Christmas Ornament

Some History of the Christmas Ornament

The first Christmas tree, erected in Germany in the 16th century, was decorated with the things at hand -- cranberries, oranges, popcorn, and apples. The apple was a prominent feature on early Christmas trees and was used to symbolize paradise. This apple shape has lasted throughout the centuries, and many modern Christmas decorations mirror this round shape.

Into the 17th century, religious symbols, such as small round wafer-like discs, stars, and angels, were added. The Christmas tree remained largely a German tradition until the 19th century. England's Queen Victoria, who married a German prince, became enamored with the custom, and brought it to the British Isles. Immigrants from the Germanic countries and Britain brought the tradition to the United States in the late 19th century.

Early Christmas ornaments in the United States were mostly German blown-glass or cast-lead. In fact, the Germans had little competition until the mid-1920s when the Japanese and Czechs began manufacturing Christmas ornaments. Corning was the first US company to make Christmas ornaments. In 1939, they used a machine designed to create light bulbs to form round glass ornaments at more than 2000 per minute.

Types of Christmas Ornaments

Modern Christmas ornaments range from homemade country-style creations to detailed, and expensive, glass decorations. The leader in collectible glass ornaments is Christopher Ratko, an artist who has recreated many of the early 20th century Czech and German designs. New innovations in ornaments include those with tiny smoke detectors in them to alert homeowners of a tree fire and ornaments with 3D holograms on them.

Christmas Ornaments Around the World

Different countries and regions of the world have different traditional ornaments. Among them are:

• Sweden - This Scandinavian country uses straw ornaments and animals on their trees
• Brazil - Since Christmas comes in the summer in South America, Brazilians use small bits of cotton on their trees to simulate snow.
• Germany - The Germans still excel in decorating their Christmas trees. In addition to the universal decorations, candles and gingerbread men are often found the tree.
• Nigeria - This African country typically uses ornaments made from palm frounds.
• Philippines - Instead of a star, this Asian island nation puts Santa Claus at the top of their trees.
• Poland - Polish Christmas trees are traditionally decorated with shiny apples, walnuts, candles, and silver-wrapped chocolate shapes.
• Japan - The small number of Christians in Japan decorate their trees with elaborate and colorful origami folded paper birds and animals.

Where to Buy Christmas Ornaments

Christmas ornaments can be found anywhere from garage and estate sales to art galleries. Some find it fun to collect ornaments from around the world as a reminder of past vacations. Others like to collect annual special-issue ornaments, such as the White House collection or the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. Christmas ornaments also make a special and thoughtful Christmas gift, one that will be remembered for years to come.

The advent of online auction sites, such as eBay, make it possible to easily buy ornaments from around the world as well as rediscover the ornaments you once knew as a child