home › Children › List of all possible toys for the Christmas tree. Home Decoration for Christmas

List of all possible toys for the Christmas tree. Home Decoration for Christmas

A small digression: at a time when Americans, on the eve of the New Year, run to the store and feverishly buy glass toys and jewelry made by the hands of Russian and Ukrainian craftsmen, we buy with no less excitement plastic crafts, produced on an assembly line in the outskirts of China. It turns out that your own is not fashionable, imported is an indicator of taste. But let’s talk better about what kind of jewelry generally exists, regardless of the manufacturer.

How to decorate a Christmas tree - numerous offers from counters and the fruits of creative imagination

Once you go to a Christmas tree decorations store, you will literally get lost in the entire assortment of toys presented there. IN large quantities there are traditional glass and plastic balls various colors and sizes. Such New Year's decorations for the Christmas tree are an indispensable attribute of the New Year's tree outfit.

Also in great demand are plastic figures angels, snowmen, animals and birds. Plain or multi-colored, with or without gilding - they can be a wonderful addition to a holiday decoration that will bring a touch of grace to your home. general style“robes” for the Christmas tree.

Well, and, of course, Garlands- these products, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow, produced in a large number of types, will be useful not only for decorating an apartment Christmas tree, interior, but will also be appropriate when decorating the facades of buildings, trees and street fir trees. And if they are used exclusively for the street LED garlands, for the optimal selection of which even a catalog of Christmas tree decorations is created, then homemade paper analogues made by children and their parents would also be appropriate at home. And if you add to this tinsel, snowflakes and rain, then your beauty will acquire an outfit that seems to be saturated with frosty freshness and morning frost.

And now the moment has come when all the decorations for the Christmas tree and the interior have been purchased and made. It's time to think about festive decoration table. Delicious dishes are, of course, great, but we shouldn’t forget about the New Year’s mood when eating them. Read the article “Decorating the New Year's table” and you will learn how to make a festive meal truly New Year's.

What is one of the most important signs of the New Year holidays? Of course, this is a holiday tree. It is around this green beauty that miracles happen, gifts appear and the whole family gathers. But before that, we need to do a little work: hang toys on the tree and decorate the apartment with Christmas decorations. In Europe, like here, it is customary to dress up fluffy beauty Christmas tree toys. Let's combine business with pleasure today: decorate the Christmas tree together and study English vocabulary on the topic “Christmas decorations.”

Christmas tree in English

The whole point here is what kind of tree we are talking about. If you mean a tree that grows in the forest, then you should remember the phrase fir tree(fir, spruce, fir tree), word spruce(spruce, conifer) or word pine tree(pine). But if you are talking specifically about the New Year tree in English, then know that it will be Christmas tree. You can cut down a real Christmas tree at Christmas tree farm. Of course, there are also bazaars where you can easily buy a live tree.

If you are a supporter of artificial Christmas trees, then you need to know the phrase artificial christmas tree. And Christmas trees decorated with fake snow will be called flocked Christmas tree. Artificial cones can also hang on such trees ( pine cone).

For the tree itself you need a stand ( tree stand) and a “skirt” covering the bottom of the tree ( tree skirt).

Christmas decorations

Each family has its own traditions on how to properly decorate the Christmas tree. Some people hang toys of strictly one color, while others try to alternate various colors, and still others hang absolutely everything in the house on the Christmas tree (just like the New Year’s cartoon about Prostokvashino). But in any case, you should remember what all these Christmas decorations are called.

We usually hang a star at the very top of the tree ( a star). And in English-speaking countries it is customary to plant an angel on the top of the Christmas tree ( an angel). In general, any decoration on the top of the Christmas tree can be called Christmas tree topper.

Christmas tree decorations in English will be Christmas ornaments or tree ornaments, and Christmas tree lights - Christmas lights. If you love tinsel, then write down the word tinsel. Also, for a complete set of vocabulary for New Year's decorations in English, you will need the words ribbon(ribbon), candles(candles) and candy cane(candy in the shape of a cane).

Candy cane

In English-speaking countries it is common to do custom jewelry to the Christmas tree. For example, you can order a toy online with your last name written on it. Or the decoration could have your photo on it. It is called personalized Christmas ornaments.

Personalized Christmas ornaments
You can also hang Christmas socks near the tree ( Christmas stocking). This way you can receive gifts not only from Father Frost, but also from Santa Claus.

Flowers for Christmas

In English-speaking countries, it is customary to buy a special red flower that symbolizes Christmas. Sometimes this flower is simply called Christmas flower. But more correct name will Poinsettia(poinsettia, Christmas star). Also, don’t be surprised if you see flowers Christmas cactus(Christmas cactus), holly ( holly) or mistletoe ( mistletoe). As we remember from the movies, it is customary to kiss under the mistletoe during the Christmas season. So be careful, or, on the contrary, hang it everywhere (it depends on your plans for the coming year). Just in case, remember this English vocabulary. You never know, suddenly you find yourself on a holiday among the English who are homesick.

Poinsettia

Home Decoration for Christmas

Many of us try to decorate not only the Christmas tree, but also the whole house. You can hang tinsel around the house, buy a special New Year's tablecloth ( holiday tablecloth) or decorate the house with bows ( bow) and bells ( bell). It is customary to hang a special Christmas wreath on the door ( Christmas wreath h). In front of a house in Europe you can often see figurines associated with the holiday. For example, deer pulling a cart, or funny snowmen. It is called lawn figures(lawn figures) or Christmas yard/lawn decorations.

