Christmas ornaments abound in variety, color, shape and size. Originally of the same humble beginnings as the Christmas tree itself, ornaments of centuries past (1800s) were predominantly fruit to symbolize the coming of spring and abundance. As people began to get more creative and use more materials for their Christmas ornaments, metal foil was added to let the tree shine without having to be lit.
Today, Christmas ornaments come in every design imaginable, but there are some staple designs that can be found in a variety of Christmas homes:
Glass Christmas Ornaments
Coming in various shapes, glass Christmas tree ornaments were first made in Lauscha, Germany in the 1800s. The area, known for their glass making, began to manufacture the first types of glass ornaments sold for commercial use. Initially, they replicated fruit, nuts and other edible items but soon branched out to include hearts and stars. It was only a matter of time until the Lauscha glass industry realized that they could form other more complicated glass ornaments, like ones featuring saints, famous personalities and animals.
Pressed Paper and Tin Christmas Ornaments
In the 1800s the citizens of Dresden, Germany came up with Christmas ornaments made of pressed and embossed paper. These ornaments featured bright colors and shining embellishments, limited only by the maker and the materials of the time. The citizens of Dresden soon started using pressed tin with brightly colored lithographed surfaces after their paper creations gained notice.
Fabric Christmas Ornaments
Fabric ornaments trace their origins back to homemade decorations from around the world, and as early as 1875 the textile company Liberty & Co sold many fabric ornaments shaped like angels and other familiar Christmas motifs. To this day fabric Christmas ornaments are mostly homemade, although store-bought versions are readily available.
Tinsel
Called Das Lametta (from the Italian word lame, meaning “blade”) in Germany, we can trace the origins of tinsel back the 1600s, when it was made of real silver and pressed into thin strips. Changing to pewter, then to aluminum and again to the plastic tinsel we know today, tinsel has taken on a variety of forms in its long history.
