eChristmasTrees

How To Store Your Christmas Ornaments

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:25:32 +0000

Every holiday season, there’s that joyful feeling that comes with getting your Christmas tree, unpacking your decorations, and transforming your house into a place of holiday magic. The twinkling lights, the bright and cheery decorations, and the sounds and smells of the season work together to evoke happy memories and create a warm and cozy atmosphere. But then January rolls around, and suddenly, the holidays are over. Now you’re faced with the task of packing everything back up and storing it away for another year. It’s probably safe to assume that this is something that no one looks forward to, and all too often people resort to just chucking stuff in boxes to quickly finish the unpleasant chore. This is never a good idea, though, especially when it comes to fragile ornaments that can easily break. Before you pack away your ornaments, read on to learn some easy tips that will save you time and effort and keep your tree decorations safe until the following year.

Gather everything you’ll need for packaging. Storage boxes, tissue paper or newspaper for wrapping fragile ornaments, and packing tape are usually the main items you’ll need.

Take your ornaments off the tree according to type. Group together your glass ornaments, plastic ones, metal ones, etc. Doing this will let you see exactly what you have to put away, and you can focus on one type at a time.

If you have the original packaging for any ornaments, put those away first. Carefully place the ornament back into its package, ensuring that everything is snug and tight and the ornament won’t somehow come out.

Focus next on your more durable ornaments. Wooden, metal, and plastic ornaments are usually fine when placed on tissue paper or newspaper inside a larger box. It’s okay to package these together, just make sure there are not a lot piled on top of one another. If you have lots of these types of ornament, layer them with your packaging paper in between the rows.

Carefully wrap your glass ornaments or anything else that can easily break. You’ll also want to do this with any ornament that is particularly special to you – better to be safe than sorry. Using your tissue paper or newspaper, wrap the ornaments individually and with enough padding that they can safely rest against one another.

Once you’ve gotten the fragile ornaments wrapped, gently place them in your larger storage box. Make sure you have a box with a lid, and that everything inside is secure.

Place the larger storage boxes in a location where they aren’t likely to fall, get moved around a lot, or be susceptible to weather or animal damage. Basements, attics, and storage closets work nicely for this.

Packing away your ornaments doesn’t have to be a huge chore. True, you’re probably never going to love it, but you can make it easier on yourself. Put on some Christmas music, pour some cider, eat some leftover holiday cookies, and relish your last Christmas moments of the season while you follow the tips above. The experience will be easier and less frustrating, and next year when you get out your holiday decorations, you’ll be glad you took the time to pack them up the right way.

Christmas Tree Lighting History at Rockefeller Center

admin — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:37:25 +0000

In 2012, New Yorkers and out of town guests will once again see the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lit in all its glory. The tree is a gorgeous Norway blue spruce and it towers over holiday shoppers as they make their way through the streets of New York.

The tree has been an icon of the Christmas season for the last 78 years. The event is shown on television and many famous performers and musicians are asked to come and celebrate the event live for the crowd. The world-renowned Radio City Rockettes perform their magical high kicks and there are also skating performances held live at the Rockefeller Ice Rink.

The tree is designed to be an eye-popping showpiece that heralds in the Christmas season. It has to be at least 65 feet tall and 35 feet across to even be considered for the coveted spot on display. The ideal tree, according to Rockefeller Center management is between a whopping seventy-five and ninety feet tall. Citizens can donate a tree that measures within the required dimensions, but they are not paid for their generosity. Most years, the tree does come as a private donation due to the fact that trees in the forests these days are not reaching the proper Christmas tree heights.

The tree is a majestic beauty when it is all lit up. There are over five miles of lights. This year, the lights will be energy-saving and long-lasting LED lights. There are no ornaments on the tree and the lights stand as the only decoration. The topper is a Swarovski crystal star.

Of course, each year the tree must be replaced. When it comes down, it is chipped into three tons or more of mulch which is then given to the Boy Scouts of America. The trunk, which is wide and expansive, goes to the United States Equestrian team. It becomes part of their obstacle course jumps at their New Jersey arena.