You can also hang a Christmas flag in front of your house ( Holiday flag), and put a bow or some kind of decoration on the mailbox ( Bow or decoration for the mailbox). Children love to put special stickers on windows ( Christmas window stickers) or throw artificial snow everywhere ( artificial snow).
And of course you will need a lot of Christmas tree garlands ( Christmas tree light).

Christmas wreath

We hope that thanks to this article, you learned not only what New Year's decorations are called in English, but also got a couple of ideas on how else you can decorate your home for the New Year. Cut out snowflakes, draw on the windows and hang tinsel. After all, waiting for and decorating for the holiday sometimes even excites you a little more than yourself New Year.

Shutikova Anna

6,783 views

What could be in the family “Christmas tree suitcase”? Toys made of plastic, glass, cardboard, foam, cotton wool, wood. Factory and homemade. On strings and on special clothespins-stands, making the toy stand and not hang on a branch. Cotton or rubber Santa Clauses and Snow Maidens. Finally, accessories: tinsel, rain, garlands - from flags or electric...

Christmas decorations, like any products, are items for purchase and sale by collectors. Moreover, some old Christmas tree decorations “from the mezzanine” can enrich you - sometimes one rare copy can earn you 150 thousand rubles!

Old Christmas tree decorations from the mezzanine can enrich you

For one copy you can earn 150,000 rubles (article “MK” for December 26, 2017)

It's time to put up a Christmas tree in the house and take out the old suitcase from the mezzanine. The same one where Christmas tree decorations, arranged with cotton wool and newspapers, live most of the year. Here is a ball that we bought last year, here is a garland from the eighties, and at the bottom of the box are the oldest toys, even grandma’s. We take them, hang them on the Christmas tree - and do not suspect that collectors are killed for these balls, bunnies, bears and other lanterns. And they are ready to pay more than one thousand rubles for them.

“MK” figured out which of the toys could be valuable not only for the soul, but also from a financial point of view.

What could be in the family Christmas tree suitcase? Toys made of plastic, glass, cardboard, foam, cotton wool, wood. Factory and homemade. On strings and on special clothespins-stands, making the toy stand and not hang on a branch. Cotton or rubber Santa Clauses and Snow Maidens. Finally, accessories: tinsel, rain, garlands - from flags or electric...

The fewest questions are with plastic toys. They appeared in our everyday life in the 1990s, so, most likely, you yourself remember how and when they appeared in the collection. To become a rarity, these toys will have to wait another half century. The main thing is not to rush to throw it away if you don’t like it: maybe your children and grandchildren will like it.

Next - everyone's favorite glass toys: balls and figures. They have been produced since ancient times to this day. Each glass toy - handmade: No one has yet developed the technology for stamping thin-walled glass. Both blowing and painting are individual, even though the toy was made in a factory. Here, determining the age and rarity of a toy is not easy - you need to leaf through catalogs (they are also available on the Internet).

Some are hunting for certain series of toys,” collector Inna Ovsienko told MK. - For example, “Peoples of the USSR”, “Tales of Pushkin”. This last series, by the way, was an anniversary one - timed to coincide with the centenary of the poet’s death, it was launched in 1937. It became one of the first Soviet series of glass Christmas tree decorations in general.

The axial date for domestic Christmas tree decorations is 1936. It was then that the celebration of the New Year with a traditional Christmas tree began to be welcomed by the state again. Throughout the 20s and early 30s, the tree (as an attribute of the old Christmas tradition) was uprooted and destroyed. Pioneers were shamed for decorating a Christmas tree in their house; the neighbors looked askance at those who took out the Christmas tree in January, so it had to be done secretly, at night... But suddenly it was allowed, and all the Christmas tree rituals were restored. Only, of course, without angels and crosses on the branches and top of the head. New time - new symbols.

Propaganda toys were blown out of glass,” says Ovsienko. - These are stratosphere balloons made of glass beads, and blown airships, and red glass bead stars on top of the Christmas tree... If you have such a toy, it’s enough to find out when this or that propaganda campaign was going on (for example, the airship is from 1937), and the date of manufacture toys is approximately clear.

Post-war toys are brighter and more varied, and also more “childish” - without politics. Bears with and without accordions, geese and swans, fish and vegetables. The balls are simple and the “lanterns” are those in which the lights of the garland should be reflected. Santa Clauses and Snow Maidens - in stock. But bugles - toys made from stringed beads and glass cylinders - have been declining since the mid-1950s. Complex, low-tech, old-fashioned and dangerous: children love to taste toys...

The next material is cardboard covered with a layer of multi-colored foil. These toys are very old, pre-war. These were produced by various artels back in the twenties, almost underground: they put up Christmas trees, albeit secretly, which means there was a demand for toys. Take care of them - they are already rare! Although they don’t fight, it would be a shame to give this to children or animals. Moreover, collectors sometimes pay tens of thousands of rubles for cardboard toys (as well as for pre-war glass ones).

Wartime toys have a special story,” says collector Inna Ovsienko. - At the Moscow Kalibr plant they started producing toys from production waste - substandard light bulbs and so on. Quite a lot of them were made, but more than 70 years have passed, so now such toys are rare and valuable.

Well, the oldest toys - cotton and wooden ones - may well be of pre-revolutionary origin. By the way, then most of the toys were homemade - so if your family has jewelry from those years, it is quite possible that your great-grandfather and great-grandmother made them with their own hands.

A separate song - cotton Santa Clauses and Snow Maidens. Until the 1950s, their faces were sculpted from clay by hand, later polymer substitutes were used. This “chapter” of the New Year tree is the characters that you can look into the eyes of and be imbued with the holiday atmosphere.

