Christmas ornament

These decorations may be woven, blown (glass or plastic), molded (ceramic or metal), carved from wood or expanded polystyrene, or made by other techniques.

There were shining flags and lanterns, and bird-cages, and nests with birds sitting on them, baskets of fruit, gilt apples, and bunches of grapes.The modern-day mold-blown colored glass Christmas ornament was invented in the small German town of Lauscha in the mid-16th century.

[2] The first decorated trees were adorned with apples,[4] white candy canes, and pastries in the shapes of stars, hearts and flowers.

The popularity of these decorations grew into the production of glass figures made by highly skilled artisans with clay molds.

[5] Other glassblowers in Lauscha recognised the growing popularity of Christmas baubles and began producing them in various designs.

On Christmas Eve 1832, a young Victoria wrote about her delight at having a tree, hung with lights, ornaments, and presents placed round it.

[6] In the 1840s, after a picture of Victoria's Christmas tree was shown in a London newspaper decorated with glass ornaments and baubles from her husband Prince Albert's native Germany, Lauscha began exporting its products throughout Europe.

New suppliers popped up everywhere including Dresden die-cut fiberboard ornaments which were popular among families with small children.

Since the 19th century, there are a large number of manufacturers producing sophisticated Christmas glass ornaments in Poland, which produce "bombka" or the plural form "bombki"; Poland is the largest producer of glass bombe (bauble) ornaments that are exported to many countries all over the world, mainly to the United States, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Norway, France, the UK, and millions of glass-blown Christmas ornaments are made year-round in Tlalpujahua, Michoacan, Mexico, and exported to Spain, New Zealand and France.