these dishes, typically a grand assortment of roasted meats, flavored starches, baked breads, and decadent desserts, often involves a long-held family recipe initially sourced from a cookbook. Tucked away in a drawer and pulled out every year, these cookbooks are often dog-eared, marked by notes from elder relatives, and possibly stained by meals past. These texts offer a tactile experience that scrolling through a recipe online usually lacks and serve as record keepers of a family's history, cultures, and customs. This sentimentality has also extended to cookbook collectors, who range from an antiquarian book collector…

This year, Hanukkah begins on December 14. When the sun sets that evening, it's time to light the first candle (or sometimes oil wick) of the menorah. The Hanukkah menorah is one of the most famous Jewish symbols and one of the most beautiful examples of Judaica, the collector's term for Jewish memorabilia and ceremonial art. Unlike the seven-armed temple menorah, the Hanukkah menorah has few requirements for its appearance or construction. It must have nine arms or oil fonts, one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah and one for the shamash (meaning “helper” or “servant”), the candle or wick used to light the rest. The shamash must be offset from the other lights, usually higher or lower, and the remaining lights are traditionally, but not always, arranged…