Real collectors of Christmas tree decorations do not measure their value in money,” Ovsienko smiles. - Much more valuable is the spiritual importance for the family. I always discourage people from selling family toys- after all, it is with them that family history comes to life every year on the New Year tree. If you lose it, then you can’t buy it for any money.

HELP "MK"

How much do collectible Christmas tree decorations made in Russia/USSR cost:

Thumbelina on a swallow (cotton wool, papier-mâché, early 20th century): RUB 32,500.
Set “15 republics of the USSR” in a box (cotton wool, 1962) - 65,000 rubles.
Border guard Karatsupa with the dog Ingus (cardboard, 1936) - 150,000 rubles.
Little Negro (cotton wool, 1936) - 14,000 rubles.
Set “Doctor Aibolit” (glass, 1950s) - 150,000 rubles.
Mizgir from the “Snow Maiden” set (glass, 1950s) - 20,000 rubles.
Pioneer (glass, 1938) - 47,000 rubles.

With age, there is a desire to remember childhood, to plunge into nostalgia, to touch associations that will awaken bright and pleasant emotions. For some reason, the New Year in the style of the times of the USSR remains a bright and desirable holiday in the memory of those over thirty, despite its certain simplicity, scarcity and unpretentiousness of dishes festive table.

The trend to celebrate in the manner of yesteryear is only growing. And a party in the American style is no longer so inspiring to contemporaries; you want to decorate fragrant pine needles with old Christmas tree decorations, and place cotton wool, nuts and tangerines under it.

Christmas tree variety

IN Soviet time the tree was decorated with an abundance of assorted decorations. Special attention The antique Christmas tree decorations on clothespins are striking, allowing them to be placed anywhere in the tree, even at the top or in the middle of the branch. This is Santa Claus, Snow Maiden, Snowman, Squirrel, pine cone, moon or lantern. Toys of a later version are all kinds cartoon characters, funny clowns, nesting dolls, rockets, airships, cars.

Icicles, cones, vegetables, houses, clocks, little animals, stars, flat and voluminous, beads together with cotton wool, flags and garlands of small light bulbs created a unique holiday composition. The one who decorated the Christmas tree had a considerable responsibility - after all, the fragile product would shatter into fragments if moved incorrectly, so it was a privilege to manage the preparations for New Year's Eve.

From Toy Story

Traditions to decorate Christmas tree came to us from Europe: it was believed that edible items - apples, nuts, candies, placed near the Christmas tree were able to attract abundance in the new year.

Vintage Christmas tree decorations from Germany, like current ones, form a trend in the field of New Year's decorations. They were very fashionable in those years fir cones, plated with gold, silver-plated stars, figurines of angels made of brass. The candles were small, in metal candlesticks. They were placed on the branches with the flame facing outward, and were lit exclusively on Christmas night. In past times, they had a huge cost per set; not everyone could afford them.

The toys of the 17th century were inedible and consisted of gilded pine cones, objects in foil with a base of tin wire, cast in wax. In the 19th century, glass toys appeared, but they were available only to rich families, while middle-income people decorated the Christmas tree with beaten cotton, fabric and plaster figurines. Below you can see what the old Christmas tree decorations looked like (photo).

In Russia there were not enough raw materials for the production of glass-blowing jewelry, and imports were expensive. The first were ancient Christmas tree decorations made of cotton wool: athletes, skiers in funny sweatshirts, speed skaters, pioneers, polar explorers, wizards in oriental outfits, Santa Clauses, traditionally with a big beard, dressed “in Russian”, forest animals, fairy tale characters, fruits, mushrooms, berries, easy to make, which were gradually supplemented and transformed before another, more cheerful variety appeared. Dolls with multi-colored skin symbolized the friendship of peoples. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers delighted with their natural colors.

Grandfather Frost became a popular long-liver in many countries - a weighted figure made of cotton wool on a stand, which was later purchased at a flea market - with a face made of polyethylene and other materials. His fur coat gradually changed: it could be made of foam, wood, fabric or plastic.

In 1935, the ban on the official celebration was lifted, and the production of New Year's toys was launched. The first of them were symbolic: some depicted state attributes - the hammer and sickle, flags, photos of famous political figures, others became displays of fruits and animals, airships, gliders and even the image of Khrushchev's time - corn.

Since the 1940s, toys have appeared depicting household objects - teapots, samovars, lamps. During the war years, they were made from production waste - tin and metal shavings, wire in limited quantities: tanks, soldiers, stars, snowflakes, cannons, airplanes, pistols, paratroopers, houses and what not you will find when you take out a bag of old Christmas tree decorations from the attic.

At the fronts, New Year's needles were decorated with spent cartridges, shoulder straps, made from rags and bandages, paper, and burnt out light bulbs. At home, ancient Christmas tree decorations were made from available materials - paper, fabric, ribbons, eggshells.

In 1949, after Pushkin’s anniversary, they began to produce figurines of characters from his fairy tales, to which other fairy-tale heroes were subsequently added: Aibolit, Little Red Riding Hood, Dwarf, Little Humpbacked Horse, Crocodile, Cheburashka, fairy-tale houses, cockerels, nesting dolls, and fungi.

Since the 50s, toys for miniature Christmas trees have appeared on sale, which could be conveniently placed in a tiny apartment and quickly taken apart: these are cute bottles, balls, animals, fruits.

At the same time, ancient Christmas tree decorations on clothespins were now common: birds, animals, clowns, musicians. Sets of 15 girls were popular national costumes, promoting the friendship of peoples. From that time on, everything that could be attached to the tree “grew”, and even sheaves of wheat.

