Who here loved decorating their tree with their grandma? I never got to do that because we lived in different cities, but I definitely understand the appeal.
And if you remember grandma's tree, I bet you'll also recognize the shiny brite ornaments that most likely adorned it, eh? Well, as it turns out, these old-school ornaments are just as popular today as they were back in the day.
That's why I still have plenty of colorful and festive brite ornaments on my Christmas tree. You know those shiny ones that you can't possibly miss.
But first let me give you a bit of a history lesson, okay? They were first created by Max Eckardt, a German ornament maker who had the idea to coat glass ornaments with silver nitrate.
And thus, this is why they became so popular in the '40s and '50s. When World War II started, Mr. Eckardt moved the company to America.
In fact, they became so popular that Mr. Eckardt partnered with the Corning Glass Company in Corning, New York, so he could have more inventory. Wow, I find that's so fascinating.
In I939, the Woolworth company ordered 235,000 ornaments — and they sold for just two cents each. Oh my goodness, can you imagine that today? I wish, ha, ha! I bet they're a lot more expensive now. That's right.
But later in the '40s and '50s, the glass company started to offer them in red, green, gold, pink, and blue hues. If you can believe it, by the mid-'40s, they were selling over 300,000 ornaments per day.
I know that I am holding on to mine for dear life. And I'm always so careful not to break any because they remind me of my childhood so much.
And I, for one, am pretty thrilled with that idea. I'd love to buy some more of these pretty ornaments to keep our Christmas tradition going strong.
If so, do they remind you of your childhood, too? I absolutely love memories like these, and I'll do anything to preserve them, that's for sure. This is one Christmas tradition I don't want to let go of, oh no.
