You Won’t Believe the History of Christmas Ornaments!
Yes, it’s that time of year again. But this year of all years, we at Santa’Ville are a little extra excited. It seems like we are all trying to celebrate and rejoice in the little things which bring us happiness; more so this year, which otherwise feels so grim.
But there’s nothing grim about Christmas! And holding on to that shred of light and happiness which will fill our homes come the last days of this unprecedented year, is a refreshing change of atmosphere, to say the least.
So, we’re gleefully dragging out our disassembled Christmas trees from the closet, or flocking to outdoor fields and markets in our masks to pick the perfect evergreen to adorn our homes with.
But this year, as you perch your personalized ornament from Santa’Ville onto those branches, could you believe that ornaments once used to resemble SNACKS more than what they are today? Yeah, you heard us right!
Although there are many theories dating back to Europe, a few common factors are discussed across them. It is said that in 16th Century Latvia, an evergreen was first adorned for Christmas with roses, which was associated with the Virgin Mary. This is said to be a ground-breaking moment for the modern-day Christmas decorations we so dearly know.
Fast forward to the 17th century situated near the German and French border, it is said that during the holidays an evergreen was brought indoors for the first time, completely changing the way people would go on to decorate and celebrate Christmas for centuries to come. This tree was adorned and decorated with objects and elements we can connect to modern day decorations, but some other things leaves us scratching our heads, and frankly, feeling like we need a snack!
The tree was then decorated with the likes of candles, wafers, nuts, sweets, berries, and apples! Later decorations included painted eggshells, cookies, candies, and pastries. Even later, garlands of strung popcorn were common! Sounds like a modern-day party platter more than a tree, right?
Eventually, the practice of putting up an ornately decorated Christmas tree made its way to English households, where ornaments started being made using craft materials, fabrics, wood, tin, blown glass, and soon everyone started to personalize their decorations. The new tradition of personalized ornaments eventually evolved into sentimental tokens to mark events and special moments from the year; a tradition which Santa’Ville holds really close and is helping keep alive and thriving through our ornament personalization services!
So, you see, the quintessential apple which was originally placed on an evergreen for Christmas decorations, later turned into the classic and perfectly round ornaments we find on our trees today. The original warmth of the candles put on trees, gave us our strings of electric Christmas lights. The cookies and wafers, later adapted by German traditions and turned into our beloved gingerbread cookies, gave us the gingerbread man ornaments!
The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it eventually made its way into North America, and caught on as a widespread trend in the 19th century. As all things go in North America, department stores, global manufacturing, and export/import demands, turned Christmas ornaments from edibles, to the full-blown commercialized industry we see today.
Today, the Christmas tree is put up cross-culturally and more often even by people who do not celebrate Christmas religiously. One thing remains consistent through the centuries and history of ornaments though; the fact that they’ve always had a greater meaning and a sentimental story of celebration behind them.
Santa’Ville strives to keep that tradition alive and unchanging for many more centuries to come! So, come on over and get yourself a beautiful ornament or two, and continue telling stories through them for years to come.
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