Dougsploitation Holiday Dream House

Back by popular demand...

I've been collecting vintage Christmas decorating books and magazines for a few years now, so it's about time I share some of my favorite photos with you all. The above picture is an example of what the Dougsploitation Holiday Dream House would be like. A blazing fire with a highly flammable wreath hung above it. All the fellas would wear red vests and the gals (whether real or factory-made) would be as pretty as could be. Our Reader's Digest Condensed Books would be in year order on the shelf and popcorn would be offered to all guests.

Our white tree would be decorated with red balls and Mariah Carey meets Mothra style butterflies.

Or maybe we'd do a blood red tree simply decorated with White Wing Doves. All gifts would be wrapped in red so as not to stand out from the tree.

In addition we'd have this smart pastel spiral tabletop tree in our green room.

Our dining room credenza will be decked out in throngs of gold garland with gold balls on thick red ribbons hanging in front of the mirror. Who needs to look in the mirror anyway?

Speaking of garland - lets just hang all of it over the living room window. Take a gander at that gold candelabra. Classy, eh?

Our other fireplace would have an amazing Santa with bells and reindeers display. The three stockings add a nice touch to the already festive mantle story.

Our snacks would be served in the most unique ways...who else has a donut caddy? The pretzel tree is a bit sloppy, but I have no idea what's go on with that thing on the right. Any ideas?

And finally, our third fireplace would be adorned with a life-size Baby Jesus coming out of the wreath to greet us. Who wouldn't want to spend the holidays in this Dream House?

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

People seem to forget that Christmas officially is a 12 Day celebration that ends on January 6th. It's very sad to see Christmas trees dumped by the curb on December 26th or decorations taken down on New Year's Day. And it always puzzled me why you never hear Christmas music past Christmas Day-especially when so many of them have nothing at all to do with Jesus, Santa or even Christmas. I mean Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman and many others have NOTHING to do with Christmas at all.  I'm all for stretching the season out as long as possible. I love After Christmas Sales - especially when you can get perfectly good holiday items for up to 75% OFF! Sure, I'm in a minority but my holiday will continue till this weekend when I attend my final Christmas party. So please enjoy the last few days of the holiday season along with me.

Even More Dougsploitation Holiday Decor

As promised, here are some new additions to my holiday decor. All purchased cheaply or acquired for free!

Santa & Mrs. Claus candle holders. These cuties were from my childhood. I "rescued" them from the cold, dark garage on my last visit back home. I think they are much happier in my home than they were collecting dust in New York.

These imports came to me via Whacko/Soap Plant in Los Feliz - $6 for the pair. Not sure what anime characters they are based on, but they are a welcome addition to my collection.

I found this little creepy Santa in a random box in the old garage. It's not from my childhood, but I thought he needed a good home anyways.

I bought this candle duo for my Mom back in the swingin' 70s at the local Hallmark card store. They managed to survive over 30 years and not melt! Glad to finally have them among my treasures.

This pathetic little guy not only lost his nose, but he seems red with embarrassment over the situation. Certainly a misfit decoration if there ever was one.

This plastic garland of bells was part of my childhood, and makes quite a statement hanging over my new Jaclyn Smith Collection drapes from K-Mart!

The candle and base are brand new from Ikea - but the plastic wreath is from the family garage. The perfect blend of new & vintage.

Here's another plastic garland - this one has musical instruments hanging from it. I loved this as a kid - and still do!

And finally, I've added a few dozen new glass ornaments to my white tree. Many are from my family's collection and a few a recently acquired from local thrift shoppes. The blend of old, new, borrowed and found makes for a wonderful Christmas story, and the perfect way to continue the best holiday traditions. I hope your decorating is as fun and meaningful to you as mine is to me. Happy Holidays, Dougsploitation readers!

More Dougsploit-decorating for the Holidays

Here's some more snapshots of my Holiday decorating from last year
It's taken me a long time to finally get the white tree I've always wanted, so here it is, all lit up!

It's even quite attractive when not lit up, if I do say so.

Here's my infamous "LP wall" (and the retro lamp I bought at the PASSIONS prop sale in 2008). Notice Sing with Marcy on the lower left. She's be on the wall again this year because nothing says Christmas like a creepy ventriloquist dummy.

This is weird little ornament I found at a local shoppe in Burbank. Santa is darn lucky that house has a raised roof!

A vintage table centerpiece I found cheaply in '08.

This ceramic Santa was a favorite in my New York house as a kid. I shipped him to myself cross country last summer, and now he's proudly displayed in my California home.

Here's a vintage Jewel Brite ornament I got for a buck.

