you find so much interesting information on the internet - I did not know how recent Decorating tree ornaments were - I should put it together since we heard how it was Albert who brought the Christmas tree tradition with him when he and Victoria had their huge brood of children.
Seems Christmas Trees Become "Mainstream" - In the mid-1800s, and for several decades, folks, even the wealthy made their own Christmas tree decorations, from paper or from recycled ribbons, pie pans, cookies, human hair, berries and cones.
Christmas Decorations Become an Industry when German-speaking craftsmen sent to North Americans a steady stream of hand made products, including nutcrackers, nativity figurines and blown-glass Christmas tree ornaments. Craftsmen in other European countries, such as France, Italy, and Poland, also began making decorations to sell abroad.
I read that it was in 1880, when Woolworth stores began importing these decorations, demand for them exploded. For some reason 1880 does not seem that long ago and I did not realize Woolworth's five and dime was in business that long.
I still have some of the ornaments that were on my mother's childhood tree and on mine as well and I remember we used to make cloth cones, called toots, they had a ribbon across the top opening that we used to hang on the branch and the toot was filled with tiny very hot red Cinnamon candy.
