Show Me Christmas

Since the Soviet Union fell, Christmas has become an important holiday once again in Russia. The holiday is marked with 10 days of celebration extending to New Year’s. Traditional elements, such as decorating Christmas trees, have thrived.

Russian Christmas ornaments are absolutely stunning. While you can easily find plastic Yuletide Russian Christmas décor, it is still possible to find hand painted ornaments made from wood or glass. Some of my favorite Russian ornaments are ones that are patterned after the famous nesting dolls or the Snow Maiden of Russian literature. The domes of Russian Orthodox churches, often described as onion-like, are also a popular shape for ornaments.

What do you get for the couple that has everything? I have noticed over the past few years of attending weddings that a lot of brides and grooms do not ask for gifts. People are getting married later in life, which means that by the time they do walk down the aisle they have accumulated many of the household goods that are normally given as gifts to a new couple.

I feel awkward attending a wedding without giving the bride and groom a gift, so I’ve taken to giving keepsakes. For Christian couples I like to give handblown glass ornaments. There are quite a few lovely bride and groom ornaments that make perfect winter weather gifts. Any glass ornament that reflects the couple’s interests in some way will be greatly appreciated by the newlyweds.

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite childhood stories. The re-imagining of the classic tale in a film by Tim Burton was very well done, I think. At the Academy Awards this year the film won for Art Direction and Costume Design.

I believe the Academy was spot on, as the visuals from the film were absolutely captivating. They brought to life all the colorful characters just as I had envisioned them. In fact, I have several Alice in Wonderland handcrafted ornaments which I display year round on my coffee table. I think the White Rabbit ornament in particular invokes the strong imagery that Tim Burton’s film put forth.

I remember my days as a Girl Scout many years ago; it’s one of my fondest times as a child. My mother was our troop leader and my younger sister and my two best friends were also in our division, so meetings and organized events were always a good time. Many of our projects involved arts and crafts, a staple of my mother’s personality – she loved to perform artistic crafts and hobbies in an effort to decorate our own home.

Every Christmas we would make hand crafted ornaments, which we would donate to the Salvation Army. It always warmed my heart to know that our imaginations and hard work could put smiles on the faces of those less fortunate than us. From snowmen made of cotton to angels made of pasta noodles, our crafts always held a festive spirit that seemed to bring out the best in everyone during the holidays.

It seems that after each holiday season, I walk away with a new tradition to try next year. This Christmas, I was fortunate enough to host my elderly grandmother in my home. Grandma grew up in Poland before immigrating to the U.S. as a teenager. She pushed for my mother to become an American girl, but did not eradicate her home of Polish traditions, like baking traditional Polish treats for the holidays.

As I was packing up the Christmas tree ornaments, I noticed two little dolls that I hadn’t seen before. I asked my grandma if she had put them on the tree, and she replied that she had and that they were a gift for me. They are Polish Christmas ornaments, hand-crafted and hand-painted to look like dancers wearing traditional Polish costumes. My grandmother had hung them on her tree as a child in Poland and was pleased to have them hang now in her granddaughter’s home.

The art of glass blowing has been around since the middle of the last century BC. This artistic, glass-forming technique involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. This process utilizes the liquid structure of the molten glass; the atoms of the liquid glass matter are held together by string chemical bonds in an unorganized and random network, therefore, the glass is viscous enough to be blown, gradually hardening as it loses heat.

A person who blows glass may be referred to as a glassblower, a glassmith or a gaffer. The end product of glass blowing can yield all kinds of different, unique and beautifully crafted glass décor. Hand blown glass ornaments are a favorite among gaffers as well as flower vases, serving bowls, artistic décor and lighting fixtures. Each of these creations has the capacity to incorporate multiple vibrant colors and patterns.

Some people can’t function in the morning without a cup of coffee. For me, tea is my addiction. I’m not partial to one particular brand or another; I truly enjoy trying out different flavors and brews. I’m also a collector of decorative teapots- the more ornate the better!

This Christmas, my kids bought me teapot ornaments by Tannenbaum Treasures. The collectible holiday ornaments are really exquisite. The two inch tall ornaments are handcrafted in Europe and each displays a different theme. My three favorites are the blue bonnet, clover, and silver teapots. Don’t you love it when people actually put consideration into holiday gift giving?

Alice, a close friend of mine from college, has the largest ornament collection I’ve ever seen. This past year she focused on adding ornaments representative of different cities to her collection. She has collected a significant amount from the cities in driving distance form her.

I live across the country from Alice, so as a Christmas present I sent her an ornament painted with the Seattle skyline (and by skyline I really mean the Space Needle). She phoned me as soon as she got the ornament and ecstatically thanked me. Knowing how happy it made her, I’ll have to be on the lookout for other city-theme collectible holiday ornaments.

Some people are very fussy about choosing Christmas gifts for family and friends. I know friends who would really take time shopping for holiday presents as early as September. But not in my case, coz’ I’m the kind of person who prefers to simplify things. I guess I do practice making things less complicated to be able to enjoy it at the same time.

During holidays, I’d rather give family and friends Christmas postcards and something that everyone can agree on, such as chocolates, gift cards or handpainted ornaments. While this may seem impersonal, I know that everyone will enjoy what I get them and not have to put on a false front. Best of all, I get to simplify my shopping by doing it online.