The Christmas Bauble Thread

I'm not fond of Christmas but I love Christmas Trees and I rather like Christmas Angels. So, this year I have decided to soften my usual 'Bah Humbug' approach.

In this spirit I have been considering treating myself to an Angel decoration such as this:


I was wondering what everyone else's favourite Christmas Bauble might be and may we see pictures?

Any type of Bauble will do, new ones, traditional ones, something you've treasured for years that gets displayed every Christmas (that would be my favourite to see).

Merry Humbug, everybody

a reply to: berenike

Very pretty angel.

I've not unpacked the usual decorations but, I suppose I better get to it. I was hoping to be moved before Christmas but, that doesn't seem to be a reality.

My favorites are the one's that have been handed down through the family and the one's that my children have made over the years, of course.

Here is one that a 'student' at work made for me last year. It is from a bottle cork and a very clever repurposing of it, IMO.

a reply to: berenike
Are you old enough to remember Christmas tree candles? I don't mean the modern electrical frauds, I mean the real thing. Tiny candles in tiny candle-holders with built-in bulldog clips, for attachment to branches. There was an art to placing them, not so close to the end of the branch that the branch would bend under the weight. And upright, of course.
"Wasn't there a danger of the house catching fire, daddy?" "Yes, dear, but only if people left the candles burning overnight instead of blowing them out at bed-time. Or if they wound the tinsel too near the flame. They learned, if they lived long enough".

Our family always had a "stable" for the mantelpiece, complete with crib and figures of humans and animals. Apparently this was bought with money which an uncle had given to my brother and myself, so that it was technically our joint property. It has ended up in my keeping, and gets erected every year. It has to be put together each time- the roof vanished years ago, and a stiff piece of cardboard took its place. I tapped a nail into the wall above as a permanent hook for the angel, and it's simpler just to let him stay there all year.

a reply to: berenike

No Angels for me I've gone with a Star to top the tree.
My favourite bauble is a little house we've used since I was a wee boy , a memory of my childhood home.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

That's so sweet. One year I was given a mouse made out of half a walnut shell. His nose and eyes had been pencilled on and he had a scrap of string for a tail Little things like that mean so much more than anything that can be bought.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Candles on Christmas trees were a bit before my time. We had that little frisson of excitement waiting to see if the fairy lights would electrocute someone. Knowing what I do now, I rather wish they had. Whoops, that's me reverting to type. The spirit of the Season didn't last long around here.

a reply to: gortex

I don't have anything left from my childhood but this thread is bringing back memories of just about every decoration we ever had, I think.

My favourite decorations are what my children made as children at school and small family photos in little frames but I have many different yearly themes, the above being the children's Christmas theme with toys and whimsical figures. Every year I buy one new decoration, but this year I will be crocheting and sugaring snowflakes using a white cotton with metalic twine woven in. Here is the pattern I chose.

a reply to: InTheLight

Oh I love crafts and that snowflake is lovely!!!


Don't have any pics of any of my items. I do have two absolutely gorgeous Angels that I leave standing. They are too large for a tree. Last year I made angels as tree ornaments using a seashell for the body and feathers for wings. I made some as extra little gifts to give and kept a couple for myself.

a reply to: InTheLight

Your snowflake is so delicate and pretty – there must be such a sense of achievement when you can make something like that. The closest I could do is probably paint a potato white and call it a snowball.

a reply to: Night Star

Making angels is an imaginative use of seashells. Of course I imagined a whopping great conch shell. Is this something like those you made?



And whilst I was looking for angels... well, I couldn't leave him behind:

a reply to: berenike


No my angels are different, but that one is really cute!


I did make some velvet hearts I forgot I had pictures of.

a reply to: berenike

The closest I could do is probably paint a potato white and call it a snowball.

Bahahaha! That cracked me up!

Actually there are tons of things you could make. If you go to youtube, there are tons of craft tutorials and ideas.

a reply to: Night Star

When I was about five we made potato snowmen at school. I don't think I would even have thought of a snowball left to my own devices

I like your Art Nouveau fairies. They look good on their little cushions.

I was really amazed with what people can make with seashells. Some of the dogs were astounding. I very nearly started a thread on them. Sadly, my skills lay in other directions than arts and crafts.

a reply to: berenike


The dog one was really clever and cute! People would be amazed at how easy it is to make some crafts. Many years ago I was overwhelmed and thought I could never make such nice things. Back when I didn't have much money and Christmas time would roll around or someone's Birthday, I wanted to give them something nice so I became determined and learned how. It even led me to selling some of my crafts in an upscale craft shop for a while.

a reply to: berenike


Everyone's crafts are so pretty and creative. I wish, sometimes, that I had learned to create things with my hands.

Trying to decorate a little bit around the office this morning I found another decoration that a different 'student' made me.
So clever, it is a wine glass.


Hmm, I'm sensing a theme here. :/

I hope that you Berenike are still feeling better than Bah Humbug.

originally posted by: TNMockingbird
So clever, it is a wine glass.

*sigh*

It would have been more clever if they somehow got it to you filled with the appropriate beverage.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

Awww, cute! I think it was last year that I found these wine glasses and wrapped a poinsettia flower around the base stem and added a bow. I filled the glass with a decorated plastic xmas bag of candy. You could always add a bottle of wine.

My moms trees always looked like a hot mess... tinsel EVERYWHERE.. the more tinsel the better. We had those old bubble lights that would overheat... safety was of no concern in the old days. LOL! Someone mentioned the real candles.. my grandmother always had those. It was like a fat alligator clip with a little candle holder. I remember it exactly cause thats how my grandpa caught his head on fire. LOL!! He was putting in more little metal ball ornaments and I guess got to close to the open flame. Its a wonder we all didnt burn up in fiery glory on Christmas eve with the shoddy decorations we had back when!

originally posted by: Advantage
My moms trees always looked like a hot mess... tinsel EVERYWHERE.. the more tinsel the better. We had those old bubble lights that would overheat... safety was of no concern in the old days. LOL! Someone mentioned the real candles.. my grandmother always had those. It was like a fat alligator clip with a little candle holder. I remember it exactly cause thats how my grandpa caught his head on fire. LOL!! He was putting in more little metal ball ornaments and I guess got to close to the open flame. Its a wonder we all didnt burn up in fiery glory on Christmas eve with the shoddy decorations we had back when!

That was a funny post and I needed the laugh.
Thanks for that.

I don't remember anyone having real candles although I'm sure my folks must have when they were young. I remember making those paper garlands in school and mine would barely survive the trip home. Funny memories.

It is a wonder we didn't burn up though from the 'shoddy' decorations (it was all we had then) in those days.

a reply to: Advantage


Bahahaha! Poor Grandpa! It is amazing they didn't have more fires back then!

This is our tree that took us all last Sunday to put up :



This is the star on the top of said tree that took us all last Sunday to put up :



This is "Diablo" our 3 month old kitten that took 7 seconds to lay a sloppy egg on the bathroom rug :



If the cat does that again I will take much pleasure next Sunday in replacing the star with him.

Buwhahahahahahahaha :



Warmest respects

Lags

a reply to: Lagomorphe

I like the chest you've put the tree on (which looks smashing).

Using the tree as an alternative to Imodium is a novel idea and I'm sure little Diablo will thank you in the long run.

Being a kitty he'll have no trouble clambering up there. Even I can work out the paw-holds the artfully placed balls would afford him.