Christmas Decorations

Most of the Christmas home decorations we see in the Christmas store have evolved from many different cultures. Charles Dudley Warner wrote about the Christmas holiday in 1884 "We have saved out of the past nearly all that was good in it". The evolution of Christmas as we know it today is no doubt better than the old holidays. At the mere mention of holly, ivy or mistletoe the visions of Christmas with all it's wonderful memories wanders into our minds. We see visions of ornaments on trees, snow covered hills, carolers singing, ringing bells and outdoor lights, lighting up the night.  In the winter when most native plants lose their leaves, flowers and fruits, the evergreens, holly, ivy and mistletoe are winter wonders to admire. It is no wonder that these winter delights were used to brighten up the cold dark days of winter.

Mistletoe for Christmas decorating has a special meaning for the holidays today. The hanging of the mistletoe in the doorways creates many plots and diversions to receive a kiss under it. The mistletoe kissing tradition comes from the Norse myths. Frigga, one of the gods, gave her son Balder a charm of mistletoe to protect him from the elements. But because mistletoe grows neither from the water or the earth nor from fire or air, it grows on trees, it held the power to harm him. One of the other god's arrows made of mistletoe struck Balder down, and his mother cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to life and vowed to kiss anyone who rested beneath the plant. So the mistletoe  kissing tradition began. In the early days mistletoe was called the all-healer in Celtic speech and in various European countries mistletoe is believed to possess marvelous powers of healing sickness or even averting misfortune. It was also believed to be the remedy against poisons and to make barren animals fruitful. There are traces in Britain of the sacredness of mistletoe as well as holly.

Holly, with its dark green spiky leaves and red berries, was also believed to have magical powers and the ability to drive demons away. Germans considered holly to be a good luck charm against the hostile forces of nature. A Shropshire custom was to leave the holly and ivy up until Candlemas, while the mistletoes were preserved until the next holiday season and hung so that good fortune would follow till the next holiday season.  In the early days food was also central to the holiday decorations. As the Christmas season grew near huge batches of cookies, candies, and sugared fruits were prepared for food and as Christmas decor. As mentioned above not all the early decor in the home came from the kitchen, the woods and fields provided an abundance of  straw, pods, flowers, and foliage for Christmas tree decorations also. Select the following link to view our Christmas wreaths, garlands, Christmas greenery and Christmas ribbon. 

As far back as the fifteenth century, Stow's of London noted that the custom at Christmas was that every household, parish and church be decked with items of ivy, holm, bays and other affordable seasonal greens. Many elders of England will recall the old English mode of church decor of sprigs of holly and yew stuck into the high pews making the churches a miniature forest. The decor extended outside when the city light poles, standards and in London were decorated for the Christmas season. The Christmas trimming evolved next into trimmings of beads, knots of bright ribbon, paper stars and lace bags filled with candies were all homemade by hand. Nuts, seeds, berries, popcorn and other homemade materials civilized the wild beauty of the past. The stringing of popcorn and cranberries are still in use today and purchased in the Christmas store. Tree decor was now open to creative and inspirational holiday decorating ideas that are still with us today.

The popularity of Christmas tree decorating in America grew when imports from Europe began in the 1870’s. In 1880 F.W. Woolworth was amazed when his first shipment of German Christmas ornaments were sold out in a couple of days from the Christmas stores department. Select the following link to view our German glass ornaments. Christmas stores stocked silver foil icicles, chains of tiny Czechoslovakia beads, and crinkly of  wire tinsel that added sparkle to the Christmas trees. Cardboard ornaments, tin metal Christmas ornaments, and paper decor were popular in the Christmas store until the 1900’s. Christmas stores then introduced a wide verity of plastic holiday decorations.

Today Christmas trees are usually the focal point in the American home. Decking the halls and home with wreaths, and garlands add additional beauty. With all the modern advances in the Christmas industry, decorating for Christmas has become an art form. During the holiday season the magic of Christmas comes alive with the creativeness of the Christmas store and designers around the world. There are no rules when it comes to the personal selection of Christmas decorations. We might conclude by observing homes, businesses and Christmas stores that the bells of freedom bells ring when it comes to Christmas creativeness.

In America, the tradition of hanging a wreath on the front door is a welcome gesture of friendship. The original American tradition of the outdoor Christmas lights is a cheerful delight throughout the holiday season. Passerby's of all descriptions can enjoy the beauty of the outdoor lights. Select the following link to view our Christmas tree lights and outdoor Christmas decorations. Through out the cold winter days of December, there are colorful light displays around every corner that bring the holiday spirit to everyone.