Legends Surrounding Christmas Ornaments

Content kindly provided by Tannenbaum Treasures

Legends make fun tales to share. And at the same time, traditions are a wonderful way of keeping a cultural heritage alive and well through the generations.

Chimney Sweep

The chimney sweep ornament is a symbol of good luck. Further, he carries a blessing for happiness and prosperity. A traditional gift for newlyweds, the chimney sweep is places by the stove or fireplace where he can keep domestic affairs in order by sweeping away the family’s troubles. At Christmas, he helps to keep peace and harmony during the holiday season.

 

Evergreen Tree

Legend says that the evergreen tree is a symbol of the eternal life offered to Christians through their faith in Christ. Just as eternal life will last forever, the evergreen tree stays green all year round, never shedding its needles. On top of the tree there sits a star, pointing towards the heavens. This star represents the star that led the three wise men to Bethlehem. The lights on the tree represent Christ who is the “Light of the World.” The gifts that are placed underneath the tree represent God’s gift of His only son, He who brings hope, love, joy, and peace.

 

Fish

Fish are representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus had gone down to the Sea of Galilee followed by 5,000 people who had earlier witnessed miracles he had performed on the sick. It was the Passover. Jesus and the disciples met to discuss how they were to feed the entire group, for the only food to be found were five barley loaves and two fish. After giving thanks, Jesus took the bread and fish and began distributing it among the crowd not stopping until everyone had taken as much as they wanted, and still twelve baskets were able to be filled up by the fragments that were left over.

 

Glass Pickle

A very memorable German tradition is the “legend of the glass pickle”. On Christmas Eve, after the children have been sent to bed, parents scurry to decorate the beautiful tree with ornaments, candies and garland. The last ornament to be placed on the tree is the “Glass Pickle”. With its green color and unique texture it is easily disguised among the branches of the beautiful decorated tree. In the morning when the children awake they rush to the tree, each hoping to be the first to find the glass pickle, because – you see – the one who finds it first is awarded a very special gift. The tradition came to this country and continued through the 1920’s and then faded out. The legend is now just a wonderful memory in our time.

 

Harp

The harp is a Scottish symbol of the moon, fertility, and enchantment. The strings of the harp symbolize the bridge between heaven and earth. With mankind standing poised in the middle, striving now toward one and then toward the other, represented by the tension of the strings.

 

Heart

The heart, of course, is the symbol of love. Heart ornaments on the Christmas tree, signify the love in a home: God’s love for us and the love that family members have for one another together with the happiness shared throughout the holiday season.

 

House

The house ornament signifies family shelter. Placed on a tree, this ornament signifies how grateful the family is for a warm and safe place to spend the holiday season, surrounded by loved ones. Houses depicted by German ornament makers are simple, like their own homes.

 

Lady Bug

Named in honor of Mary “Our Lady”, these little red creatures are a symbol of good luck in Europe. Centuries ago, when farmers’ grapevines were plagued with aphids, they prayed for help. Those prayers were answered in the form of these red beetles. So appreciative were the farmers that they named them in Mary’s honor.

 

Lucky Clover

Four leaf clovers – which are scarce in nature – are looked upon as lucky charms, bringing the “Luck of the Irish” with them. Hanging the lucky clover on your Christmas tree is thought to bring the family good luck for the upcoming year.

 

Magic Slipper

There are a number of well-known legends that feature magic slippers or shoes. The magic slipper transports the wearer from a place of hardship or sorrow to a new world of opportunity and joy. Placing a magic slipper on a Christmas tree is thought to help bring new opportunity to the family members.

 

Mushroom

Closely associated with nature and the beauty of the forest, mushrooms have come to symbolize good luck. Finding a mushroom in the forest has long been viewed as being “lucky” and an expectation of good fortune is at hand. In Germany, adorning your Christmas tree with a mushroom signifies your reverence for nature and hope for good luck in the next year.

 

Pinecone

Due to their abundance in the forest, pinecones were among the first natural Christmas ornaments. Pinecones are a symbol of eternity. On the tree, Pinecones are a remembrance of God’s love for us and his offer of eternal life through the sacrifice of his son. As a result of their traditional use as a decoration, the early German glassblowers began making molds of these to reproduce. This fine tradition continues to this day.

 

Rose

The rose is a symbol of the Virgin Mary. A rose on your Christmas tree represents the love and compassion the Virgin Mary holds in her hearts for men and brings happiness and wellbeing into the household during the holidays.

 

Santa Claus

Santa Claus has become the universal symbol of giving and sharing. The modem-day St. Nicholas, Santa lives with his elves at the North Pole. Every Christmas Eve he visits the houses of good little boys and girls traveling in a sled drawn by reindeer, leaving presents underneath their Christmas trees.

 

Snowman

Throughout the centuries, children and their parents in northern climates have celebrated the arrival of the first snowfall by creating a snowman. Using buttons or coal for the eyes, a carrot for a nose and twigs for the arms, snowmen are created to capture the imaginations of young and old alike! It is said that snowmen are happiest when it becomes extremely cold and that they have learned to make the most out of their relatively short existence. Perhaps, they are happiest knowing that they help to bring families together and that – while they will melt away – the joy and memories that they create will last!

 

Violin

Renaissance man believed that all things were interconnected in a metaphysical way. Therefore, the violin’s creation came to symbolize the connection between man and the cosmos. Man was its creator and the violin’s music sounded so harmonious, that many thought it was sent down from the heavens.