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by
Marilyn Roy 
Red Christmas Ornament Reflecting Warmth, Light, and Joy, Photo Courtesy of Image by Theo Crazzolara from Pixabay
As we grew up, my sister and I admired our great-grandparents' ornaments adorning our Christmas tree. If you are lucky enough to have some of these ornaments, you can use them to create focal points on your tree.
In our blog post about the History of the Christmas Tree, we explained that apples, oranges, nuts, berries, and candles decorated the first Christmas trees. Wafers and pastries shaped like angels, hearts, stars, and flowers were added. Then, silk and wool began to be used as materials. In the 1600s, tinsel made of real silver also adorned trees. Candy Canes Decorate Christmas Trees Candy canes are another Christmas tree decoration that originated in Germany in 1670. The sugar candy, shaped like a shepherd's crook, occupied children during Christmas services. The modern red peppermint candy canes appeared around 1900. The red color represented the blood of Christ, and the peppermint flavor imitated hyssop, a Biblical purifier. Glass Christmas Tree Ornaments German glassblower Hans Greiner created the forerunner of our modern ornaments. The story is that Hans Greiner couldn't afford apples, so he made blown glass ornaments. According to different versions of this story, Hans Greiner created the ornaments in either the 1500s or the 1800s. Glass beads and other ornaments followed the creation of the apple ornaments. Since Hessian soldiers brought glass ornaments to America in the 1770s, Greiner must have created them in the 1500s. The popularity of German glass and lead ornaments grew to produce $25 million in sales for Woolworth's Department Stores in the 1890s. At this time, pickle ornaments became popular. Since it was green, hiding it in the tree was easy. The first child to find it received an extra gift. Bringing Light to the Christmas Tree Before Christmas lights, foil strips made the tree glitter, and candles lit the tree. The strips of foil, now known as icicles, were called angels' hair. Parents told their children that angels had gotten their hair tangled in the trees. Today's Christmas lights were created by assistants to Thomas Edison. Antique and Vintage Christmas Ornaments Antique and vintage ornaments are fun to add to your tree or elsewhere in your home. You can choose one type of antique and vintage ornaments such as Kugel or Dresden ornaments or one theme such as angels or Santa Clauses. Examine the condition of the ornaments, and make sure they aren't reproductions. You will be unlikely to find the ornaments in their original box. If you do, it is a plus. Learn as much as you can about the different types of ornaments to know that you are getting authentic ornaments. Kugels Kugels from Lauscha, Germany, are the blown glass ornaments that Hans Greiner created to replace apples on his Christmas tree. Large Kugels replaced witch balls that Germans hung in their homes to dispel evil spirits. The large Kugels hung in windows, from the ceiling, and in gardens were made from 1830 to 1840. However, the larger Kugels were too heavy for the German Christmas trees that sat on a table in the parlor. After 1855, glass blowers started making smaller and lighter Kugels for the Christmas trees that had now been moved from the tabletop to the floor. Kugels include balls, fluted shapes, Santas, pine cones, and grape clusters. Most Kugels were blown with the hot glass shaped by a mold. However, some were partially molded and partially or totally free-blown. You will also find Kugels with one- or two-sided faceted indentations. The indentations reflected the light from candles and later light bulbs. During WWII, Kugels had paper caps and weren't silvered inside, creating a matte look. These Kugels are rare. Dresden Ornaments Dresden, Germany, is known for embossed cardboard ornaments in various shapes. Made from 1880 to 1910, they are 2 to 3-inches tall and gilded or silvered. The creation process involved dampening the cardboard and pressing it with a die. Then, the pieces were assembled. The most popular shapes were animals, such as deer, peacocks, and birds in flight. Due to the materials, they are rare. Tin Ornaments During the popularity of mechanical tin toys, manufacturers of those toys also made tin Christmas ornaments with lithographed details. Bird Christmas Ornaments The birds are clip-on mercury ornaments and symbolize happiness, joy, love, and good tidings. There is a wide variety of bird ornaments available. Cotton Batting Ornaments Cotton batting ornaments from nineteenth-century Saxony Germany are shaped like balls or figures of people, animals, and fruit. They were made of cotton batting wrapped around wire forms. Some were dipped in plaster and painted. Snow Babies Snow Babies are white or pastel figures with painted faces. Most resemble children in snowsuits participating in Christmas activities or winter sports. Others are Santa Clauses, elves, penguins, polar bears, and dogs made with wire frames and covered with cotton batting and crushed bisque. Production was stopped by World War I. The pre-WWI Snow Babies were 5 to 7 inches tall. After WWI, they were 1 to 3 inches tall. There were also fewer details in the post-WWI designs, and some Snow Babies were made in Japan. Bubble Lights Bubble lights are actually a recent addition