In 1955, in honor of the release of the Pobeda car, a miniature appeared - Christmas decoration in the form of a glass machine. And after the flight into space, astronauts and rockets glow on the needles of the Christmas trees.

Until the 60s, antique Christmas tree decorations made of glass beads were in fashion: tubes and lanterns strung on wire, sold in sets, long beads. Designers are experimenting with shape and color: figurines with relief, elongated pyramids, icicles, and cones “sprinkled” with snow are popular.

Plastic is beginning to be actively used: transparent balls with butterflies inside, figures in the form of spotlights, polyhedrons.

From the 70-80s they began to produce toys made from foam rubber and plastic. Christmas and country themes turned out to be dominant. Cartoon characters have been updated: Winnie the Pooh, Carlson, Umka. Subsequently, mass production of Christmas tree decorations became the norm. Fluffy snowball has become fashionable, and when hung, it is not always possible to see the rest of the decorations on the tree.

Closer to the 90s, bright and shiny balls, bells, houses are in the lead in production, and in them the trend of fashion is more felt, and not the movement of the human soul, as before the 60s.

There is a possibility that in the future, faceless glass balls will fade into the background, and the old ones will acquire the value of antiques.

DIY cotton wool toys

Factory pressed cotton toys were produced on a cardboard basis and were called “Dresden”. Afterwards they improved somewhat and began to be covered with a paste diluted with starch. This surface protected the figurine from dirt and rapid wear.

Some made them themselves. When the whole family got together, people created Christmas tree decorations using a wire frame and painted them themselves. Today it is not difficult to recreate such ancient Christmas tree decorations from cotton wool with your own hands. For this you will need: wire, cotton wool, starch, egg white, a set of gouache paints with brushes and a little patience.

First, you can draw the desired figures on paper, draw their base - a frame, which is then made from wire. The next step is to brew the starch (2 tablespoons per 1.5 cups of boiling water). Take the cotton wool into strands and wrap it around the frame elements, moistening it with paste and securing it with threads.

Without wire, using cotton wool and glue, you can make balls and fruits, and also use a paper base instead of metal. When the toys are dry, they should be covered with a new layer of cotton wool and soaked in egg white, which allows you to work with thin layers of cotton wool, penetrates into inaccessible areas and prevents the base material from sticking to your fingers.

The layers of cotton wool need to dry well, after which they are ready for painting with gouache; you can draw details, accessories on them, and insert faces from pictures. This is exactly what ancient Christmas tree toys made of cotton wool were like - light enough to hang them on a threaded thread or place them on branches.

Snowman

Everyone is familiar with the old Christmas tree toy Snowman made of cotton wool from the 1950s, which was later produced from glass and represented on this moment has a collectible value. Retro style clothespin decoration - great gift At Christmas.

But antique cotton Christmas tree toys in memory of past years, as already mentioned, can be created independently. For this purpose, they first make a wire frame, and then wrap it with cotton wool, periodically dipping their fingers into the glue. The body is first wrapped in newspaper or toilet paper, also soaked in paste or PVA. On top paper base attach cotton clothing - felt boots, mittens, fringe.

To begin with, it’s a good idea to dip the material in water with aniline dyes and dry it. The face is a separate stage: it is made from salt dough, fabric or another method, after which they are made convex, glued to the figure and dried.

Toys created independently will add an unforgettable flavor to the Christmas tree, because they are valuable not for their beauty, but for their originality. Such an item can be presented as a souvenir or added to the main present.

Balls

Balls were also popular in the old days. But even those of them that have survived to this day, albeit with dents and hollows, have a unique charm and still attract admiring glances: they concentrate the light of the garlands, thanks to which they create a fabulous illumination. Among them there are even phosphorus ones that glow in the dark.

Clock balls, reminiscent of a New Year's dial, were placed on the tree in a visible or central place. The arrows on them always showed five minutes to midnight. Such ancient Christmas tree decorations (see photos in the review) were placed just below the top, after the most important decoration - the star.

Antique Christmas tree decorations made of papier-mâché were also extremely good: these are balls of two halves that can be opened and you can find a delicacy inside them. Kids love these unexpected surprises. When hung among others or as a garland, these balloons add interesting variety and make for a nice mystery or gift discovery event that will be remembered for a long time.

You can make a papier-mâché ball yourself using napkins, paper, PVA glue, first preparing the mass for its layer-by-layer formation. To do this, the paper is soaked for a couple of hours, wrung out, mixed with glue, and then placed in half on the inflatable ball. When the layer becomes dense to the touch, it can be decorated with ribbons and beads, painted with paints, and various applications can be glued on. But the most interesting thing is the gift hidden inside a peculiar box without a lock. Both children and adults will be truly delighted by such original packaging!

Beads

Ancient Christmas tree decorations in the form of beads and large bugles were placed on the middle or lower branches. Particularly fragile specimens still have their original appearance due to the fact that they were carefully stored and passed on to their grandchildren from their grandmothers. Bicycles, airplanes, satellites, birds, dragonflies, handbags, and baskets were also made from glass beads.

A series of oriental-themed toys, released in the late 40s and retaining their popularity, featured characters such as Hottabych, Aladdin, and oriental beauties. The beads were distinguished by their filigree shapes, hand-painted patterns, and were reminiscent of Indian national patterns. Similar decorations in oriental and other styles remained in demand until the 1960s.

