Merry Little Podcast The Deeper Meaning of Christmas Ornaments

[Jeff Westover]

Christmas ornaments get flung on trees without much thought. Many buy them in packs reminiscent of soda or beer. Most ornaments in use today are so plain and so ordinary that they receive little notice at all.

But did you know there was once quite the art to the humble Christmas ornament? Once upon a time a Christmas ornament was only used with great thought. It was carefully and often meticulously hand crafted with a single purpose in mind. Ornaments once were singular in design and heavy in symbolism.

In this episode of the Merry Little Podcast we explore how ornaments reveal some of the deeper symbolism — and at times hidden meanings — of Christmas.

We also explain why ornaments are older as a tradition than you think and why it was so much a part of the ancient celebration of Christmas.

Ornaments don’t HAVE to be meaningful. And they don’t have to be religious.

Over time they have come to symbolize family unity, occupations, political beliefs, team loyalties, and preferences in the arts.

Regardless of how they were used — they meant something.

Continue reading...

 

[MerryCarey]

I'll be interested to hear this. I have a small tree, so my ornaments are carefully chosen. Nearly every one has a memory, an association, some sort of personal meaning. Decorating the tree is a combination of smiles and tears, and a walk through many memories.

 

[GingerMel]

When I first started having my own tree, I bought multi-packs of balls because I didn't have very many truly special ornaments. A couple of years later my mom gave me some ornaments from when I was a kid and I cherish them all. Now, my husband and I buy a new ornament (sometimes two) each year that has some kind of special meaning to us. We put very very few of those balls on the tree because we are starting to accumulate enough special ornaments. I love the way our tree is transforming over the years.