Little Who - Baby Snowy Owl - New for 2013 Inge-Glas
New for 2013 - Little Who (a Baby Snowy Owl) from Inge-Glas with Legend Card. Inge-Glas No. 1-066-13. 2-3/4" tall clip on ornament.
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 owl brings wisdom and cleverness.
"The Owl... Perched in the tree tops, nothing escapes the owl's watchful eye.
Very concentrated, yet modest, the owl is a symbol of cleverness and wisdom.
'The wise old owl' ... an owl ornament on your Christmas tree is thought to help give you wisdom
and strength for the challenges that lie ahead in the new year." - Inge-Glas
All birds and all owls are a most welcome addition to our Christmas trees - the bird is the number one collectible figural ornament - yet, the Snowy Old is simply said a wondrous winter creature.
The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has gathered most informative facts for the Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus). Paintings of Snowy Owls have been found in European caves dating back 30,000 years. A bird of prey, they were once placed in their own genus, but new genetic analysis revealed that they are closely related to the Bubo genus. According to Wikipedia: "The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described." They are active both during the day and at night - unlike most other owls who are nocturnal. They eat about 3 to 5 lemmings each day. In their first year of life they have more grey and brown flecking on their back, breast, and head. They molt over time into a white plummage.
And, of course, they have become a part of the popular culture because of the Harry Potter books: "Owls are magical creatures most often used for delivering post and parcels in the wizarding world. They are known for their speed and discretion and can find recipients without an address."
This little creature, Little Who, is a perfect addition for your Christmas traditions.
Grand Mane - Lion - New for 2013 from Inge-Glas of Germany
New for 2013, Inge-Glas' Grand Mane (Inge-Glas No. 1-047-13, 3-3/4" tall) is a majestic addition to their ornaments representing the animal kingdom.
Although we often think of him as the largest of the cats The Lion, Panthera leo,
is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. They currently reside in the wild in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. Something we don't often think about is that until 10,000 years ago they lived in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru. They live for 10-14 years in the wild, but in captivity they can live longer - for more than 20 years.
We include them in every zoo trip possible, and we romanticize them in memorable books and movies. We see Inge-Glas' Grand Mane Christmas Ornament and immediately think of Aslan in the C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia series of seven books (of which The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the most highly read). Just as quickly, the delightful movie and stage productions of The Lion King come to mind.
As the Lion King, Aslan, or simply possibly the most regal of all animals, Grand Mane is a magnificent addition to your Christmas Tree.
Santa Frost Inge-Glas of Germany 2013 Annual Ornament
Inge-Glas® of Germany has commenced the Third Series of their Annual Ornament Collections. Each ornament is made only in the year in which it is introduced. This third series is scheduled to run from 2013 through 2018.
For 2013 the annual Inge-Glas ornament is Santa Frost. Inge-Glas No. 1-001-13. 5-1/2" tall. This very special, spectacular ornament is in the Inge-Glas tradition mouth-blown, hand-painted. It is decorated with glittering Swarovski Elements in the center of Santa's Star.
The year 2013 appears on Santa's back. This collectible ornament is individually packed in a premium gift box.
Man with a Drum - Tambourinaire – the Thirteenth (13th) Essential Santon for a Provençal Creche
The Man with a Drum - Tambourinaire (French) - Lou Tambourin (Provençaux) is number 13 on the list of the top 20 Essential Santons for a Provençal Creche. He is available in all four of the Marcel Carbonel Santons sizes offered by My Growing Traditions.
The drummer is distinguished and colorful in his band "uniform." Carbonel has him dressed in a grey, wide-brimmed hat, a black jacket over a white shirt adorned by a red cravate, and white trousers with a broad ban of red wool called a "taiolo" around his wasit.
The man with the drum is a popular figure in the world of Santons. He is no ordinary drummer, being: the earliest Provencal musician, instrumental in the creation of the Farandole, and, to this day, present in Christmas and other important village celebrations.
The Carbonel workshop also offers a Woman with a Drum - the Femme Tambourinaire - in two sizes: Sizes #3 (Grande) and #2 (Elite).
Their instruments, the "galoubet" (a three-finger holed pipe, record, flute, or fife)
and the "tambourin" (a long cylindrical drum)
are the two instruments traditional to Provence.
The galoubet dates back to 1723 and is a unique pipe that is played only with the left hand. The tambourin dates from the 16th century and is played with the right hand using a hammer called a massette (the massette is shown beneath the galoubets in the photo below). The two instruments, played by one musician at the same time, work perfectly together providing the melody (the galoubet) and the rhythm (the drum).