Cardboard toys

Embossed cardboard decorations on mother-of-pearl paper are wonderful Christmas tree decorations using ancient technology, made in the form of figures of animals, fish, chickens, deer, huts in the snow, children and other characters on a peaceful theme. Such toys were bought in the form of sheets in a box, cut out and painted independently.

They glow in the dark and give the tree a unique charm. It seems that this is not simple figures, but real “stories”!

Rain

What kind of rain was used to decorate the Soviet Christmas tree? It was a vertical, flowing sheen, far from the voluminous and fluffy sheen of modern specimens. If there were empty spaces between the branches, they tried to fill them with cotton wool, garlands and sweets.

Some time later, horizontal rain appeared. Under the tree it could be partially replaced with foam plastic.

Paper toys

Many antique DIY Christmas tree decorations - plastic, paper, glass - were created by hand, so they looked very cute and charming. To replicate this masterpiece, you need very little time and materials.

A cardboard ring (for example, left over from tape) is decorated on the inside with an accordion made of colored paper, and on the outside with glitter and snowballs. The accordion can be of different colors or with inclusions, tabs, for which you should bend a rectangle of paper of a different color and place it inside the ring.

Make embossed balls from holiday cards you can use the following scheme: cut out 20 circles, draw full-size isosceles triangles on them on the wrong side, each side of which will serve as a fold line. Bend the circles outward along the marked lines. Glue the folded edges of the first five circles together front side outward - they will form top part ball, five more - similarly to the bottom of the ball, the remaining ten - the middle part of the ball. Finally, combine all the parts with glue, threading a thread through the top.

You can also make three-color balls: cut them out of colored paper and stack circles, placing two colors next to each other, and fasten them along the edges with a stapler. Then glue the edges of each circle as follows: the lower part with the left “neighbor”, and its part at the top with the right one. In this case, the plates from the stack will straighten out along the connected points, forming a volume. The ball is ready.

Toys made from other materials

The following materials open up the field for imagination:

figures made of cardboard and buttons (pyramids, patterns, men);
felt, the solid edges of which allow you to cut out any parts and bases for toys;
used disks (in their own form, with a photo pasted in the center, in the form of an element - mosaic chips);
collect beads on a wire, give it the desired silhouette - a heart, an asterisk, a ring, add it with a ribbon - and such a pendant is ready to decorate the branches;
egg tray (moisten, knead like dough, form and dry figures, paint).

To make ball toys from threads: inflate a rubber ball, coat it with thick cream, dilute PVA glue in water (3:1), put the yarn of the desired color in a bowl with the glue solution. Then begin to wrap the inflated ball with thread (it can be replaced with thin wire). Upon completion, leave it to dry for a day, after which the rubber ball is carefully deflated and pulled out through the threads. You can decorate such a toy with glitter to suit your taste.

Of course, the most simple, but interesting way to create and transform existing balls is to decorate them with artificial or natural materials: wrap the ball in fabric, add a ribbon, cover it with acorns, wrap it with a cord with rhinestones, put it in wire with beads, attach beads, stones and tinsel using a syringe with glue.

Where to buy vintage toys

Today you can find antique Christmas tree decorations made of cotton wool or tinsel in the style of yesteryear at city flea markets. As an option, you can consider online auctions and online stores offering items from the USSR era. For some sellers, such jewelry is generally considered to be antiques and is part of a collection.

Today you can find ancient Christmas tree decorations in almost any city (Ekaterinburg, Moscow, St. Petersburg, etc.). Of course, many sellers will offer products of the past, recreated according to modern technologies, but even among them there are specimens capable of surprising.

During the New Year holidays, it is worth paying attention to exhibitions of antique Christmas tree decorations, which are often organized in museums. The spectacle looks like a hall with a huge Christmas tree covered with Soviet-era toys from the top to the floor. On the walls there are stands with New Year's copies of the past, from which you can trace the entire history of their transformation and even take photographs. During the New Year holidays, admission to some museums is free.

And when there is a live Christmas tree in the house, decorated with toys from Soviet times, lights are shining and garlands are hanging or candles are burning, all that remains is to turn on your favorite film “The Irony of Fate” and the whole family sits around the festive table, and also present your loved ones with New Year’s souvenirs of your own making.

Christmas decorations- mainly toys designed specifically for decorating a holiday tree.

Christmas tree decoration - old custom which in ancient times had the character of a religious rite. In the Soviet Union, a Christmas tree is a fun children's holiday dedicated to the New Year, a holiday that coincides with the winter holidays of schoolchildren. Decorating the New Year tree came into everyday life as a children's holiday, during which, along with a decorated Christmas tree, every home, school, club, kindergarten, the nursery includes a fairy tale coming to life with its fantastic plots and characters. Items used to decorate the Christmas tree were made bright, colorful, and elegant so that the tree had a festive look.

In the design of Christmas tree decorations big role plays an element of fairy tales - goldfish, Santa Clauses, Snow Maidens, fantastic birds and animals. Even the most ordinary decorations made of cardboard and paper can have decorative colors that do not exist in reality. The themes of Christmas tree decorations are very diverse: fruits, vegetables, trees, animals, human figures, household utensils and apartment furnishings, houses, means of all types of transport, characters from fairy tales, decorative items (beads, tips, balls, pendants, etc.).

During the Soviet period, a wide variety of materials were used to make Christmas tree decorations in various combinations and combinations. The materials had to be light so that the objects made from them would not burden the branches of the tree with their weight. All flammable items, especially cotton wool, had to be impregnated with a fire-resistant composition. For the same reasons fire safety The use of celluloid toys to decorate the Christmas tree was not recommended.

