| As the history of Christmas unwound there were | | | | they all symbolized something such as fruits and |
| year end festivals and celebrations that included | | | | vegetables represented the harvest, birds were |
| gift giving, feasts, decorating and caroling. At this | | | | considered to be God's messengers and were |
| time it was Europe that was the main supplier of | | | | known as a symbol of love, world peace, good |
| ornaments but originally it was the Germans who | | | | luck, and good fortune. Ornaments in the shape of |
| used food to decorate their trees in the form of | | | | fish symbolized Christ and Christianity and star |
| fruit, nuts, candy, and cookies. The first glass | | | | shaped ornaments represented the Star of |
| ornaments were made in Lauscha, Germany by a | | | | Bethlehem. |
| small family owned business. It did not take long | | | | Woolworth then decided to contact the Corning |
| before the glass blown ornaments replaced the | | | | Company of Corning, New York. Corning had been |
| old tradition of food and such. | | | | making light bulbs out of ribbons of glass. |
| Prince Albert of England was actually a native to | | | | Woolworth's intention was to persuade Corning to |
| Germany. While on a journey to Germany he | | | | use his machine to manufacture glass ornaments |
| literally brought the tradition of glass blown | | | | assuring him that there was a steady market for |
| ornaments back with him to England. From there | | | | them. Corning agreed and his glass machine still |
| the concept spread like wildfire. As time passed, | | | | today sits in the Henry Ford Museum, located in |
| the ornaments became more plentiful and more | | | | Dearborn, Michigan. Corning's machine was putting |
| beautiful which as a result, increased their | | | | out numbers of ornaments that well exceeded |
| desirability. FM Woolworth was the first American | | | | what was able to be made manually. As time |
| retailer to sell glass ornaments. For those of you | | | | passed, Corning was able to use various materials |
| who can remember, Woolworths was considered | | | | and colors to make an even greater assortment |
| a dime store but Woolworth managed to make | | | | of beautiful ornaments. Corning's biggest customer |
| millions of dollars off of the ornament sales. | | | | was Max Eckhardt, owner of Shiny Brite. Eckhardt |
| From the 1800's until around 1925, virtually all of | | | | would buy the ornaments and lacquer them by |
| the glass blown ornaments was still made in | | | | machine where they were then decorated and |
| Lauscha, Germany. By 1935 these ornaments | | | | resold. During war time certain materials were |
| were being imported to the Unites States by the | | | | very scarce and there was a time when the |
| multi-millions. That ended after WWII as Lauscha | | | | metal caps hat rest on top of the ornaments had |
| became part of communist East Germany and | | | | to be replaced with cardboard and hung on the |
| the industry naturally declined. However, it did not | | | | trees with yarn or ribbon. But as the war passed, |
| take long for Japan and Czechoslovakia to decide | | | | so did the cardboard hangings. Long gone are |
| to start producing these ornaments for the United | | | | those days and today's ornaments are elegant, |
| States. These ornaments were very unique as | | | | beautiful, and come in more variety than can be |
| they were smaller in size and hand painted. | | | | counted. |
| Originally when these ornaments were crafted | | | | |