And one in a series of cute diaramas that I found in the Jewel Brite tradition.

I got this vintage Lil Susie Snowflake figurine last fall in Arizona for a few bucks, she has now joined my tchotchke set-up by the kitchen window.

Also by the kitchen window are these wacky elves from my friend Laura's garage. Three in red...

And three in green. My mix of vintage and retro ornaments and decorations has made my budget-conscious Christmas a merry! Additionally this year I've added more stuff from my parent's garage and a few other places - all free and/or real cheap. I hope to have some pix of those as well very shortly.

Thifty & Nifty Holiday Decorating the Dougsploitation Way!

From last Christmas Season...(with updates)
the Dougsploitation household is almost entirely decorated for the holiday season. This year, due to budget constraints that we're all facing, I've decided to spruce up my ornament and knickknack collection with some finds at thrift stores, 99 Cents Stores and by raiding my mother's garage on my last visit back home.
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Since my theme is vintage & retro, what better place to start with an old family heirloom? This simple hand-painted glass ball is the last remaining of a set that belonged to my beloved grandmother. It was always a tradition to have grandma hang the first ornament on the family tree, and it was always this very decoration. I've continued this tradition this year in my home by placing this first on my brand new (cheaply purchased on hayneedle.com) white tree.

Speaking of cheap trees, this one came courtesy of JoAnn Fabrics clearance sale in 2008 for TWO DOLLARS. It was purchased as set dressing for a film I worked on in 2008 called PORNOGRAPHY: A THRILLER (now on on dvd). It now is a part of my annual holiday decor.

This silly Santa ball is an exact replica of one I purchased as a child at Rickel's Hardware in Staten Island, NY. The original was lost or possibly dismantled years ago, but I was happy as an elf to find this one (in mint condition!) last November in a thrift store outside of Phoenix, AZ for $3. The two elves beside him are new acquisitions from my friend Laura K's garage. I think they belonged to her late mother-in-law. I think they are just precious. (And not based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire) Thanks Laura!

Here's a batch of silly snowman purchased for a buck each at a Korean supermarket in Glendale.
They look like they were sitting in the store since 1975, which makes them all the better. These guess fit in great with my blue & silver Hanukkah display in my kitchen. Right next to my Jonathan Adler "dolls" canister.

Here's a Santa I rescued from my mom's garage. Purchased in the late 1970s, I'm so glad this guy has made it intact to Burbank.

Here's a duo that came from the aforementioned Korean supermarket. At a buck each, they don't look like much in their cellophane bags...but once hung on the tree...
Viola! How adorably festive is he now?

Courtesy of the Glendale Good Will, I came across this box of awesome UNBREAKABLE ornaments from the 1970s. The price? 99 Cents. The catch? One was shattered to bits!!! Unbreakable, my ass.

But check out this groovy box design.

And they came from Grant's Department Store in New York!!! The same place I got my first bicycle on Christmas morning almost 40 years ago! How cool yule is that?

I acquired this freakish ornament from a small hardware store in San Fransisco about ten years ago when I lived up there. SF is one of the best places in the world to spend the holidays.

This little guy I've had for over 30 years. He was my first rocking horse ornament in a collection that grew to over 100. I donated many of them to charity a few years back, but I could not bring myself to let go of this sweetie pie.

This retro Santa I bought last weekend at Macy's for $1.50! There's two others in the series. What a deal. It's a like a Miracle on Magnolia Ave.

Here's another After Christmas sale clearance item - I believe he was $3 at K-Mart. His retro look is a perfect fit for my kitchen window display, which includes...

these amazing candles designed by my talented friend, the fabulous Madeline Long, also known Shelley Winters from Dennis Hensley's MISMATCH GAME and can now be seen as Ribina Champagne's Bible-thumping friend Bernadette starting on episode 2.5 of PRETTY. So there you have it - a quick look at how I've decked my hall cheaply and with a Dougsploitation twist!

Creepy Santa Door Panel

I bought a vintage holiday decoration at an antique mall in Arizona last weekend.

It's 6 feet tall and made of waterproof vinyl and is still in its original package. My guess is that it came from the 1970s. The front of the package depicts an actual picture of the entire product, but if you flip it over you see:

ARRRRGGGGHHHH! Ohmygod - Santa what's happened to you? Has your years of hard working and drinking caught up with you? Do you suffer from constant rosacea or are you sun burnt? Can I get you some aloe vera? Poor Saint Nick, I hope you're not in too much pain. The question is - do I keep you in your package or proudly display you in all your redfaced glory this holiday season?