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Victorian Christmas Tree Ornaments: Antique Delights
Many people enjoy antiquing – searching out rare treasures often at bargain basement prices. A good antique store will have lots of different items, some probably in better condition than others. In antiquing, the old adage, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, is definitely true. One item that has been becoming increasingly popular among antiquers is Christmas tree ornaments, especially Victorian Christmas tree ornaments.
Christmas Tree Ornaments from the Victorian Era
The Victorian era – which ran from 1837 all the way to 1901 – is usually associated only with England (logically enough!), but the period also had a huge influence on the United States in terms of tastes and values. Victoria was famously rigid, yet her era also saw extremely fine decorations, and Victorian Christmas tree ornaments often reflect this.
For much of the Victorian era, electricity didn’t even exist as a household commodity, or it was very scarce. So there were no electric Christmas lights like we are used to – instead, Victorians used candles to light up the tree. While very few candles survive from that time, the candles themselves were set in brass candle holders, and those candle holders are now prized as classic Victorian Christmas tree ornaments.
Another example of classic Victorian Christmas tree ornaments are those depicting Father Christmas. While Father Christmas and Santa Claus are both based on the same person (the actual person known as Saint Nicholas), they do not look anything like each other. Instead of the familiar red suit with white trim and a black belt, Victorian era “Father Christmas” ornaments show figures of a man with a long white beard and flowing robes, giving him an appearance that we might associate more with an ancient philosopher or wizard. A fairly large number of Victorian Christmas ornaments that depict this image of Father Christmas are still out there, and you can find them — if you’re willing to look.
One type of Victorian Christmas tree ornaments that are rather hard to come by these days are velvet ribbons. Crimson colored velvet ribbons were prized tree ornaments, and were placed decoratively throughout the Christmas tree. Velvet does not keep for a very long time, so if you do happen to see examples of these antique Christmas tree ornaments in an antique store, chances are they will need to be restored.
Thus, an easier option is to simply go to your local fabric supply store and purchase new velvet for your Christmas decorations and ornaments. In fact, if you or someone you know can sew, you can purchase a piece of velvet, cut some strips out of it, then just sew the sides, and you’ve just made your own velvet ribbons. Whichever method you choose, have fun decorating your Christmas tree! Remember the Internet always has websites available that can help you with any and all of your holiday decorating ideas.
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