Kelly's 25 Days of Christmas

I love this time of year!! Though, it is the time that we celebrate the birth of Christ, which I think we should celebrate year round, that is not why it is my favorite time of year. What I love about this time of year is all the tradition that surrounds it. From traditions like Christmas trees that the majority of Americans observe, to the more random personal traditions like the making of "Moose Balls," I enjoy every moment!

This year I have decided to hold "Kelly's 25 Days of Christmas." This will entail a little snippet of the history of different holiday traditions everyday. Some may just be general and others will include personal stories as well. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am going to enjoy studying up about it!

The first installment, Christmas Ornaments!

I love Christmas ornaments. I love taking them out of their wrapping every year. It is almost like unwrapping a bunch of small memories every holiday season. A few years back I started collecting Christmas ornaments from different places I have visited, so as I open them I am reminded of the good times had in these places. I have also started collecting ornaments from all around the world, places I will probably never make it to myself, that are handmade and the shops are part of a fair trade organization. A couple of the places I like to shop the most are WorldCrafts and 10,000 villages. Every time I open these ornaments I am reminded of places where I have friends living and to be thankful for all that I have.

The tradition of hanging ornaments on a tree is as old as the Christmas tree itself. Red apples were the first decorations on the Christmas trees. Other additions were candles, strings of popcorn, white candy canes, cookies, dolls, and even small toys. The first commercial ornaments were produced by Lauscha, a German company, in the 1860's. The first commercial ornaments were garlands of glass beads and small tin figures. These were items were so popular that they soon expanded their line to include glass ornaments shaped like nuts and fruits. These glass ornaments made it to the United states in the 1870's. By the 1890's, as standards of living rose in England and America, homemade decorations had gone out of style and ornament makers were hard pressed to keep up with the demand. By the turn of the century Christmas Ornaments had become a big business, grossing $25 million in one store chain alone! 1937 came with the invention of the solid color Christmas balls. The 1950's brought around plastic and the mass production or ornaments. Today Christmas decoration sales are second only too gift buying during the holiday season.