Christmas Tree Decorating Traditions

Have you noticed that some people here in the United States and in other countries decorate their Christmas trees differently? Some people put other things than just ornaments on their tree and for different reasons. Here I will go over some of the different Christmas tree decorations traditions, and how they came to be.

Popcorn Strings

Here in the U.S. you may notice it is popular for some to have strings of popcorn wrapped around the tree. While this was mostly popular in the 1950s through the 1960s, some people carry on this tradition today! It's said this tradition was started when people used to decorate the Christmas trees outside and put food on the trees for birds and wildlife. Nowadays, with the tree usually inside the house, the popcorn is just for show! 

Pickle Ornament

During the holiday season there seems to always be pickle ornaments for sale. This seems very odd if you're not aware of this classic German tradition. The tradition goes that you hide a pickle ornament in your Christmas tree, and whoever finds it on Christmas morning first gets a reward or present! It may be a bit of a challenge because a pickle can easily blend in with a classic green Christmas tree. 

Spiderwebs and Spiders

Here's an interesting tradition. In the Ukraine sparkly webs and spiders are often used to decorate a Christmas tree. Unlike Halloween, these spiders don't carry any sort of spooky meaning. They are actually supposed to represent good luck! This tradition comes from a folk tale dating all the way back to the late 1800s. The tale goes that a poor family was not able to decorate their Christmas tree. However, while the family was sleeping, spiders made beautiful gold and silver decorations with their webs for the family to wake up to on Christmas morning. 

Different Countries Common Ornaments

Some countries use different ornaments based on their traditions, culture, or even weather. For example, in Australia, Christmas is celebrated during their summer months. Therefore, in many households they put seashells on their Christmas trees to symbolize the warm and sunny weather. Meanwhile in Japan, they decorate their trees with homemade origami which make for a beautiful decoration actually! In Sweden they use their natural flag to decorate their Christmas trees simply because they are proud of their nation! Every country seems to have different ways of decorating, and that's what makes Christmas so fun and interesting!

Conclusion 

Christmas tree decorations and traditions are examples of how Christmas is celebrated in different ways. Maybe try some new traditions for your decorations this year to shake things up and keep things interesting. You could also combine a few traditions such as making a few origami for your tree and hiding a pickle ornament in the tree for your kids to find on Christmas morning. Feel free to experiment and try out new traditions to keep things fun and exciting.

Our goal at Aspen Valley Christmas is to make that age-old adage true for your Christmas thru providing holiday décor that surprises and delights our customers and their guests at Christmas time. We work hard to bring the best in the quality, craftsmanship and materials.  We choose to use premium materials to differentiate us from products typically found at big box retailers and mass market retailers.