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18Mar/100

Christmas Decorating Ideas – Edible Ornaments

Christmas Decorating Ideas - Edible Ornaments

Although it is now more decades away than I care to admit too often, there were four things I loved most about my childhood Christmases in England:1. the excitement of the Christmas gifts being put under the Christmas tree, and then the family opening of the gifts on Christmas morning;2. the food; all the special sweets being put out Christmas Eve; Christmas Lunch with the turkey, lots of roast potatoes, brandy butter, and Christmas pudding being set alight at the table;3. all the Christmas ornaments and decorations going up before Christmas, and most especially putting up and decorating the Christmas tree; and,4. the games we would play.Food, though, did play a major part, and still does in English homes today. So, really, it is no surprise that food even became part of the Christmas ornament repertoire. Food, in one form or another, became part of the decoration of Christmas time.From my memory, edible Christmas ornaments were usually in the form of chocolate with a silver or gold coloured wrapping that sparkled on the tree. Chocolate coins were popular, sometimes more than one in a brightly coloured string bag dangling temptingly from the Christmas tree.I must admit, any edible ornament on the tree became a prime target, as I anxiously awaited the all clear from my parents to start devouring whatever I wanted.Later, though, a greater variety of edible Christmas ornaments emerged, such as candy canes; then, as the popularity of edible ornaments increased at Christmas, people started to use their imagination to make their own, or the local baker would make more elaborate ornaments for sale.Cookies, or at least cookie dough, make a good base for ornaments, as they are easy to cut into shape. You can use your imagination on adding the colour, such as with Smarties or other colourful sweets. Adding a frosting effect is not too difficult either.If you do make dough based ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree, remember you will need to make a hole in the cookie before it cools; that's the way the cookie doesn't crumble. Then when they do cool, you can thread a decorative ribbon to hang them on the Christmas tree.The Christmas tea table is often adorned by the prime edible ornament, the Christmas cake. The prettier it is, the better it is for decoration once lunch is out of the way. Cake decoration is only limited by your imagination. However, you can think of other things that are less common to adorn the table as an edible ornament. If you are skilful, you can create simple models with ginger bread, moving up a level from the old gingerbread man.You will find lots of ideas online and in the stores, but if you can come up with something original, that is even better. Just let your imagination go and see what you come up with. At least, if it does not look too good, you can just eat it before anyone comments!This Christmas ornament article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Xmas-Ornament.com website.

10Feb/100

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

3Feb/100

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.