I haven't been to a mall or retail store on Black Friday for more than a decade, not since the day three people stomped on my foot, one nearly knocked me over, and I spent more than an hour in line for the restroom. I just can't deal with those crowds.

Antique Mall Merchandise
Photo © Leah French

Even so, every Friday morning after Thanksgiving, as soon as I've had enough coffee to stop walking into door frames, I start feeling the urge to shop. I'm convinced it's some sort of subliminal sleeper command implanted in my brain during childhood, maybe while watching Saturday morning cartoons.

To get my shopping fix, I usually hit the antique malls and permanent indoor flea markets. It's a great time, really. Most of them are open, and everyone else is at the mall.

Try it this year. You can still do some gift shopping for the people on your list who appreciate old pieces, and you might score some vintage holiday baubles and decorations. Don't feel bad about skipping the advertised sales. Unlike the mall store shoppers, you can haggle.

Mid-Century Modern Pottery

http://www.flickr.com/photos/studiosmith/ / CC BY 2.0

My friend Wayne always plans his table settings, for holidays and dinner parties, days before the actual meal.

He's hosting his mother tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Although they'll eat in the dining room, he decided to forgo the Meissen candelabra and the fine china. He wanted something more relaxed, something earthier to reflect the harvest season.

After playing around with various mixes, he described his final selections. We realized that nearly everything he's using -- for eating, serving, and the centerpiece -- are things he's picked up over the years from thrift stores, yard sales, and antique malls. He's promised to take photos for us.

Search secondhand sources for items for even your most special occasions. Even if you still want to use your best china, you can mix it up with vintage glassware, vases, serving pieces, or linens. And when you're not using them for dining, you can display them in charming vignettes, as Don Pritchard did in his kitchen and dining room.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tootie from The Divine Chair Company
Photo © The Divine Chair Company

I asked owner Kitty McBride to describe The Divine Chair Company.

"Tiny," she said. "Fabulous."

Her chairs are certainly fabulous. She transforms antique frames with new fabrics and paint, creating pieces you'd have never found in your great grandmother's house -- not unless your great grandmother was super hip, that is.

Read McBride's tips for restyling your own chairs, or browse her selections if you're in the market for a divine holiday present for yourself.

They've finally turned on the radiators in my building. Generally, I love the radiator heat; it's moist heat and I'm rather fond of that regular clanging in the walls when steam is forced through the pipes.

Vintage Electric Fans
Photo © Leah French

Unfortunately, it isn't consistently cold here yet, and I have no temperature controls other than opening and closing the valves. I'm pretty sure I've come close to melting a few times, so I've decided I need fans.

Several years ago, I bought some new tower fans, programmable with all sorts of settings and remote controlled. Those lasted about two years before they died, yet all those old metal fans I see at the flea market still work after decades of use.

This time, I'm buying the old ones.