Based on the raw materials and processing technology, Christmas tree decorations can be divided into the following main groups:

1) made of glass (balls, tops or spiers, various pendants, figures of people and animals, beads, etc.);

2) made of cardboard (cardboard): a) stamped (animals, birds, fish, human figures, etc.), b) glued (lanterns, bonbonnieres, houses, baskets, firecrackers, flags, etc.);

3) from tinsel and foil (garlands, Christmas tree “rain”, stars, flowers, baskets, etc.);

4) made of cotton wool (Santa Clauses, fruits, mushrooms, figures of people and animals);

5) items for lighting the Christmas tree (electric garlands, candles, candlesticks).

Christmas tree decorations made of glass- one of the main types of Christmas tree decoration. Without objects (toys) made of glass, the Christmas tree would look poor and boring. The surface of the glass, having an almost mirror-like shine, reflects the Christmas tree lights, endlessly repeating their reflections, and this creates an enchanting picture. Glass Christmas tree decorations are blown from glass darts (tubes). Glass blowing can be done by mouth or mechanically- by means of compressed air on special blowing units. In domestic production, automatic blowing of the simplest types of spherical-shaped decorations from molten glass mass was mastered on rotary machines that produce radio tubes, electric lamps and other glass products. The technique of blowing items for a Christmas tree from glass tubes is simple: a piece of glass dart (tube), heated on a burner, is melted at one end, and air is blown into it from the free end, which expands the walls of the dart in a heated place to a given size. To ensure the correct shape of the product, the dart is slowly rotated from time to time during the blowing process. While the product has not yet cooled down or after additional heating, you can make deflections (holes), stripes (corrugation) or spotlights (recesses) in it with a sharpened stick. This processing is called hand molding. Stamping is done in metal split molds, the inner walls of which have the exact relief of the product. The molded products undergo further processing - silvering, painting and trimming the stem. A cap is put on the processed products, after which the jewelry is packed in boxes, and those that are included in sets are in carton boxes.

Automatic glass blowing for Christmas tree decorations is carried out on automatic carousel-type units. The molten glass mass from the melting furnace enters in strictly dosed quantities into the nests of a slowly rotating machine, where compressed air is supplied using a compressor, blowing the glass mass into a hollow product of a given relief. Finished goods are sent to another machine for cutting the stem. Further processing and finishing of the product is carried out in the usual manner.

According to the finishing method, glass Christmas tree decorations were divided into the following groups:

1) silver plated (amalgamated);

2) painted, including painted with silver;

3) artistically painted on silver, on colored clear or colored glass.

For silver-plated products, mainly colorless (transparent) glass was used. Lead glass could not be used to make such products, since it gives a dark tint to the amalgam.

Christmas tree decorations made of glass in the USSR were made in a varied assortment, which included: spherical or elliptical objects, smooth and with various reliefs; tops in the form of conical tips or five-pointed stars; conical faceted corrugated lanterns; fruits, vegetables, fruits, pine cones, acorns, pears, grapes, etc.; birds and fish, sometimes with inserted tails; figures of animals - dogs, deer, swans, ducks; these products are good in silver, as well as in white and colored glass in combination with one another; dishes and household utensils - samovars, teapots, jugs, vases, etc., they can be silver, painted or with artistic designs; items of equipment - airships, parachutes, boats, cars, tanks; products assembled from small beads and glass beads - airplanes, bicycles, chandeliers, traffic lights, etc. Their shapes are largely conventional, which is due to the characteristics of the source material.

Christmas decorations. Moscow Christmas tree decoration plant

Christmas tree decorations made of cardboard made from thin, good quality wood cardboard.

They were divided into three groups:

1) stamped cardboard,

2) glued cardboard,

3) firecrackers, flags and lanterns.

Stamped cardboard made by stamping in metal forms. Each product consisted of halves, glued together after stamping and die-cutting. Some complex toys (for example, birds, etc.) had additional details. To give the toys a more elegant look, cardboard sheets were covered with aluminum or bronze potting paper before going into production. Sometimes the pasting was done with white paper followed by coloring. For hanging on the Christmas tree, a small loop of thick colored thread was glued into the toy. To paint stamped cardboard, aniline powder paints dissolved in alcohol varnishes or nitro varnishes were used. The painting was done with a spray gun, only some details were painted on by hand (eyes, fins, mouths, etc.). Additional finishing materials included cellophane, colored paper, and rolled paper. The range of stamped cardboard included the following products: stars, comets, shells; animals and birds, insects, fish, reptiles; human figures and various characters from fairy tales; transport items (airships, airplanes, etc.); household items (watches, etc.).

Glued cardboard It was cut out along the cutting contour using die cuts and glued together with light wood glue. The finishing material was glued in the form of stripes, folds and pleats. The finishing material was different types of paper - potal, crepe, glossy, cigarette, as well as textiles of bright colors - silk, plush, velvet, satin and chintz, ribbons, paper lace, soutache, relief pictures and tinsel. The assortment of laminated cardboard included a variety of products: various houses, furniture, household utensils and toys, decorative baskets and bonbonnieres, various lanterns, animal figurines, and transport items. All products made from laminated cardboard had to have hangers for fastening, except for baskets and bonbonnieres, in which a handle could be used for hanging.

Firecrackers were made by pasting a cardboard cylinder with different types of paper and cellophane, trimmed with different types of paper and cellophane, trimmed with paper lace at the ends of the cylinder at both of its edges and tightened tightly. To the firecrackers different sizes surprises were included in the form of caps, half masks, aprons and other paper products.

