Christmas Ornaments Guide

Do you have a picture in your mind of your Christmas tree and what you will put on it? There are many kinds of Christmas tree decorations that we put on our tree every year without fail, such as tree lights, tinsel and out favorite Christmas ornaments. But have you ever thought about the variety of Christmas tree ornaments out there? This list will include most of the common ones such as Santas, snowflakes, balls, and some of the not so common ones like cats and chickens! Here goes..!

Christmas Baubles

The most common Christmas decoration around, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that everyone who has a Christmas box has at least one of these. They have been around for many years and unlike other early ornaments are not edible so could be kept from year to year. Today the basic Christmas ball can be found in glass or plastic, can be colored just about any color or combination of colors, can be filled with anything such as tinsel, glitter or candy. It is such a versatile ornament that it will be around for many more years.

Tinsel

We use tinsel on the tree because it sparkles and we are drawn to glittery things especially when light is added, which is exactly why tinsel was invented. the Germans used real silver shredded, but it tarnished and eventually artificial tinsel was produced. Apparently tinsel has been around since the early 1600s. Today tinsel is available in a huge assortment of colors, thicknesses and variants of straight tinsel or tinsel with extra bits sticking out.

Angels

Santa CHristmas decoration

Angels have been associated with Christmas since the Bible mentioned the Archangel Gabriel. The idea of angels watching over us appeals to lots of people. Over the years the style of angel has changed from the traditional religious depiction to just about anything that has wings and a dress. There are cute little angels that appeal to children, glass or china angels that are more simply stylised and appeal to adults, and just about any kind in between. Angels can be homemade Christmas ornaments very easily and in degrees of complexity. Most of us will have an angel somewhere in the box.

Santa

Santa is such a huge part of Christmas for children and has been around in his many incarnations for a very long time. St Nicholas was first mentioned in the 4th century, and through word of mouth has become Santa. The myth of Santa and where he lives was perpetrated as parents and businesses strove to answer children’s questions. There is a thriving business in Lapland was Santa currently lives! The popular image of Santa in a red coat with white fur was popularised in America and Canada in the early 19th century by a political cartoonist. But now all children believe that Santa wears red and white. We all have something of Santa in our house at Christmas time, even if it only the letter the children wrote.

Candy Canes

These were originally all white straight candy canes and have been around for nearly 400 years in Europe. At one point a candy maker decided to make them like shepherd crooks and gave them away at Christmas, this became a popular tradition. The traditional came to America by a German immigrant who decorated his tree with candy canes. No-one knows how or why the candy canes became red and white, but they did and have stayed that way since first introduced. Today we use candy canes on the tree and uses artificial candy cane as decorations for other parts of our houses and gardens.

Snowmen

No-one really knows how the snowman was invented, but snow was only really associated with Christmas in the early 19th century. But the  snowman is popular both to make and to have effigies of. Snowman Christmas decorations are commonly available both in cute  or cartoon forms of more serious poses. Snowmen are easy to make for children’s Christmas craft.

Snowflakes

Again only associated with Christmas relatively recently, but the complexity of the snowflake makes it an interesting ornament to have around and appropriate to put on the tree to help it look like it has snow on it. The snowflake can be made with glitter to help reflect the light, which also increases its appeal. Glass or crystal Christmas ornament snowflakes can also be found made by companies like Swarovski or Waterford.

Cats and Chickens

These types of Christmas decorations are for people who rebel against Christmas or those who are passionate about the pets or interests. The idea of having your Christmas tree ornaments themed around a favorite pet or cartoon character can make a display that stands out.

Beaded Ornaments by Alaskan Bead lair

When we think of Christmas and ornaments, the tree is a large part of the overall effect. The Christmas tree takes center stage in all our Christmas preparations and a large part of the event is around the tree. Do you plan your Christmas theme early in the year or just let it happen? There is no doubt a themed Christmas display can look stunning, but sometimes just letting the children put up all their favorite and homemade decorations can look great too. What kind of themes are there? Well there is the winter wonderland, country effect,one color and the as it happens!

