With Christmas just around the corner, I have always wondered why we put ornaments on a Christmas tree.
This tradition started off in Germany with Germans using fruits and nuts to decorate their outside tree after their leaves fall off symbolizing the coming of spring. In 1605, Germans decided to move their tree inside their houses decorated with paper roses, candles.
However, when Germans immigrated to America in 1800, they started to use whatever they had on hand such as fruit popcorn cranberries, paper streamers, candles, and metal foil with metal foil being a substitute for electric lights due to how it reflects light. Additionally, Hans Greiner a germany glassblower was the first person to make glass ball ornaments.
In the 1880 F. W. Woolworth, an American businessman, decided after a trip to Europe to bring back the ornaments back to the americas. Then in Early in the 1960s, enterprising manufacturers started producing blow molded Christmas decorations.
In modern times christmas decorations made 5.06 billion dollars in 2023 and is projected to make 5.33 billion in 2024.
Ornaments have switched from representing tradition to representing what families find to be valuable, as people buy ornaments from holiday trips that they went to or to show off their hobbies. We would like to know what ornaments that you find special, so send your favorite ones to the greyhound media insta or email ([email protected]) so we can show them off.

Photo credits David Angel