Merry Christmas! It's Sarah from
{Home-ology} modern vintage here again for another fun & informative blog post.
Are you ready for what the remaining month of December has in
store? Is your Christmas a crazy whirlwind of family, food, & gift
giving or is it a simple day of family togetherness and quiet
celebration?
No matter how you celebrate, there's no
denying that the holiday season is in full swing, and homes all over the
world are filled with the spirit of Christmas. Halls are decked and
evergreens are dripping with the collections of precious family
ornaments - some purchased, some made by little
hands - but each with a special memory attached.
There are a plethora traditions & rituals that go along with the celebration of
Christmas; but one I find most intriguing is the tradition of
decorating the Christmas tree. Why do we use
certain figures as ornaments? My inquisitive mind had to know.
Many of these stories are well
known, other not so much. I thought I would share with you what I found.
A Christmas star. Most
Christians know that a star on the top of the tree represents the Star
of Bethlehem whose bright light led the Wise Men to Jesus and that an
angel on the top of the tree represents the angels who spread the news
of Jesus' birth.
But one
of my favorites is the Christmas spider. Originally I loved these ornaments just
because I found the little insects an intriguing addition to my tree.
But as I began to collect them, I eventually learned their history.
The
story of the Christmas spiders {and the silver tinsel that is used to
represent them} is a sweet little tale of a family of spiders who
couldn't resist climbing through the Christmas tree to view the
beautiful decorations that had been placed upon it. When they had finished admiring all the ornaments, they had unknowingly spun webs all around the tree. The end is a sweet tale. You can find the most widely
known version of the story
here.
Another
popular ornament we often see is the Christmas pickle. It's tradition
is very much up for controversy as to its origination {either Germany or
an American-made tale created to commercialize it's popularity as an
ornament}. Either way, it's a fun tradition to hide a pickle in deep
inside the tree. The child who finds it gets a special gift & good
luck throughout the following year. A little more info on its
controversial story can be found
here.
Last is the the gilded walnut. The walnut symbolizes an
old ritual that began with the Europeans where, after a treat of walnuts
on Christmas, the children would take the empty shells and place a
burning candle inside. These "boats" were placed in a bowl of water.
The one whose boat made it to the end was blessed with long life &
good luck. A shell that sinks brings bad luck.
There
are so many more ornament traditions, one could spend an entire day
engrossed in the subject. I did, however, find two articles listing many of them
here and
here,
each giving a brief history. It's an entertaining family discussion
for this time of year and would be a fun read to share with little ones.
Learning the history behind the ornaments is a great way to give them an understanding of
what Christmas is truly about.
Christmas ornaments as
we know them today in America only became widespread in the late 1800's, during the
Victorian era, when the popular F.W. Woolworth's five & dime began
offering German glass ornaments to its customers.
Prior to then, trees were mainly decorated with nuts, fruits, and
strings of popcorn & cranberries.
These Victorian era ornaments aren't so readily available in
today's market. However, one can easily create a beautiful vintage Christmas
tree by filling it with the glass ornaments from the 1940's and
beyond. Ornaments dating from these time periods are plentiful and
very, very affordable. I found some wonderful examples during a recent
trip to the Queen of Hearts' Alpharetta location. But they are
plentiful in any of her three locations this time of year.
This
is a lovely example of the appeal of a vintage decorated tree - so
charming. These are located in BELLA's booth.
And here's a simple collection of gold Shiny Brites. These make a nice vintage statement when placed as a collection within a vessel.
Just
for interest, I'm showing this rare hand blown, hand painted ornament
dating to WWII. I don't normally feature my own inventory, but it's
such a nice example of a rare find that I felt it appropriate to
include. Metal was not available for commercial use during war time, so
paper hangers were used in place of the metal caps. This is an easy
way to date ornaments from this time period.
What
would a vintage Christmas be without a blow mold? This one is a table
top model from the 1960's. I love his worn patina. You will find this
one in booth CDVA.
This is a very nice collection from dealer KAY.
And two 1950's beauties from dealer JBC.
There's
something universally appealing about vintage Christmas ornaments -
their patina, their history, the fact that they've been lovingly
preserved and were a very special part of one family's traditions - it
just evokes the holiday spirit in a way like no other.
I hope you and your family have the merriest of Christmases this year and blessings throughout the new year.
xo,
Sarah
This is a guest post from Sarah Krouse at {Home-ology) modern vintage.
As well as being a dealer in our Alpharetta location, Sarah blogs over
at
homeologymodernvintage.com.
If you enjoyed reading her post and would love to see more, we
encourage you to stop by her blog. There you'll see many of her vintage
finds in their raw stage, get a story of where they came from, and see
transformations of the pieces she revives & repurposes prior to
their display at the Queen.
Nature seems to be popping up in holiday decorating this year. Pine trees cut into rustic leaning Christmas trees are flying out the door to adorn mantels and tables. These paired with the checked bows make for a very homey, warm look in any home. Burlap is still in the mix pairing well with mercury glass deer and candleholders, rocking the rustic meets modern look. 
