A Christmas Tradition – Vintage Ornaments
A Christmas Tradition - Vintage Ornaments
Traditional hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments never seem to go out of style. There is something special about them: pulling them out year after year and smiling at the memories they bring back. Putting up familiar Christmas ornaments is one of the rituals that make the holidays special. This month we'll talk about vintage Christmas ornaments.Hand-blown or machine-made.A hand-blown glass ornament is one of the indicators that it may be vintage. However, hand-blown ornaments using vintage molds are still being made today. To find out if an ornament is hand-blown, remove the stem from the base of the ornament. Ornaments that are hand-blown will have an uneven base because it is not possible for a glass blower to make an even break. Machine-made ornaments will have a smooth even base. If an ornament is machine-made, it may not be particularly old.Big or small.Early ornaments were smaller than modern ornaments. They were usually done in soft colors with hand painted details. You'll notice that the paint may be faded or distressed in areas on vintage ornaments. Look for round ornaments in a variety of diminutive sizes, reflector ornaments, unusual shapes or ones that represent food. These were the common themes for older ornaments.Shapes.Originally ornaments were used to represent the bounty of the year-end harvest with an emphasis on food and natural elements. Bird ornaments represented the biblical messengers that bring God's love and peace to the world. Birds were also symbolic of good luck and good fortune. Fruit and vegetable shapes symbolized the harvest. Pickle shapes signified luck. Fish shapes were an early Christian symbol for Christ. Star shapes represented the Star of Bethlehem. During Victorian times, reflectors ornaments (ornaments with geometric concave indentations), were often called witches eyes and were placed on the Christmas tree to fend off any evil spirits.Sources for vintage ornaments.Ebay, antique shops, flea markets, church sales and garage sales are all good hunting grounds for vintage ornaments.Value.Prices can vary from $2 to $200 depending on condition and rarity. New or old ornaments made by the German manufacturer Lauscha are highly collectible since the company's recent demise.Martin Swinton owns Take-A-Boo Emporium located in Toronto, Canada. He has appeared on a variety of television programs; does furniture restoration; caning and rushing repairs; appraisals and has taught courses on antiques at the Learning Annex. Martin can be reached at http://www.takeaboo.com
Christmas Tree Topper Ornaments
Christmas Tree Topper Ornaments
From my childhood memories, pride of place on the top of Christmas tree always went to a fairy dressed in white. Or was it an angel? No, I'm sure it was the Christmas fairy; and she was usually last to go on the tree apart from the tinsel. One thing for sure, it was always after the other tree ornaments such as the hanging balls.Life has become much more competitive since then, and the Christmas tree topping fairy has lots of competition now for the top spot, the Christmas-ornament-in-chief position.So what competition does the classic Christmas tree fairy have, that will confine her to history as the star ornament. No, perhaps writing her off like that is premature; I should first mention that if you want a classic, antique Christmas tree fairy as your top tree ornament, then you can still find them; tracking them down online is not difficult.
Aside from the nostalgia, though, there really is a big choice of Christmas tree toppers these days. The fairy has a close ally, an angel, competing for that top spot as a Christmas tree character, and even Santa Claus has been muscling in on this prime real estate, presumably tired of being stereotyped as a chimney person.I'm not sure if Santa is aware of this, but his insubordinate reindeer are also seeking the limelight behind his back, and will no doubt be seen this Christmas atop many a Christmas tree. Also, the increased fame of snowmen has gone to their heads a bit, and they too may be seen smiling out from the top of lots of brightly decorated trees.Pride of place on the Christmas tree may also just go to a shape. A star can claim some relevance to Christmas, but other shapes too may be found in the Christmas-ornament-in-chief role.While the Christmas tree fairy was usually a doll, nowadays you get all sorts of designs and materials. Hand painted metal, for example, is now common. As always, though, it is down to budget and taste when it comes to buying your Christmas tree toppers. But at least, you can be grateful that you have a choice that is now quite varied. That used to be far from the case.Your Christmas tree ornaments can, this year, bring a touch of uniqueness for your visitors to enjoy; and you of course!This Christmas ornament article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Xmas-Ornament website.