The Legend of the Acorn - "From Little Acorns Come Mighty Oaks"
The oak tree is America's National Tree. The oak signifies courage and power - standing strong and proud through the ages. Thus the proverb "from little acorns come mighty oaks." That a tiny seed produces a mighty oak, reminds us that great results can be born of humble beginnings. Those who provide care and comfort to children are revered. Their is a special recognition for those who exercise the power of nurture - they and we live to see great acts of kindness, love, and success from our children / the next generation.
The acorn sustains countless wild creatures. "... deer, gray squirrels, red squirrels, chipmunks, wild turkeys, crows, flying squirrels, rabbits, opossums, blue jays, quail, raccoons, wood ducks—more than 100 U.S. vertebrate species eat acorns. In autumn and winter, the acorn is the cheeseburger of the forest ecosystem—fairly easy to find and nicely packaged. They are one of the most valuable food resources available for wildlife.... Like wine, acorns come in two basic types: red and white, depending on the type of oak they come from.... (Red and White Oaks have a) difference in tannin, an astringent chemical common in plants, (which) affects how wildlife use acorns.... (the tannin in) red acorns makes them less palatable to wildlife, both due to taste and digestibility. Ergo, animals vacuum up acorns from the white oak group with more gusto than they do the reds." - National Wildlife Federation
The acorn is revered as a Christmas ornament. In Germany the oak tree is considered sacred and the acorn - the fruit, the seed, the origin of the oak - is considered a symbol of good luck. Early German Christmas trees were laden with cones, cookies and nuts, and most notably the acorn, to commemorate the gift of life and good fortune.
Inge-Glas (the oldest Christmas ornament company in the world) gives us this delightful acorn ornament -
We want to share with you two special children's books celebrating the acorn and the oak - Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schafer and The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward...
these are books to share with your next generation or to enjoy alone as peaceful commemorations of the glorious world we live in...wonderful symbols of family and the natural world we are all blessed with!
Enjoy our Pinterest Board on Inge-Glas - here and on Trees - here
Inge-Glas Gift Set of Six Full-Size Ornaments
My Growing Traditions has created this Gift Set of six (6) full-size ornaments.
Perfect for everyone! "A collection of good wishes .... symbols of a happy home to bring good fortune." - Inge-Glas Works especially well for the bride and groom in your life, but who wouldn't enjoy receiving these exquisite ornaments.
The ornaments range from 2-1/2" to 4-1/4"
Each ornament is wrapped in Inge-Glas acid free paper
The set of Inge-Glas ornaments is presented in an Inge-Glas Gift Box
and comes with symbol cards for each individual ornament as shown in the Santa symbol card below -
Enjoy our Inge-Glas Pinterest Board - here
The Celebration of Wendt and Kühn's 100th Anniversary - October 3 -11, 2015
Wendt and Kühn's 100th Anniversary has arrived and they are celebrating in Grunhainichen (the home of their workshop) and at their shop in Seiffen from October 3 - 11 - introducing The World Of Wendt and Kühn and special presentations.
Above - a poster of Wendt and Kühn's delightful birthday parade in celebration of their centennial.
In subsequent blog posts, we will continue to highlight many of the special figures made by Wendt and Kühn for the 100th Anniversary collection. You can find them at My Growing Traditions - here
We invite you to enjoy our Wendt and Kühn board on Pinterest.
The Inge-Glas Olde German Treasures - Silver Collection - Truly Special
We all celebrate that Inge-Glas of Germany is the oldest Christmas ornament company in the world (since 1596). They hold more than 12,000 antique moulds passed down through the generations and reintroduce ornaments made from antique moulds each year. For collectors and those of us who simply appreciate the handing down of traditions, we enjoy knowing which of Inge-Glas' current offerings are made from the moulds that represent the history of glass Christmas ornaments.
Above: Noble Nikolaus, Love Forever, and Silver Pine Cone
The Olde German Treasures - Silver Collection is built around Inge-Glas' heirloom moulds.
Left to right: Vintage Silver Star, Silver Fantasy, and Vintage Acorn
The collection honors the German tradition of the early 1900s when it was stylish to decorate Christmas trees with glass ornaments using only the colors silver and white. This, during the Victorian era is considered to have been one of the first concepts of a themed tree - doing away with all color and creating a simpler all-silver or all-white tree. There were stories about people washing their ornaments so that they were either white or just silver. The Olde German Treasures are created with Inge-Glas' antique, lovingly restored, old glass-blowing moulds. They are mouth-blown and use pure sterling silver to highlight the delicate, hand decorated filigree patterns. Each ornament has an 'Olde German Treasures' hang tag.
They add a stunning reflection of light on your Christmas tree - elegant, simple, and of the utmost tradition.
Click on the images or links above to find these Silver Collection ornaments in our shop.
Enjoy our Inge-Glas Pinterest Board!
