Christmas is approaching, and nothing beats spending time with family in a warm house, laughing together. Before the evening of gift-wrapping, you should decorate the house, especially the Christmas tree, to complement the festive ambiance. The practice of purchasing and decorating Christmas trees dates back many years. When the season of Santa Claus approaches, it becomes an essential emblem.
But have you ever wondered why and when we started buying or making our own ornaments to decorate our pine trees at home? Then congratulations! Because we will go further into Xmas ornaments and everything related to them in the following sections so that you may get more expertise, make the most of them, and build a Christmas tree masterpiece! Let’s get started!
Why Are There Ornaments On Christmas Trees?
While we now connect Christmas treeswith the festival, the custom of adorning trees or evergreen boughs dates back far longer, probably to the ancient Romans and Egyptians.
Other early cultures adored trees, and a popular subject in early Medieval folk culture was the "tree of paradise," which was ornamented to represent the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Later, triangular-shaped trees came to represent the Christian trinity, as well as fresh life as connected with Christ's birth, death, and resurrection.
The first Christmas trees in Europe were decked with colorful fruit, chocolates, and baked products. Hand-blown glass decorations quickly followed, and their forms gradually included Christian meaning. F.W. Woolworth, an entrepreneur, had the brilliant idea in the 1880s to import the first glass Christmas decorations from Germany to the United States. The success of that operation enabled him to create his famed five-and-dime shop chain.
While stars, angels, and other Christian symbols are still used to decorate Christmas trees, many decorations are merely ornamental. Modern decorations, whatever their purpose, lend beauty, joy, and personalized touch to every tree.
Types of Christmas Ornaments
Glass, metal, plastic, and wood are the most often used materials for modern Christmas decorations. Different types of Christmas ornaments occur in an almost unlimited variety of forms, but here are a few of the most common:
Ball Ornaments
Metal, glass, or plastic are all options for the popular classic Christmas ball ornaments. It might be solid-colored or multicolored, hand-painted, or even hand-blown glass. They might be the original Christmas ornament form, said to resemble apples. Ball ornament sets may be used to make a basic decoration for your tree, which you can then embellish with other decorations.
Shaped Ornaments
These sparkling, transparent, or multicolored decorations, often made of glass, plastic, or lightweight metal can be fashioned like bells, teardrops, icicles, and snowflakes. However, it does not stop at fundamental forms. Snowmen, Santa, animals, fruits and vegetables, and renowned structures can all be represented by cast metal, glass, or plastic decorations.
DIY Ornaments
Personalized Christmas ornaments are frequently produced by schoolchildren and passed down through generations. Wooden vintage ornaments, especially hand-painted ones, may offer a rustic touch to the tree. Because it will not break if dropped or stored carelessly, wood is a forgiving decoration material.
Personalized Christmas Ornaments, shop now
There are many other DIY ornaments that you or even your child can make, from paper trees to clay ornaments,... The ideas for a creative and easy-to-make decoration are almost endless to take inspiration of and make them yourself so that Christmas can be even more special!
Keepsake Ornaments
Many families make it a custom to purchase one new, distinctive ornament yearly. These items then elicit distinct memories, particularly as the children get older. Hallmark releases a new selection of Keepsake Ornaments every year, some of which have become collectors' treasures. Family memento ornaments might be handcrafted, commemorative of a great vacation, or extravagant purchases.
Novelty Ornaments
Some decorations look like mini-stuffed animals and ornaments that light up or play music.
Christmas Ornament Styles And Themes
Increase the impact of your holiday decorations by incorporating a theme into your design style to create your seasonal statement.
Today's range of Christmas decorations provides limitless decorating alternatives, but you may add depth and feeling to your holiday home décor by focusing on a certain design style. Then, add a unified theme that conveys your point of view to your presentation to give it more purpose and direction.
Your style and theme will work together to create a memorable experience for yourself and holiday visitors and influence your purchasing and decorating selections.
Christmas Ornament Styles
Here are a few styles for you to choose from:
Traditional
Traditional design style gives the predictable, in a good manner, if you appreciate the plush comfort of the warm and familiar. Look for classic lines and soft edges to add a welcome dignified order and balanced symmetry to your design. Use traditional red, green, and cream hues with champagne accents, as well as plaid patterns and luxurious textiles.
Whimsical
A Whimsical decorating style mixes the imaginative and quirky to create a joyful and lively atmosphere for the unconventional and creative. Swirls, irregular stripes, and polka dots are examples of unusual forms and patterns to look for. Use unexpected hues like pink, purple, orange, turquoise, and yellow. Alternatively, decorate with red and spring green for a fresh take on Christmas.
Contemporary
A contemporary design style is clean and streamlined, with straight lines and smooth surfaces that are perfect for the minimalist. Look for geometric forms and high-gloss embellishments that are straightforward and well-chosen. Less is more to produce a stunning display of distinctive features and bright colors. Use one bold hue on a monochromatic backdrop, such as pink, turquoise, or red, for a more classic effect.
Christmas Ornament Themes
By concentrating your Christmas décor around a prominent theme, you may stand out from the crowd and make your decorating style even more distinctive.
