For Christmas Collectors

I was raised Episcopalian... I lean more towards Southern Baptist now... and my parents converted to Catholicism... I start this blog with this as a caveat because in explaining Christmas traditions to the masses today I tend to use current movies/books/tv shows to help the younger generation "get it"... so please forgive me if my next paragraph offends you... :)

Christmas has evolved over the centuries as Christianity evolved.  As crusading Christians went out to save the wretched, they amassed people as quickly as the Borg did on Star Trek.  However, instead of simply saying "We are the Christians.  Lower your weapons and surrender your ideals.  We will add your religious distinctiveness to our own.  Your culture will adapt to worship with us."... in a truly inspired moment they DID add different aspects to other religions to their own. It's easier to get people to join you when you accept portions of their traditions right?  While keeping Christ in Christmas, they added:

• The Pagan love of trees
• The Egyptian worship of Ra's winter tradition of bringing in greenery on the winter solstice to symbolize life after death
• The early Roman's similar tradition of bringing in evergreen boughs and fruit symbolizing the near return of Spring
• The Celts tradition to bring in evergreen boughs this time of year symbolizing everlasting life

In early 16th century the Germans added candles to their trees.  In America... we took a while.  Early Puritans fought against these Pagan traditions even making it illegal to have any frivolous displays.  We can thank Queen Victoria for bringing Christmas to America.  She was pictured with a Christmas Tree in the mid 1800s and by the late 1800s decorations began arriving in America.  Of course we took it to a new level with our commercialism... I personally, have many reasons for loving Queen Victoria... and this is one of them.  I always joke I was born in the wrong era... but I digress...

There are two types of Christmas styles... the designer decorators and the collectors.  If you're a designer decorator, your feathers, garlands, and similar color balls are gorgeous... but they're not for me... and you'll probably hate the rest of this blog... 

I'm a collector.  Everything on my tree means something to me.  In fact I've collected so much that I now have 4 trees that I actually decorate among a myriad of other decorations.  I've got a bird tree filled with antique chandelier crystals, small vintage ornaments... and birds of all ages...

On another tree I have vintage figurines that I've been collecting since the mid 70s.  I remember watching my mother unwrap each of hers when I was a child and fell in love with her love of these pieces.  Together we've added an ornament or two to our trees for the past 40 years.  Our husbands shutter every December.  They tremble as they grab the dozens of boxes and bring them into our living rooms and then they smartly RUN.  This black and white panda is one from my childhood, along with the clear cat and a few more not pictured.

I love the old glass... and the old hand made ornaments... whether I made them or I purchased them.  The crochet snowflakes all over my tree were made by a master... I can't crochet a straight line let alone intricate designs like these.  The snowman I made for my Berts Big Adventure flight... It was the year Frozen was popular and I greeted each child with a snowman.  <3

If you're like me Christmas delightfully spills everywhere across your house... from vintage nutcrackers to smokers to Babushka (nesting dolls) to ceramic trees...  Ceramic trees are my latest obsession much to my husbands dismay.  "We don't have any more room to store these"... "Yes we do... I'll put them in my closet".. Yes... I'll give up room for clothes for gorgeous vintage ceramic trees... I'm THAT collector... 

While all of these pictures are from my own private collection we have multiple dealers that have vintage Christmas in their booths...  Last I looked there were still a bunch of shiny brites and vintage German candle holders (warning:  please do not actually burn the candles, they're for decoration only- unless it's outside... on a beach... where you wont lose your home and Christmas presents... trees become extremely flammable by the end of the season).  There are figurines... red and green glass and other items that will bring the holidays to your home for years to come.

With that.. and with just a few days left til Christmas... Let me remind you that the Queen is open til 3pm on Christmas Eve and then we'll be going home to our families.  We'll reopen on the 26th.  Many dealers will be doing "Christmas Only" sales between Christmas and New Years... Get away from the mall madness and enjoy our bits of history instead...

Happy Holidays!  This elf stays on my tree... he was my grandmas... may your elves learn to be good too... :)