Christmas Ornaments

Hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree is a much a part of the holiday as the birth of Jesus. Christmas tree ornaments have been a part of the tradition for centuries. There are ornaments from around the world and from various historical eras. Those that like a bit of modern may opt for the novelty Christmas ornaments.

One of the most well known types of Christmas ornament in what is known as the bauble. These are more commonly known as the bulb. These originated in Germany by a man named Hans Grier. He was a highly trained glass blower and was known for making Christmas figurines out of blown glass.

Originally these baubles were made in the shapes of fruits or nuts. The silvery inside was made from a lead compound. However, it was later changed to sugar water when the dangers of lead became more widely known. Demand for the Christmas ornaments or baubles started to grow. As the demand increased, Grier started to make the shapes more spherical, hence the complete birth of the Christmas bulb.

This shape and style of Christmas ornament took off. Demand started to grow around Germany, prompting other glass blowers to get in. The design hit their height when Prince Albert, native of Germany and husband to then Queen Victoria of England saw the design. He took these back to England where the couple used them to decorate their tree. Their tree was features in a London newspaper spreading the popularity of these Christmas Ornaments throughout Europe.

Today Christmas ornaments are an integral part of the holiday. People collect the old glass bulbs year after year and have them going back several generations. What started in Germany as an experiment is now a piece of western culture.