Happy Childhood
New for 2013, Happy Childhood (Inge-Glas no. 1-005-13, 4-1/2" tall) is a Limited Edition of 999 pieces, with Presentation Box, and most especially is in collaboration with the German wooden ornament workshop of Christian Ulbricht. Ulbricht has crafted the wooden rocking horse in her hand.
This sweet little girl reminds one of a child in a Victorian playroom, as seen in this Bruck and Sohn advent calendar offered by My Growing Traditions.
We must admit we scooped Happy Childhood up immediately as well as Snow Tweet - both being in collaboration with Christian Ulbricht. We have loved Ulbricht's simple and elegant Christmas ornaments and carry them proudly at My Growing Traditions.
Wendt and Kühn 2013 Eleven Dot Post
Once a year Wendt and Kühn publishes their Eleven Dot Post - the magazine from their Workshops in Grunhainichen, Germany.
We thought you would enjoy reading this special publication celebrating the classic Wendt and Kühn Angels.
Click on the image above for a copy of the 2013 edition.
You can also find a copy of it posted on our website.
My Growing Traditions carries a special Christmas selection of Wendt and Kuhn Angels.
Munich Christmas Market Advent Calendar
Brück and Sohn of Meissen, Germany have been in the printing business since 1793 and they have created a special series of Advent Calendars celebrating European towns, many of them in Germany, naturally.
Having lived in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we visited many of the Bavarian Christmas markets - Chriskindlmarkts - year-in, year-out. Munich, the capital of the Free State of Bavaria, Germany, was the closest large Christmas market and one we never missed. Bruck and Sohn's Munich Advent Calendar is a treasured memory of those wonderful years.
In 2013 Munich's Christkindlmarkt and Kripperlmarkt opens on Monday, November 25th.
Munich's Christmas Market is special, in that since the 18th century it has had a section devoted specifically to Krippen (the nativity crib or creche). The Kripperlmarkt has only a half dozen booths and features hand-crafted, hand-carved nativity mangers, figures, and accessories from Oberammergau, South Tyrol, and the Erzgebirge (all wood-carving centers in Germany).
Gingerbread House Fairy Tale Advent Calendar
We are ever so pleased to be able to offer this German Gingerbread House Advent Calendar.
Glitter-dusted and 3-Dimensional, this special Advent Calendar folds out to form a Gingerbread House. It sets up very nicely in the middle of a table so that the children can easily enjoy it from all sides. A wonderful holiday table centerpiece.
Three Fairy Tales are seen on the sides of the house: Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the Bremen Town Musicians. The calendar stands 8" high x 9.5" wide x 5" deep and is made in Germany.
My Growing Traditions also offers Hansel and Gretel, the Wicked Witch, and an Inge-Glas ornament of the Gingerbread House itself.
We also carry Inge-Glas' Snow White and the Seven Dwarf ornaments
and a wonderful wood carving of the Grimms' Fairy Tales Bremen Town Musicians by the Christian Werner Workshop of Seiffen, Germany.
Enjoy a Fairy Tale Christmas!
Red-Headed Woodpecker
New for 2013 is Inge-Glas' Red-Headed Woodpecker Christmas ornament. Inge Glas No. 1-094-13. 5-3/4" tall.
Feeding on a tree festooned with greens, the Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is a particularly charming member of the Inge-Glas bird collection. The Inge-Glas glass-blower family of Mueller-Blech has always been known for their production of glass birds. Birds are symbols of joy and happiness and are said to be messengers from God.
The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology provides thorough information on this majestic bird:
"The gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,”
with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers:
they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later.
This magnificent species has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply."
Their status is "Near Threatened."
Cornell's "encyclopedia of birds" page on the Red-headed Woodpecker even includes the opportunity to listen to their calls. Click through to their site to hear four different calls. "Red-headed Woodpeckers give all kinds of chirps, cackles, and other raucous calls. Their most common call is a shrill, hoarse tchur, like a Red-bellied Woodpecker’s but higher-pitched and less rolling. When chasing each other they make shrill charr-charr notes."
We are more than pleased that Inge-Glas has chosen this year to add the Red-Headed Woodpecker Christmas Ornament.
Bird - Mouth-Blown Glass - #1 Figural Christmas Ornament
The hand-blown glass Christmas ornament of a bird
is the most common figural ornament. Birds are symbols of the messengers of God and love. And, of course, one cannot separate them from trees. Which makes them, in turn, the ideal Christmas ornament. They really are more than charming nestled amongst the branches of an evergreen. We have been known from time to time, to have a small, additional tree devoted simply to birds: hanging birds, clip on birds, birds on nests, woodland, etc. It has always just felt right that they should have this tree of their own.
Early glass blowing families in Germany commonly perfected one or two individual ornaments (the church, pine cones, etc.). Inge-Glas' Mueller family became known not only for the number of different bird ornaments that they made, but also for their artistry in creating them - something they are famous for to this day. Interestingly enough, in 1992, Klaus Mueller-Blech of Inge-Glas, met and then married Birgit Eichorn, also of a German glassblowing family. The Eichhorn family, like the Mueller family, specialized in birds. Inge-Glas, combining the two families, enjoys a collection and an expertise larger than any other company. In fact they have more than 700 antique bird moulds.
Customs records show that common song bird ornaments first came to the United States in the 1870s. The Peterkin's Christmas Tree, a charming children's book by Lucretia P. Hale, listed a variety of ornaments used in the 1870s, to include bird-cages and birds sitting on their nests. In the early 1880s, F.W. Woolworth exported Inge-Glas's hand-blown birds to America.
The bird is one of the traditional 12 ornaments of the Bride's Tree Set - they bring the bride happiness and joy. We offer some 35 different bird ornaments at any given time
and on nests,
As the Inge-Glas Legend card says: "Ornaments depicting birds have long been a favorite of the Mueller-Blech family. These beautiful creatures motivated generations of Mueller-Blechs as they created glass ornaments in the family workshops. During the cold winter months in Germany, glassblowers often kept birds in cages to offer them shelter. These birds gave craftsmen companionship and inspiration for creating new ornament moulds. Birds are symbols of happiness, especially during Christmas. In Germany, it is believed that birds assist Santa in watching the actions of little ones to ensure they are good."
As the birds bring joy to us at Christmas, it is indeed fun to think of them at Christmas - Christmas for the Birds!
Toy Shop Advent Calendar and Christian Ulbricht Christmas Toys and Ornaments
This is the first year we have offered the Toy Shop Advent Calendar -
an old-fashioned toy store filled with teddy bears, cars, books, a baby buggy, dolls, rocking horses, the Three Kings with their camel, an elephant, and page, blocks, a Shepherd with his sheep, trees, a wonderful Bavarian Angel, a Christmas Pyramid, birds, etc., etc. It is simply charming. Glitter-dusted. 11" x 12" and Made in Germany. A delightful way to count-down to Christmas.
Many of Christian Ulbricht's classic Christmas ornaments from Seiffen, the Christmas Capital of Germany, are of toys.
Supreme among Ulbricht's Christmas toys is a Santa, available both as an ornament and a toy alone - a roly poly toy to be wobbled like a weeble on a table top - the Wackelmensch.
We had so much fun playing with him last year, we decided to carry him specifically, plus Ulbricht's Santa Wobbly Ornament and his Mushroom Wobbly Ornament.
We also offer Ulbricht's simple and classic Christmas ornaments - natural wood - primary colors -
Toy Train
his Teddy Bear 
and his Toy Soldier
The toys of Christmas from the Toy Shop to your Christmas tree. Enjoy!
