Show Me Christmas

Wedding Set

According to the old German tradition, the tree of a newlywed couple should include these twelve ornaments to insure blessings and happiness for their life together.

This wedding set of twelve  are hand blown and hand painted in Germany and make a wonderful gift for the newlywed couple or a lovely and unusual wedding or shower gift.

Each ornament will make a lovely keepsake for that new couple as they begin their life together and the start of a beautiful collection of Christmas ornaments.

When I was little, decorating the Christmas tree was always a family affair. My dad would start by stringing the lights, which was always made more difficult by my mom complaining about his placement and my little siblings impatiently trying to put their ornaments on the tree. Once he was done, everyone in the family would put up the generic ornaments first, and then move on to their personal collections.

My brother, sister and I each had a set of collectible Christmas ornaments, and were designated a special spot of the tree to exhibit are keepsakes. My collection included a wide line of NFL quarterbacks and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while my brother had Power Rangers and Pokémon. My sister naturally had more feminine decorations, like Barbie and Hello Kitty.

After visiting countless homes during the Christmas season, I have been able to distinguish two distinct types of trees. The technique that a family uses in decorating the tree will give you some insight into their personalities and create a distinctive ambiance in their abode. I have taken the liberty of coming up with my own terminology to define the two types of trees: formal and playful.

Formal Christmas trees are characterized by an overt theme, such as a consistent color or uniform ornaments. These trees are usually exclusively decorated by adults and show little childhood light-heartedness. Playful trees, on the other hand, don colorful lighting and whimsical ornaments. Growing up we always had a playful tree, and my siblings and I were encouraged to include our own handmade Christmas ornaments.

Angels, or the belief in higher spirits – guardians from the spirt world have existed within many cultures for thousand of years. 

We especially like to use angels throughout the Christmas season in our homes and on our Christmas trees.  Angels are devine helpers or messengers that often help us keep the true spirit and meaning of Christmas alive throughout this busy season.

I like to have an angel finial on top of my Christmas tree.  I love the angel finial from the Abigail Collection of hand blown and hand painted glass ornaments from Poland.  This finial would be perfect for any Christmas tree this year!

May the spirit of Christmas be alive all year long!

Choose a ‘THEME’ tree from your favorite fictional characters!!!  These will be the delight of any child or the child in you!  Alice in Wonderland makes the most unusual and delightful tree for your holiday decorating with these handblown glass ornaments all handpainted. 

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You can tell a lot about a household by its holiday decorations. Some families go all-out, lighting up the entire neighborhood with flashy exterior lights and elaborate themed displays. It’s almost as if they’re compensating for a problem that lies just beneath the surface. Others wear their ambivalence on their sleeves, maybe putting up a decoration or two half-heartedly – or even leaving their lights up all year round for convenience’s sake.

Then there are the households that put family first – the ones with trees that have been painstakingly decorated. The decorations themselves are often homemade, whether they are the result of class arts and crafts projects or just the fruit of a boring afternoon from years past. Handcrafted Christmas ornaments have a unique feel that can’t be duplicated by mass-produced knockoffs, and provide just the right amount of holiday cheer.

In our family, decorating the Christmas tree has always been a sacred family tradition – right up there with the camping trip we take each summer in Michigan. When Christmas Eve comes around, the cooking and baking begins early. The grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins filter into the house in waves, all eagerly anticipating the feast that’s sure to follow. We finish up the ham, potatoes and vegetables just in time to get ready for Midnight Mass.

But before any of that takes place, my husband sets the scene by topping the Christmas tree with one of our prized genuine Polish Christmas ornaments. The tree topper is the most important of all ornaments as it’s the first guests will bother to notice. Every year without fail, family and friends heap praise on the tasteful ornament, saying that it reminds them of small-town Christmases of old.

There is nothing like good old fashion ball ornaments for your Christmas tree especially if they are equisitely hand blown and hand painted glass ornaments from Poland. 

 Whether they are rhapsody in blue or Baroque revival they are sure to win squeals of delight as well as astounding appreciation of a true work of art.   These ornaments are so beautiful that I am sure they will please the most particular of collectors.

Happy Decorating!

Decorating a Christmas tree each holiday season is a favorite activity among many. Over the years, people will accumulate quite a collection of ornaments for their tree. My family had to branch out our ornaments over two trees because our collection grew so big. A family tradition, we’d purchase a holiday ornament with every vacation we took. Based on our collection, I guess you could say that we really like to travel.

Maybe you prefer to handpick your collectable holiday ornaments. From a glass Christmas ornament to a family of Disney characters, the decorations on your tree should represent you and your family. This way you’re tree will not only be a symbol of Christmas, but it will represent the loving memories you share with your parents and siblings. Any season will be jolly when shopping for Christmas.