Winter wonderland

I have a friend who is passionate about her Christmas tree, no-one gets to dress the tree except her. It looks great, all white and crystal, white Christmas ornaments, white string or fairy lights and white tinsel, a true winter tree. She has glass  Christmas tree ornaments in white with crystal beads, which glow under the Christmas lights. I love Christmas trees decorated like that, but I don’t have the discipline required to keep my tree pristine!

Country Effect

This is where the wooden Christmas tree ornaments come into their own. This is where anything “natural” works well, so wood or straw or dried fruits. Many painted wooden decorations look great on and around the tree. Dried fruits were one of the earliest forms of Christmas tree ornament and can look lovely, if you add cloves into them to make pomanders they can also smell great and add to the festive aromas.

One Color Christmas

This is where everything on the tree is variants of one color and can look stunning as all the textures and shade you have create a visual treat. So any kind of Christmas tree decoration can be used. Pick your color try to get Christmas tree lights and tinsel that have slightly different shades of the color. In a single color theme lots of the same shape such as baubles can work well and it is easy to find packs of the same shade Christmas balls in the store or online.

As Is Happens

This is the theme we use at my house! There are some items that always go on the tree like the tree lights and tinsel, but after that it is whoever gets there first! There are always homemade Christmas ornaments – especially the new ones and some old favorites. Then the favorite ornaments get carefully placed – the height they go depends upon the height of the child dressing the tree. The angel Christmas tree topper has to be placed by an adult and it is another old favorite handmade Christmas ornament when they were little.

Personal Christmas

All in all how you dress you tree is a personal thing and can be to provide a stunning backdrop to your entertaining or for the children to be part of the family celebrations. Of course we put presents around and the tree and also form part of the overall decoarations. To find out what are the top Christmas presents? Have a look you may or may not be surprised! Have fun with yours!

I have a story about one of my handmade Christmas ornaments – a temari ball. When my children were younger I used to go to a mothers group and one day they invited a lady to come and show us some craft. She introduced me to temari balls, although for a long time I had no idea what they were called! Temari balls are an old Japanese folk craft for making toys. The balls are usually 3-5inches but can be any size. The balls were probably made from old kimonos, but became an extravagant art form in terms of the richness of the designs and colors and the intricate nature of the sewing involved.  We started off using some felted wool to make the basic ball shape, but these days Styrofoam balls can be used, scraps of materials or even a bag filled with rice hulls or tissues. The next step is to choose a color scheme for your Christmas decoration I love blues and silvers, so mine was a lovely blue.

We need

Temari design

Basic ball either felted wool or Styrofoam ball

yarn any color will do as it will not be seen, 4 ply or thinner.

thread a reel in the color of your choice.

embroidery threads to suit your design.  Can be pearl cotton, silks, metallics or ribbons

long needles

long pins

scissor

paper to help with marking and dividing the ball

Tassels optional

Steps

1.Take the ball shape and wrap the yarn around it randomly so that the ball is evenly covered. You are looking to cover the ball with this step.

2.Take the thread (ordinary cotton sewing thread is ideal) and wrap this around the ball in a similar manner until all the yarn is covered. This gives you an interesting texture to base your embroidery on. About 300 yards of thread will be needed for this step.

3. The next step is to mark out the poles and equatorial regions on the ball. Most of the temari designs are geometrical. Depending upon your design you may need marking threads as well as pins. The marking threads can be in the same thread as the background (to be invisible) or can be in a contrasting color and form part of the design or can be a thread that will be removed at the finish. The divison are based on mathematical interpretations and will vary with the complexicity of the design. The best thing here is to choose a simple pattern and follow detailed instructions.

4. Sewing using long lengths of thread following the pattern.

There are many designs available so look out for books on the subject. For free patterns try TemariKari

Photo Courtesy WKlager