to Christmas tree decorations. Patented in 1944 by Carl W. Otis and marketed by Noma in 1946 the original lights contained camphor or a lightweight oil. More recently, methylene chloride was used. The low boiling point creates bubbles. The light not only heats the liquid but also illuminates the bubbles. Garlands Swirling a garland around your tree gives it a finished look that pulls the tree together. You can use tinsel, ribbon, or strings of popcorn or cranberries. You may also be lucky to find a garland of hollow, mercury, blown glass beads in good condition. The beads could be strung together with cotton thread or wire. Christmas Tree Skirts Christmas tree skirts date back to Germany when trees were lit by candles. The first tree skirts in Germany were plain mats that caught needles and candle wax. Today, we use decorative skirts to hide the tree stand, catch needles, and accessorize the tree. Visit our Pinterest board featuring Christmas tree skirts by the freelance designers on Zazzle to see how far tree skirts have come from the plain German mats. Putz Houses Many people finish their tree with Putz Houses or a village underneath the tree. These houses or villages can be cardboard, wood, or ceramic. Covered with glitter, they are also a popular mantel decoration. Since these villages tend to grow with new houses, the display may require a table. Originally hand-carved wooden pieces, Putz villages then began to be made of cardboard and were mass-produced in the United States and Japan. Lighted ceramic villages have become ornate collectibles and include people, animals, and other accessories. Some include nativities with angels, shepherds, and animals. Six of Our Favorite Antique Christmas Ornament Designs on Zazzle The Zazzle designers who created these designs placed them on Christmas cards, but Zazzle's customization tools allow you to place them on other products. If the designer sized their design specifically for a Christmas card, you may get a message saying that the original design is too small to be transferred to a product such as a tree skirt. In that case, message the original designer through the store by clicking on the store name and then clicking on "message" under the designer's name. You can ask the original designer to resize the design and put it on the product for you. If you have other problems transferring the design or you don't understand the customization tools, use the popup box on the lower right to contact a freelance designer live online. These designers have agreed to help Zazzle customers with placing designs on Zazzle products. Remember, though, these designers are freelancers. They are not Zazzle employees, so they can't help with questions about placing orders, delivery dates, returns, and so on. For those questions, contact Zazzle's customer service representatives. 1. Vintage Christmas Beautiful Antique Baubles PostcardDesign inspired by a lovely vintage Christmas card. The picture shows three beautiful glass(?) ornaments hanging from a snowy fir tree branch. Also, some highlighted gold paint, especially visible on the Bethlehem stars and on the border on the back of the postcard. Christmas greeting partly in the old Fraktur font. Also, the back of the postcard is designed to match. The antique Christmas card has been carefully edited, in an effort to bring back the splendor of the time when it was actually brand new. The composition has also been adjusted to fit our modern postcard size. 2. Christmas Ornaments Beautiful Retro Baubles PostcardDesign inspired by some beautiful Christmas ornaments seen on old postcards. Featuring two ornate and colorful (turquoise, red, and gold) ornaments seen against an almost monochrome background. Christmas greeting in elegant unimposing handwriting fonts. The back of the postcard is a bit special, looking very much like postcards used to do around the year 1900. The word Post Card is boldly highlighted and surrounded by thin calligraphy-like flourishes. The old pictures (front and back) have been carefully edited. When editing, I usually try to save the best of two worlds: the beauty of the old design as well as the freshness of something very new. 'Modern vintage' may be the right expression to describe my work. 3. Vintage Christmas Ornamented Frame Heart Oval StickerOval Christmas sticker inspired by an ornamented Victorian style frame, a fresh branch of fir tree, and a beautiful hanging heart. Text 1) Merry Christmas (in big letters). Text 2) From the Andersons (in a smaller font) Useful for example to enhance your Christmas packages or mailings. A nice and practical way to tell the recipient the name of the sender. Personalize simply by typing over the example texts. 4. Vintage Christmas Colorful Ornaments Holiday Card5. Merry Christmas With Antique Ornaments Holiday Card6. Antique Ornaments Postcard
To see more Zazzle products featuring antique and vintage Christmas ornaments, visit our Pinterest board.
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AuthorMarilyn and Elizabeth both enjoy celebrating Halloween. As adults, they dressed in costumes to pass out candy. Elizabeth worked with their mother to make a witches costume for a Marilyn, and Elizabeth made a prairie dress that turned into a fairy princess costume with the tiara Marilyn crocheted over a wire form that she shaped. Archives
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