Holiday Ornament Traditions
Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning. In the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the US. While Europeans used four foot trees, Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
Evergreen trees have been part of seasonal celebrations since the time of ancient Egyptians, Iranians, and Romans who used fir trees in festivals of Saturnalia (Rome), Mithras (Iran), and Egypt’s Ra and Osiris. Estonia and Latvia both claim the earliest use of the Christmas tree, but by the 1600s, decorated trees could be found throughout Germany at Christmas time.
Christmas trees and in fact the celebration of Christmas itself was outlawed within the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a pagan ritual until 1681. It took until 1856 for Christmas to become a public holiday. By that time, Christmas trees were sold commercially throughout the US and glass ornaments from Germany became available as tree decorations. Flame candles were actually commonly used to light the tree boughs until the 1930s. The trees had to be especially fresh, well-watered, and closely monitored to minimize the fire hazard. During the 30s, electric Christmas tree lights became affordable enough to take over for candles.
The early tree ornaments in the 1600s were paper roses, nuts, and fruits. Glass ornaments originated in Germany in 1848 and were called Kugels, a German word meaning “ball” that can be used to describe any type of ball-like object. These ornaments have since evolved into many shapes, from the original round and fruit shapes, to detailed reproductions of famous buildings, attractions, animals, and even fine art.
The early tree ornaments in the 1600s were paper roses, nuts, and fruits. Glass ornaments originated in Germany in 1848 and were called Kugels, a German word meaning “ball” that can be used to describe any type of ball-like object. These ornaments have since evolved into many shapes, from the original round and fruit shapes, to detailed reproductions of famous buildings, attractions, animals, and even fine art.
Today’s ornaments can promote your favorite sports teams, remind you of past vacations, pay tribute to local landmarks, and in general, turn your Christmas tree into a personalized 3-dimensional installation artwork. Let us assist you in creating a work worthy of Ai Weiwei, Lisa Congdon, and Ashley Longshore!
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