Christmas Tree-Toppers - Finials... a Tradition
The tippy-top position (or "crown"), on our Christmas trees invites a very special treatment. Decorative Christmas ornament tree-toppers (treetoppers or finials) have their origin in the Victorian era, when Christmas trees became popular in England. Wikipedia notes that in 1848 The Illustrated London News published a picture of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their family around a Christmas tree topped with an Angel. Thus the Christmas Angel became the most common tree-topper. Christmas stars are very popular, as are elegant Christmas reflectors. Santas, and Snowmen are also commonly used. My Growing Traditions offers some of each from Inge-Glas of Germany (the oldest Christmas ornament company in the world).
Left to right: Spirit of Christmas Dreams, Twinkling Star Tree Top, Vintage Poinsettia
Left to right: St. Nikolaus' Tannenbaum and King of the Hill.
These glass finials and the elegant, simple, wooden Spanbaum (also known as span trees, wood shaved trees, chip or chipped trees, twilled trees, and curled trees) tree topper from the Erzgebirge (Germany's Christmas Center) that we happily carry this year for the first time, all require some special care when it comes to decorating your tree.
About.com - provides some useful "Tips for Topping the Tree"
- "When using glass finials, extra care must be used when attaching them to the tree. It can be difficult to attach and/or slide the finial onto the top branch of the tree, although it's a bit easier with an artificial tree. When using a finial on a live tree, one suggestion is to wire or attach a wooden dowel to the top of the tree and slide the finial onto the dowel.
- Be careful when adding the finial to the dowel or top of tree, make sure it is securely attached and is straight. (... a small amount of cotton batting around the wooden dowel will cushion the glass).
- If the finial has a reflector in the mold, they can be easily damaged by the dowel or even the tree top branch.... Make sure the dowel/tree branch doesn't reach the spot where the reflector is in the glass.
- Although the perfect scenario is having a beautifully decorated tree, with the top put on at the very end, in reality it's much easier to put the finial or tree-topper on first!"
Saint Nicholas and the Christkind
This charming vintage German postcard of Saint Nicholas walking hand-in-hand with the Christkind celebrates Christmas as experienced by children in many parts of the world (especially the Netherlands, Germany, and the Ukraine).
The Christkind brings presents on Christmas Eve. As we noted in an earlier blog entry the Christkind is the Symbol of the Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt. Especially in Bavaria the German Christmas Markets are known as Christkindlmarkts (after the Christ Kind - or Christ Child). "The Christkind is a sprite-like child, usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. Martin Luther intended it to be a reference to the incarnation of Jesus as an infant. Sometimes the Christ Child is, instead of the infant Jesus, interpreted as a specific angel bringing the presents, as it appears in some processions together with an image of little Jesus Christ. It seems also to be rooted in the Alsatian-born myth of a child bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. Children never see the Christkind in person, and parents tell them that Christkind will not come and bring presents if they are curious and try to spot it. The family enters the living room, where the Christmas tree has been put up, for the opening of presents (the Bescherung) when the parents say that they think that the Christkind who has brought the presents has now left again. In some traditions, the departure is announced by the ringing of a small bell, which the parents pretend to have heard or which is secretly done by one of the adults in the family." - Wikipedia
St. Nicholas symbolizes generosity and brings presents on December 6th (St. Nicholas Day). We remember telling our children when they asked if Santa Claus was real, that he was the spirit of giving. This year Inge-Glas offers for the first time this ornament of St. Nikolaus
Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated with unique variations in many different European countries: "The tradition of Saint Nicholas' Day, on 6 December (19 December in most Orthodox countries), is a festival for children in many countries in Europe related to surviving legends of Saint Nicholas,.... The American Santa Claus, as well as the British Father Christmas, derive from these legends. "Santa Claus" is itself derived in part from the Dutch Sinterklaas." - Wikipedia
He may arrive by horse, donkey, or boat, and, in areas of the world where Saint Nicholas is prominent, his day, not Christmas, is the primary day of presents. Shoes or stockings may be left out for him the night before, to be found the next morning filled with small gifts, cookies, and sweets. Thus, in Germany, both Saint Nicholas and the Christkind bring small gifts - one in honor of the Christ Child and one in honor of a venerated Saint. In America, many of us enjoy spreading out our traditional Christmas, enjoying Saint Nicholas Day, during the early part of Advent, as a special time to share the importance of generosity and giving.
New for 2014 - Wendt and Kühn Grünhainichen Angels
This year, 2014, Wendt and Kühn of Germany has added three new Grünhainichen Angels to their collection.
They are left to right, the Angel with the Small Trumpet, the Angel with Gifts, and the Angel with a Little Tree.
Sitting on their gold pedestal, each is 1-1/2" tall and sit perfectly beside the standing 2-1/2" Grünhainichen Angel Bearing Gifts pictured with two of them here:
Mix and match, create your own display, and enjoy the meticulous art of Wendt and Kühn Grunhainichen Angels - the Angels with the Eleven Dot Wings
treasured by collectors all over the world for nearly 100 years.
Click on the images or links above to find them in our shop.
Enjoy our Wendt and Kühn Pinterest Board.
