Faith-Full.com

Santas, Trees, Angels  and candy canes are Christmas decoration symbols that often conger up childhood memories of Christmas past. Christmas has a rich tapestry of tradition. It  has become a holiday that melds old traditions of the old world with the traditions made by a new family. Often when immigrants came to the use they brought those old world Christmas traditions with them.

The most prolific Christmas decoration is often the Christmas tree. It’s also one of the oldest symbols  from an historical account. Started in the 400’s often pagans would use decorated trees as part of their winter festivals. These trees were often lit with candles to brighten long winter nights.

In the 7^th century as legend has it a monk , who was working to convert Germany, offered a tree to the first family that could explain how a triangle represented God in his three forms of the trinity.   By the 16^th century decorating trees had caught on and glass ornaments, snowflakes and tinsel started being used. This spread to England who added their own traditions to this.

It wasn’t until after WWII did decorating of trees really catch on in the US. Candles gave way to electric lights and the advent of specialty ornaments have become a  hallmark of Christmas in the United States..

Prior to the invention of electric lights, candles often were common Christmas decorations. But after Edison invented a light bulb, it started being put on trees to illuminate them, starting a whole new tradition of adding Christmas tree lighting.

Ornaments started out with common food items. Popcorn, pickles, cranberries and gingerbread were common items that found there way onto a Christmas tree. Children would spend the time stringing items to decorate their Christmas trees.  Glass became more common and hand blown glass became the more common Christmas decoration. Glass stayed the common material of Christmas decorations through the 1950s with the advent of plastics. Often in families, there is a box of glass ornaments that belonged to a grandparent that pre-dates the 50s, helping us remember the Christmas of the past.

Other Christmas decorations include the Nativity scene, recalling the birth of Jesus.  There are several heirloom companies that make keepsake type sets that help decorate any home in a traditional way. Some of these sets are ornate and other are simplistic wooden nativity sets. The Nativity and the legends behind it are often depicted with shepherds, and wise men, in addition to the manger area.

Candy canes are another Christmas decoration that have a root in Germany. At Christmas time candy sticks would get bent into the shape of a shepherd’s staff, reminding us that Jesus is the shepherd of the church. Often now candy canes are hung from the tree as a Christmas decoration. This is just another decoration that congers up the memories of Christmas.

No matter whether it be the nativity the lights  or the colors, Christmas decorations  bring the Christmas spirit to any home or office creating new memories or recalling old ones.