Rockefeller Center is easy to get to by subway. Guests line up early to see the tree being lit on the big day. The tree stays lit from 5:30 in the morning until 11:30 pm so that everyone gets a chance to view it. On Christmas Day, the tree remains lit for a full 24 hours. The tree is lit until 9:00 pm on New Year’s Eve when it is shut off to make way for the crowds eager to see the lights in Times Square. Millions of people will cram the streets to get a glimpse of the illuminated ball coming down as midnight strikes.

If you have a chance to visit Rockefeller Center for the lighting, by all means don’t miss it. You can combine your trip with ice skating in the famous Rockefeller Center Ice Rink which stands nearby and has been featured in many films over the years. Be sure to visit the FAO Schwarz toy store to see the glorious windows and pick up a Christmas candy gift from Dylan’s Candy Shoppe. And the Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue window displays are always in competition for who can dazzle holiday shoppers the most. Preparations for the windows begin several months in advance and are highly complicated and designed by fashion gurus.

Putting up your own Christmas tree this year? Check out this article on what is better – real or artificial Christmas trees.

Christmas Tree Ornaments—The Perfect Travel Keepsake

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:34:04 +0000

If you love to travel, why not start a collection of Christmas tree ornaments gathered from your travels? You will end up with the most amazing collection and have something wonderful to pass along to our grandchildren someday.
World travelers know that unique finds can be had at local bazaars and open air markets. Start looking for stalls that sell Christmas gifts and ornaments. You’ll find that they are available all year. In places like Bavaria, where Christmas fests often last for months, shops will sell well-made and highly fashioned ornaments all year round. You can pick them up in many price ranges from the small trinket to the ornately carved or beaded masterpiece. It all depends on what appeals to you.
Each country will have their own type of Christmas ornaments. In Murano, Italy, known for its elegant and highly colored blown glass, you will find many ornaments bearing a milleflori (thousand flowers) design done in glass. If you are in Paris, France, consider buying an ornament that commemorates some of the most iconic symbols of the city such as the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, Arc de Triomphe, or Notre Dame just to name a few. These are treasured keepsakes that will sparkle on your tree. Just be sure that you wrap them well for the flight home.
Even if you’re not planning a luxury overseas adventure, you can start your Christmas tree ornament collection right at home. Whenever you travel through the United States, pick up an ornament from that particular state. You can do an entire tree themed with Christmas ornaments from all 50 states. And you’ll remember fondly where you picked each of them up. You’ll be surprised at the lovely ornaments you will find. Oftentimes towns compete for the best hand-designed Christmas ornament and ask local artists to participate. So you know you’re getting a beautiful, well-designed handmade ornament at places like these.
Look for towns across the country like Bethlehem, Connecticut with biblical names. This town is tiny, but known all over as the Christmas Town. Bethlehem has a Christmas Festival each year and sells a different pewter ornament designed by a different artist each year. The ornaments have now become collector’s items and are showcased in glass cases in homes. You can pick yours up in your travels or have them mailed to you each year.
Many towns have a Christmas Festival and you can make the rounds picking up ornaments made by local craftspeople. These become unique one-of-a-kind works of art. Write the year on the bottom or back of each one so you can remember where you got it.
Many people enjoy bringing out the Christmas ornaments each year because it’s a memorable walk through family history. Why not start a collection that you can save to pass down to a family member in the next generation? They’ll love having Grandmother’s box of ornaments. And you can write up a little story of where you got each one and put it in a book that will be cherished always.
Whether you’re an armchair traveler and would like your ornaments delivered to your door or you’re an adventurous globe trotter, your ornament collection can be unique and personal. Look for the handmade and your collection will be worth not only sentimental but vintage resale value as well should you ever choose to part with it. But only buy what makes you happy. And use your ornaments to decorate; don’t feel you have to store them in a box to protect them.