A theme can be built solely on a single feature, such as reindeer or gifts, a pattern like polka dots, a color, or a mix of related features. We mean a sub-theme because Christmas is a theme in and of itself. So, while developing your sub-theme, start with Christmas products and symbols like snowmen, trees, penguins, etc.
You may also create a dramatic impact by centering all of your decorations on one hue, such as orange or purple, against a white backdrop for a distinctive coordinated Christmas design.
Where To Buy Ornaments
Christmas ornaments are widely sold in stores around the United States. Ornaments, trees, lights, and other decorations are often sold on multiple shelves or aisles in home improvement shops, department stores, pharmacy stores, discount stores, and supermarkets.
Smaller gift shops have specialty ornaments, and one-of-a-kind handcrafted ornaments are popular goods at seasonal markets and street festivals. If you chance to be in Europe during Christmas, you may buy beautiful glass decorations in classic, old-world Christmas markets.
There are several ornament possibilities available online. Crafty businesses like Etsy, niche Christmas sites like Exclusively Christmas, Personalized company like Unifury.com and major home retailers like Crate & Barrel are among them. They sell a variety of intriguing ornaments as well as other decorations, so you may select everything you want with a single click!
How To Make Ornaments
Handmade Christmas decorations are among the most precious family memories, especially those made by school-age children. Crocheted or knitted decorations are another popular DIY project. You may also create your own designs if you have scissors, felt, a hot glue gun, and a keen sense of inventiveness.
Before you dig out that dusty attic box of go-to Christmas ornaments, think about crafting your own this year. At the very least, a couple of your own! It's a simple method to change up your Christmas decor without spending a lot of money, and you'll have fun doing it. You may even have a little Christmas ornament-making party with your pals or substitute a little DIY time for family game night.
Where And How To Hang Ornaments
After a while of making and getting the decorations ready, it's finally time to hang them up. However, you can't hang all the same areas on the tree; knowing where and how to hang them will make your Christmas tree look much more elegant.
Order
After you've strung and ignited the lights, hang Christmas ornaments on the tree to test spacing and effect.
Numbers Game
As a general guideline, hang 10 to 12 ornaments for every foot of tree height. Use fewer for a more minimalist appearance and more for a pleasant excess. In any case, arrange them such that the tree appears balanced.
Hang Time
Begin by hanging decorations randomly, filling in gaps, and correcting as required. You don't want decorations of the same size or color strewn about.
Weight Here
If you have a live tree, please consider the ornament sizes. You should place heavier decorations on lower, thicker branches or somewhat closer to the tree's trunk. This allows the branches to provide additional assistance.
Hooked Up
When trimming the tree, do yourself a favor and have a package of fresh ornament hooks on hand. Remove any outdated, twisted, or unattractive hooks or garbage bag ties that serve as ornament hangers. These more complex hook hangers give a splash of color while also making it more difficult for ornaments to slip off.
Ornament Safety
And last but not least, safety is always first. Although ornaments are small and seem harmless, anything used without caution can invariably possess a small level of danger. Here are some tips for you to follow to secure the decorations and protect your loved ones around you!
Go High
Place valuable and delicate decorations near the top of the tree, out of reach of little paws and hands.
Snack Attack
Make sure tasty products, such as popcorn or candy canes, are out of reach of dogs. (However, if your cat is a tree climber, you should generally avoid edible decorations entirely.) Remember that mistletoe and holly are harmful to dogs and children, and tinsel can cause significant intestinal problems in cats.
Hands Off
Teach little children a "see but don't touch" rule around the tree for their own and the tree's protection. You may even put a baby gate around the tree for toddlers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends avoiding decorations that resemble sweets or other foods in homes with small children.
Sweep Up
Check under the tree regularly for decorations that may have broken or dropped when the tree was bumped. Sweep the floor for trash and broken pieces, and replace any damaged decorations before the dog reaches them.
Table It
If your tree is a bit more on the small side, you can display the tree on a table to keep dogs and kids out of the tree's reach.
Hang It Up
Christmas tree for a unique spin on tree trimming. The tree is suspended from the ceiling, which keeps it safe and secure while also making extra room beneath for all those presents! It's an old ritual, but it's become famous as a unique, space-saving new trend.
Safety Tips
Check out the CPSC's Holiday Decoration Safety Tips for additional information on keeping your home and loved ones safe throughout the holidays. There are suggestions for every holiday decorating, from trees to lights, as well as basic guidelines. So read attentively and have a safe and enjoyable Christmas season!
Wrapping Up
Decorating a Christmas tree is one of the funniest things to do to prepare for the holidays. As that occasion approaches, you bring lovely decorations to beautify your tree and home. Therefore, knowing a little more about them will definitely make your decorating skills from amateur to professional after a concise time. With the beneficial information shared in this article, we hope you have learned a lot about the seemingly simple decorations that play an essential role in creating the Christmas atmosphere. From there, your pine tree will wear a more beautiful coat than ever and you will have a complete holiday with your family. Thanks for reading and merry Christmas!
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