Christmas ornaments—they come in many colors, sizes, and these days, even the most unusual shapes. You can even give your Christmas tree a theme! How about a snack attack with frikandels, cheese soufflés, and hamburgers, or a sweet tooth with lollipops, ice cream, and candy? Japan isn't forgotten either, with sushi, lucky cats, and kokeshi! It seems to get crazier every year, but where does the Christmas ornament actually come from?
How did Christmas baubles come into existence?
The baubles as we know them today originated from glass balls shaped like apples, first made in Germany. There, around December 24th in the 16th century, they hung real apples on the tree—the apple tree in Adam and Eve's paradise. Over the centuries, these apples were supplemented with cookies and candles, and eventually, due to a lack of nice apples, were replaced by glass versions. Opinions differ on the inventor of the glass Christmas bauble. Was Mr. Linder from the Vosges the first, or was it Hans Greiner of the Lauscha company? Whoever it was, they'll both be amazed by what we hang in trees today!
Fold a Christmas ball from... paper
Do you love a full tree with lots of color, or are you more subdued with your use of color and prefer a natural style? Whatever your preference, this string of paper lights with Christmas ornaments will look great on any tree! You can use brightly colored origami paper, but you can also make it with any type of paper. Just make sure it's not too thick!
What do you need for origami Christmas balls?
- enough sheets of (origami) paper of 15x15cm
- a string of lights (battery powered or not)
- this helpful video
Once you've made a good number of balls, you can easily slide them over the string of lights. Origami paper isn't really transparent, so I'd alternate them with a ball. You can hang the ball garland on the tree, somewhere else in the house, or place it as a decoration on the Christmas table among beautiful pine branches.
💬 Tell me, are you going to try this too?
The author: Ingrid Beyer
Ingrid van Happlify crew member Roppongi is a rather unassuming Japan expert who can tell you all the ins and outs. Roppongi is the online store for lovers of Japan, design, delicious food, tea, and DIY. Visit Roppongi and the blog regularly for the quickest trip to Japan. Ingrid's blog posts >
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