Did you know that the first decorated trees were adorned with apples, strings of popcorn, white candy canes and pastries in the shapes of stars, hearts and flowers?
The first modern-day Christmas ornament was originally invented in the small German town of Lauscha in the mid 19th century. Hans Greiner, who produced garlands of glass beads similar to the popcorn strands and tin figures that could be hung on trees, produced a “bauble”. The bauble is one of the most popular Christmas ornament designs and today has various designs on them, from "baby's first Christmas," to a favorite sports team.
Ornaments can take many forms - from a simple round ball to highly artistic designs. Ornaments are almost always reused year after year, rather than purchased annually. Family collections often contain a combination of commercially produced ornaments and decorations created by family members. Such collections are often passed on and augmented from generation to generation.
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