Christmas without Christmas decorations is a rather dreary affair. At least for everyone who enjoys celebrating the holiday and reveling in the contemplative atmosphere. On the streets, in houses and apartments, and in stores as well: colorful, sparkling, shimmering decorations are everywhere during the Christmas season. Here and there maybe a little too early, but by the first Sunday of Advent in December at the latest, the wreath is placed on the table, stars are hung in the windows, and the strings of lights are plugged in. Many decorating traditions come from Germany, by the way...
Christmas decorations for the holiday - the classics
The great pillars of Christmas decoration in the Advent season: starting with the Advent calendar and its 24 little doors, moving on to the bushy Advent wreath, which is lit every Sunday in Advent, all the way to the climax on Christmas Eve, the Christmas tree. Without these three elements, the celebration is incomplete. You'll learn more about the Christmas tree along with its decorative glass ornaments in the section below.
But of course many more decorative elements are part of Christmas: strings of lights on windows, walls, and the ceiling. Fir branches on windowsills, cabinets, and tables and, of course, the mistletoe that's popular among couples and invites a romantic Christmas kiss. Candles without end, a wooden nativity scene with the biblical protagonists of the Christmas story, and all sorts of ornamental odds and ends, whether bought or homemade.
Festive window decorations in particular play a big role, both in families and in stores. After all, the Christmas mood is meant to be spread: with the aforementioned strings of lights, for example, or sensually warm glowing (LED) candlesticks and straw stars, or stickers in the shape of snowflakes, angels, or good old Santa Claus and his reindeer.
Christmas tree and ornaments - made in Germany!
The most important element of the entire Christmas decoration: the Christmas tree. Classically also called the Christbaum in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it's the central decorative element of every apartment, every house, and many stores during the Christmas season - everywhere in the world that Christmas is celebrated according to Christian traditions. Yet the Christmas tree as we know it comes from Germany. Since the 19th century at the latest, it has spread from here like a needly wave across the whole world.
And what belongs on a Christmas tree? That's right, ornaments. There are still advocates of traditional candles, but for safety reasons and the associated fire hazard, energy-saving LED lighting has since become the standard. Likewise, large parts of society have left tinsel behind for good reasons - both ecological and stylistic. The popular glass ornaments come from Germany, too. More precisely from Lauscha, a town in the Sonneberg district in Thuringia: according to legend, a penniless glassblower created the ornaments from the glass of old bottles because he couldn't afford Christmas tree decorations at Christmas.
Alongside the glossy, matte, and often artistically decorated ornaments, much more often hangs on the Christmas tree: straw stars or stars made of other materials, LED strings of lights for illumination, small wooden figures like angels or biblical figures, or other ornaments made of the most varied materials from glass to felt. A visual highlight is often a sparkling star - like most tree decorations, often made of wood or glass.
