Decorating trees during what has become known as the Christmas season began in Germany during the early 1800‘s. Nuts coated with sugar, apples and other pieces of candied fruit hung among the evergreen branches were the first German Christmas ornaments. Ornaments cut from gingerbread dough and marzipan also became popular. Later eaten by the children, these expensive treats were out of reach for all but the wealthy.

By the mid 1800‘s the glass-blowers of Lauscha began to produce hand-blown glass ornaments to mimic the fruits and nuts the wealthy were hanging on their trees. Long known for the quality of their glassware (medicine bottles, barometers, marbles and eye glasses) the glass-blowers expanded the ornament business into a cottage industry with the men doing the actual blowing of the ornaments, the women doing the silvering of the insides (early in the industry with either lead or mercury, then later on with a mixture of sugar-water and silver nitrate) and the children painting the outside. Thus began the tradition of the beautiful glass ornaments that Germany became famous for.

Lovely glass spheres aren’t the only German Christmas ornaments that valued by collectors. Dresden began producing gaily painted, embossed paper ornaments. Decorations of pressed tin with brightly lithographed pictures were being produced in other parts of Germany and thin strips of metal called “angel hair” began to show up on trees around the country. This “angel hair” is what we now lovingly call “icicles”. Ornaments were also made out of wood, walnut shells, pewter and wax.

Queen Victoria’s Prince Albert (a native of Germany) introduced the glass ornaments to England and by the 1870‘s German Christmas ornaments were being exported to Great Britain. Ten years later, F.W. Woolworth (the American Five & Dime giant) discovered the lovely glass ornaments during a trip to Europe and began importing them to the United States.

Though the popularity of the ornaments declined during both WWI and WWII, Germany still imports some ornaments to the United States every year. German Christmas ornaments, especially the older ones are still valued by collectors. The most popular German Christmas ornament shapes are Santa and Mrs. Claus (or St. Nick), Mary and Joseph, rocking horses, soldiers, pinecones and, of course, the German Christmas Pickle.

Of the many contributions that the German culture has made to modern society, perhaps one of the most beautiful and enduring is that of the Christmas tree and decorations.

- Sherry Law

Long before the birth of Jesus Christ, wreaths were commonly used as a symbol of celebration and achievement. Laurel wreaths were used to crown the winners in the early Olympic games, and the tradition of bestowing wreaths upon the winners of sporting events is still followed today in some events, such as horse racing and car racing. But now wreaths are most often used for another celebration – Christmas.

The first Christmas Advent wreath was invented in the 1830s by Johann Hinrich Wichern, a Protestant parson who ran an orphanage in in Hamburg, Germany. Wichern made a wooden ring and affixed red and white candles on one side of it to help the children count the days until Christmas. During each service of daily prayer, a child would light one candle, until on Christmas Eve all of them would be illuminated. It is thought that children liked this ring so much that they decorated it with evergreen twigs. Later the number of candles was reduced to four and evergreen boughs became an important component of the rings.

The evergreen branches represent everlasting life brought through Jesus Christ, and the circular shape of the wreath represents God himself, with no beginning and no end.

Typically, three of the candles in an advent wreath are violet-colored, and one is rose-colored, but some choose to use all purple or all blue candles. When used in household devotion, one candle is lit on the first evening of Advent, which falls on a Saturday. Each Saturday thereafter during Advent another candle is lit. Some wreaths have a large white candle in the center which is lit on Christmas Day to signify Christ’s birth.

The tradition of Advents wreaths took a while to catch on in Germany and spread throughout Europe, but by the time German immigrants came to America, they brought this tradition with them. Evergreen wreaths without candles also became a popular symbol of the holidays. Now it’s a household tradition for many families around the world to have a wreath made from evergreen hanging upon the front door of their home during the holidays.

by Debora Dyess

We’ve all seen it – wise men, shepherds, sheep, a donkey, maybe some chickens, Mary and Joseph. Attention is on a single baby – Jesus, lying in a manger. It tells us one thing: Christmas is here!

By learning how to organize a live nativity, you could create an annual tradition, combining art, building, sewing and fun.

Start with a vision. Will you present the manger scene with basic characters, or expand to the whole Christmas story with many actors? This decision determines everything from your budget to preparation time. This reproduction requires actors, costumes, sets and scripts. Pray for a good group of volunteers!

Your volunteer pool determines your characters. You must have the Holy Family, but can expand from there. Live animals are great, but require planning. If they aren’t possible, clever wooden cut-outs can substitute.

If your church or community theater has a costume closet, raid it (permission, first!). Otherwise, these costumes are basically one-size-fits-almost-all, making an easy sewing project. They also hide layers of clothing, protecting actors from the cold.

Sets should be constructed with scenes and landscape in mind. Take advantage of trees, rocks and hills on site. Check load capacities of extension cords used to light sets. For more extensive lighting, consult an electrician. For set construction, borrow a garage. Pray for a ‘building manager’ with carpentry and people skills, since volunteers may not know a circular saw from a square. This individual must be able to plan the set, and organize purchasing, materials and workers.

Write your script to match your event. Sandy Pohlmann, organizer of live nativities at Zion Lutheran Church of Helotes, San Antonio, TX, decided on a shepherd- guide for their nativity. The shepherd narrated and quieted the crowd as needed. Each character had their portion of the story to tell, scripted well in advance.

Nobody told Sandy how to organize a live nativity. Success was measured in growing numbers of visitors each year, and donations made to defray expensea. She suggests planning begin in July for your first event. “It takes lots of time and commitment,” she explained, “and a lot of volunteers. But it is worth it.”