The origin of ornaments

November was a time to pull out the Christmas tree. The Union County Genealogical Society learned about all of ornaments that decorate the tree during their last meeting.
George Johnson from Logan, Ohio, the director for the Gifted and Talented Students of the Southern Local Schools, Perry County in Logan, Ohio was the speaker for the November Ohio Genealogical Society meeting. Johnson, who found his first Christmas ornaments at auctions, has written four books on the subject. During his presentation, Johnson recalled that his collection began because of the bubble lights his family had when he was a child.
Johnson brought tabletop Christmas trees from the Victorian era, Christmas tree holders from the 1890-1920s period that were inscribed with German writing and other items to share during the meeting. Johnson had a German made music box tree holder that would rotate the tree and it came with disks to play Christmas music. In 35 years of collecting, Johnson said he has only seen four rotating music box trees.
Before electricity, around 1860 or so, trees were lit by candles and weren’t put up for a long period of time. From that period, Johnson shared a pendulum weighted Christmas tree candleholder that kept the candle upright. Christmas trees were brought by Santa and candle-lit trees were really beautiful. Made to reflect the light, ornaments were lined with silver on the inside. He showed a Victorian Christmas light that you would fill half full of water, then add oil and a floating wick and hang on the tree. He had a miniature candle lamp that looked like a candle that you would fill with oil and put in a wick and light for the tree. Thomas Edison decorated the first lit tree in 1880. The White House had a lighted Christmas before the turn of the century. As early as 1910, light bulbs were being made in the shapes. Johnson shared some examples. In the 1920s, the Japanese started making electric bulbs using milk glass and painting over the glass. Bubble lights were made right before the war and were used from 1940s and 1950s. In the 1940s, 90 percent of the ornaments were from Japan and Germany. Collectors who are seeking to find authentic items, use World War II as a dividing line.
Before 1850 trees were edible and decorated with candies and cookies so there are not many Christmas ornaments dating back before then. Glass ornaments were made since 1850. Before then, baskets were made of paper and filled with the goodies.
Johnson recalled that hand-blown glass ornaments made in Germany during the 1850s were usually made by a family. “The husband would blow the ornament. The wife would do the silver lining to reflect the light and the grandmother and children would paint the bulbs. They used molds to make the birds and other figures on the bulbs. The trees were decorated with at least one bird ornament. Glass blowers were considered the poorest of poor of Germany,” said Johnson.
Nativity sets are symbols of Christmas. Sets from the 1920s and 1930s that are stamped Germany, Japan or Italy are most valuable. The animals are the most expensive pieces of the collections to purchase. Santa dolls were a popular image that started around 1880.
The Shiny Brite Company, originally from Germany, relocated to the U.S. before World War II. After the war it was a challenge to decorate for Christmas because everyone wanted American-made items, not ornaments made in Japan and Germany. From 1944-46, war-time ornaments were made without metal or silver lining because the items were used for the war effort. Today, Shiny Brite ornaments can be found at flea markets and antique shops for about $10.00 a box. Johnson, who had a wax angel with paper wings and one with spun glass wings that could hang on the top of a tree, shared some of those ornaments.
Christmas ornaments also included stockings from the 1950’s that were stenciled with paint. Victorian red cotton and linen Christmas stockings featured glued-on chromolithographed and die cut designs. Ornaments were usually handmade out of cotton fabric and from villages in Germany.
Christmas cards from the ‘50s and ‘60s are also collector’s items and can be found at flea markets. Johnson showed ‘hold to light cards’ which are made with three layers and when you hold them up to the light you see another picture – Santa – on the card.
Johnson showed prints that were made with several different colors of ink that used a different print process. It is still being done today and is very expensive. It was started around the time of the Civil War and was put in scrapbooks.
Johnson, who has decorated trees for the Decorative Arts Center in Lancaster, Ohio, travels all over the country and gives many talks a year on Christmas Decorations.
The next meeting of the Union County Genealogical Society will be held on January 19, 9:30 a.m. in the Meeting Room of the Marysville Public Library. The topic of discussion will be the history of Plain City. The public is always welcome.
The Union County Genealogical Society goes into the new year with new officers. The 2008-2009 officers are: Brian Wade, president; Marie Bouic, recording secretary; Nina Boerger, treasurer; and Jeanne Haynes, corresponding secretary.

Edited by UCP staff.