Daniel Foley, 1959 book Little Saints of Christmas: The Santons of Provence, tells of the legend of "Galoubet" and how it was he who initiated the dance of the Farandole. According to the tale, Galoubet (and, yes, the legend has his name as the same as the name of his flute), the drummer, was playing at a part on Christmas Eve. Midnight curfew came, yet "on that night of nights, no one seemed to have any notion of retiring. So Galoubet played on and the young folks continued to dance. Suddenly a patrol arrived at the square. But it did not disturb him, and the dance continued. Despite his weariness, he wandered toward the outskirts of the town, followed by the dancers. Early morning risers rushed to their windows to see what was going on.... the dance continued, and as the people of Provence will tell you, this was the beginning of the Farandole, the best-loved of all the folk dances. It had been created to do honor to the Christ Child, and so the merry troupe made their way to the manger, for Bethlehem was close by. Everything had been set topsy-turvy that night, and no one seemed to know why. The dancing stopped and the gaiety subsided as the boys and girls approached the manger, and all knelt down to give their homage. But to Galoubet, prayer was music. It was all he knew. On he went, playing the music of the Farandole." (Foley, p. 110)
For photos of the history and workshop of Carbonel enjoy our Marcel Carbonel Santons board on Pinterest.
The Christmas Mouse
New for 2013 is Inge-Glas of Germany's Christmas Mouse
We find ourselves writing about him - of all the wonderful new Inge-Glas ornaments this year - because as we considered the new for 2013 ornaments to add to our selection - he was without a second thought our first choice. It must be his little impish face taking in the joyousness of the holiday.
His eyes are very special - not brown, or blue, or hazel in color - but rather, they are of Swarovski crystal elements. Inge-Glas and Swarovski Crystal have been working together for many years now. We offer a number of other ornaments from the Swarovski - Inge-Glas partnership - they add a special twinkling of light to your Christmas tree.
Seeing The Christmas Mouse brought back fond memories of a wonderful children's book: The Church Mice at Christmas by Graham Oakley.
Christmas keeps Mortimer, the church mouse, ever so busy celebrating the wondrousness of the holiday - decorating the tree, hanging the lights, singing Christmas carols, hanging his stocking, etc. When all is done, he snuggles down to sleep Christmas Eve making a Christmas wish. Graham Oakley's illustrations and stories are intricate, whimsical, and just plain charming.
Carbonel Santons Shepherd Gift Sets
It was to the shepherd that the Angel came to announce the birth of Jesus - the Shepherd spread the word and summoned the Provencal villages to the manger. Thus, the Shepherd can be considered the pivotal Santon in the Provencal creche. Each year his role is celebrated across Provence in Christmas Eve services.
At midnight, the service begins with the Shepherd's Carol, the Carol Pastre di mountagno.
My Growing Traditions has created Marcel Carbonel Santons Shepherd gift sets in three sizes. Size #3 (Grande),
Size #2 (Elite),
and Size #1 (Cricket).
Each set includes the Young Shepherd, his herding dog, a standing sheep and a hand-carved tree (Spanbaum) from the Erzgebirge, Germany and is at a special price providing savings over purchasing the Santons separately. All are tucked neatly into a gift box from My Growing Traditions and include a My Growing Traditions Shepherd card.
For photos of the history and workshop of Carbonel enjoy our Marcel Carbonel Santons board on Pinterest.
Inge-Glas' Snow Tweet with her Christian Ulbricht Cardinal
New for 2013, Snow Tweet (Inge-Glas no. 1-009-13, 4-1/4" 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 bird - a Cardinal - in her hand.
Special in so many ways, Snow Tweet is a Snow Baby, or Snow Kinder, a Christmas decoration that has been around since 1905. As Wikipedia explains the original Snow Babies were "involved in some aspect of the Christmas holidays or of winter sports. The traditional snow baby is made of unglazed porcelain (bisque) and shows a child dressed in a snowsuit; the suit itself is covered in small pieces of crushed bisque, giving the appearance of fallen snowflakes." Inge-Glas replicates the porcelain figures in their Snow Kinder (Kinder is the German word for "child") glass ornaments, creating a fuzzy, snow-crystal like finish on these fun, active little children.
Snow Tweet carries a red bird, or Northern Cardinal, made of wood by the Ulbricht studios in Germany. The Northern Cardinal is long beloved as a symbol of Christmas cheer and is considered America's "Christmas bird."
My Growing Traditions offers an Inge-Glas Northern Cardinal
and we carry several Christian Ulbricht Christmas birds - a Cardinal on a bird feeder
and two simple little Ulbricht birds, which are not all red, but which are ever so much fun. One is 1-1/2" tall
and the other is 1/2" high 