Flashlights of different shapes were made from corrugated paper. The corrugation was made in the form of an accordion so that the lanterns could be folded. The bottoms and rim were made of cardboard. A wire eyelet was attached to the upper rim.

Checkboxes were made from colored paper or from paper on which a design was printed in several colors. The flags were strung on a thread or braid into garlands consisting of an equal number of flags. Each garland must have free ends of thread or braid at least 15 cm long on each side. The folded garlands were tied into bundles and sealed with a paper parcel.

Christmas tree decorations made of papier-mâché and other pressed paper and wood pulps. From papier-mâché and other pressed paper-wood masses they were made small figures for the Christmas tree, as well as Santa Clauses, Snow Maidens, etc. The manufacturing process - see.

Christmas tree decorations made of tinsel. Tinsel is a cord or thread twisted from metal wire, silk or paper thread. Tinsel threads can be copper, brass, or silver plated. Decorations were not made from tinsel threads alone; the threads were used only as additional material in various types of products. Loops were made from tinsel, on which decorations were hung from the tree, bonbonnieres were tied with tinsel threads, and they served as finishing for products made of cardboard and cotton wool. Tinsel Christmas tree decorations included below listed species products.

Christmas tree decorations made from flattened. Plushenka is a thin copper, silver-coated or brass wire, flattened into a flat strip (hence its name), with a cross-section from 6.025 to 0.05 mm. Garlands, stars, comets, rain, sun were made from flattened stuff; It was also used to decorate objects made of glass, cardboard and cotton wool. The flattened tree has a significant reflective surface - it shines very effectively among the Christmas tree branches and gives the tree a special elegance.

Christmas tree decorations made from gimp. Gimp is the thinnest copper or brass wire, silver-plated, rolled into a thin spiral. Gimp, in contrast to flattened material, has a matte shine, it is very elastic, easily stretches, taking the most intricate shapes. Various figures, frames made of wire are braided with gimp in different directions, resulting in elegant jewelry- butterflies, beetles, swans, flowers, fruits.

Christmas tree decorations made of foil. Foil is a thinly rolled sheet of aluminum or other metal. Beautiful rosettes and stars of various configurations and sizes are made from this material. They are assembled from separately stamped parts, painted with colored varnish in one or more colors.

Christmas tree decorations made of cotton wool. This group primarily includes Santa Clauses.

Santa Clauses- a traditional figure in the assortment of Christmas tree decorations. This is a children's favorite character from folk tales And literary works. Good-natured and cheerful, he was almost always depicted carrying a Christmas tree and a bag of gifts in one hand (or on his shoulder), and a gnarled old man’s stick-staff in the other. Santa Clauses were usually made on stands ranging in size from 15 to 75 cm, but there were figurines and smaller size(hanging) - 10-12 cm. The basis of the figure of large Santa Clauses is a frame made of wood or wire. A head (mask) was attached to the upper part of the body. The hands were made of wire. The entire structure (base) was enveloped in shavings, crumpled paper and gray wool, after which a surface layer of cotton wool was wound and glued with potato starch. Sometimes clothes were made from crepe paper. Santa Clauses were dressed in winter clothes various styles, but mainly, these clothes were an imitation of a tanned or cloth-covered sheepskin coat or jacket. The hat was usually made fluffy with a top in the color of the fur coat. The figure was fixed on a stand covered with cotton wool after the entire structure was wrapped in cotton wool. In addition to the figures of Santa Clauses, large figures of Snow Maidens, as well as skiers, skaters, etc. were made from the same materials. In addition to Santa Clauses made from cotton wool, these figures were also made from sawdust using the hot pressing method. Such figures are more durable and strong than cotton figures. Santa Clauses were also produced, made by paper casting using vacuum machines. Some enterprises produced Santa Clauses using a combined method: the front relief part of the head, hands, etc. was stamped, and the rest of the body was processed by hand. The cotton figures were painted with aniline paints, while the pressed ones were painted with oil paints. Cotton Christmas tree decorations were covered with “snow,” which was made from crushed glass with a fixative made according to a special recipe approved by the State Sanitary Inspectorate. The fixative did not allow the “snow” to fall off. The glue used in the manufacture of Christmas tree decorations from cotton wool contained fire-resistant components to protect the cotton wool from ignition.

Christmas tree lighting. The Christmas tree is especially impressive when brightly lit. The tree was lit with special candles inserted into candlesticks, electric bulbs or garlands of electric lamps. Candlesticks for the Christmas tree were stamped from tin or made of wire. The candlesticks had different devices: 1) with a clip that held the branch like a clothespin; 2) with balance - balancing weight.

For making candlesticks white and black tin 0.3-0.5 mm thick, alcohol varnishes and nitro varnishes were used, enamel paints. The cup of the candlestick into which the candle was inserted had to be no narrower than 0.7 mm and should not be tapered, otherwise the candle would fall out. The candlestick was supposed to have a socket for draining stearin, an elastic spring or a balance that ensured the balance of the candle.

Christmas tree candles were made from paraffin and sold by weight in packs of 25 pieces.

Electric garlands made from small electric lamps. They came with parallel and serial connections. Light bulbs could be simple or figured. Electric garlands were designed for a network of 120 and 220 V.

Christmas tree toy “Snowflake”

Production of Christmas tree decorations in the USSR. Christmas tree decorations were produced by enterprises of the Union industry, mainly the Ministry of Radio Engineering Industry, the Ministry of Electrical Engineering Industry, the Ministry of Instrument Making, as well as industrial cooperation. Industrial cooperative artels produced all types of Christmas tree decorations. The local industry of the Union republics, mainly the RSFSR and the Ukrainian SSR, produced Christmas tree glass, cardboard and cotton decorations. The main production bushes were located near large glass factories - suppliers of dart glass. Historically established industries were located in the Moscow region (Klinsky district), in the Kalinin and Leningrad regions, in Moscow and Leningrad, as well as in Ukraine in Kiev. New enterprises organized during the Soviet period were also grouped mainly in these same places. The best factory of the Ministry of Local Industry of the RSFSR was located in Moscow - the glass Christmas tree decoration factory of the Moscow City Executive Committee Toy Trust. In Moscow there was a factory of cardboard Christmas tree decorations of the same ministry. Large cooperative enterprises for the production of Christmas tree glass were the Optik artel, the Red October artel (beads), as well as the Reshetnikovsky Glass Blowing artel, the Yuzhno-Alferovskaya factory of local industry (Christmas tree glass), the Cooperative Labor artel (cotton decorations, Santa Clauses and other figures made of cotton wool). In Leningrad, the leading role in the production of Christmas tree glass was played by the Kultigrushka artel. Enterprises in Kyiv, Saratov, Lvov, Sverdlovsk, Yerevan, Riga, Minsk and others also produced Christmas tree decorations in a wide range.

Christmas tree toy “Apple”

Requirements for the quality of Christmas tree decorations. For Christmas tree decorations made of glass, it was required that the shape of the products be correct, without noticeable curvature, so that the walls were not too thin and could withstand a light blow with a relaxed finger, so that the silvering was uniform and not dull. Products painted or painted should not have stains or drips on the surface and should not stain hands. It was required that the glass powder, diamond dusting and relief paints did not fall off, that the cutting of the stem (neck) was even, and that the steel wire loop did not fall out of the hole in the stems.

The main requirements for the quality of tinsel products were that these products be well decorated: the rolled pile was evenly and neatly trimmed, and the surface did not have any dark spots. Stamped products made from cardboard were required to have a dense surface without burrs or fringed edges, without folds, cracks, or torn areas on the surface, so that they would be embossed. When gluing, the products had to have tightly and evenly fitted edges, without glue drips or dirty smears on the surface. The extremities of stamped products with only one front side were tinted from the inside. The laminated cardboard had to be well finished, properly shaped, free of stains, and strong enough for shipping and packaging. The firecrackers were required to have the correct cylindrical shape, be neatly glued together, without stains, paper lace The firecrackers should not have been dented. The lanterns had to have a well-attached wire eye on which they were hung from the tree.

Packaging and labeling. Most Christmas tree decorations, due to their fragility, need good packaging. Glass Christmas tree decorations, assembled in sets, were packaged in cardboard boxes lined with cotton wool or lignin inside. Products with artistic designs or decoration were wrapped in soft paper. The boxes were tied with twine and placed tightly in a box with soft padding on all sides. Individual items could be packed with the same precautions in boxes without boxes. When packaging, the use of raw cushioning materials and raw containers was not allowed. Packaging must be careful and tight - without empty spaces; products were selected according to size. On the top lid of the box there were inscriptions: “Top”, “Caution”, “Glass”, “Do not throw”. A packaging label of the established pattern is placed inside the box and glued to the outside. When packaging, tinsel garlands were tied in 10-15 pieces and sealed with paper tape in two places, after which 10 packs were tied. The garlands had to be laid in rows in long boxes (the entire length of the garland) not very tightly so as not to wrinkle the pile of the garland. Paper was placed in the boxes between the rows. In addition, the box had to be lined with paper inside. “Sun” and “comets” were tied together with thin wire, 10 pieces each, and placed in bags, boxes or plywood boxes. Christmas tree “rain” was packed in envelopes of 10 pieces and in packs of 100 envelopes. Stars, wreaths and other Christmas tree decorations were tied with soft wire or ties, 10 pieces per pack. Products made from gimp and rolled paper twisted on wire are placed in boxes and plywood boxes, and large products, in addition, were pre-wrapped in paper. Cotton Santas were placed in boxes individually, small ones - several pieces in boxes, followed by placement in containers. The boxes, bags and boxes in which Christmas tree decorations were packaged had to have a label indicating the name of the product, quantity, name and address of the manufacturer.

Small Christmas tree. Set of Christmas tree decorations.

Sets of Christmas tree decorations and various individual types of products, laid out in symmetrical groups, were displayed in glazed counters. Tinsel garlands, Christmas tree rain, and flags looked elegant when they were hung on nails, brackets and other hanging devices. Carnival masks and streamers were also hung on wall cabinets.

To make it easier for customers to select Christmas tree decorations, it would be desirable to have indicative lists of sets in the store different prices, made up of available Christmas tree decorations. To display Christmas tree decorations, lit, decorated Christmas trees of various sizes were recommended, installed in a store or on a rotating stand.

Christmas decorations. Factory of glass Christmas tree decorations and optical products

New goods. 1960. No. 5

With a diploma from the All-Union Chamber of Commerce

In a spacious and high room with a complex gas supply and ventilation system, the hum of burners does not stop from morning to evening. There are glassblowers at the burners. Their products (although this is not table crystal or decorative glass) are known throughout Soviet Union and in many foreign countries. Glass Christmas tree decorations are made here, without which no one can imagine New Year's celebration. 450,000 - 500,000 products worth about 600,000 rubles are produced per month by this section of the glass and optical toys plant of the Department of Printing Industry and Cultural Goods of the Moscow City Executive Committee. In 1960, the plant for the systematic mass production of consumer goods High Quality decision Expert Council The permanent pavilion of the best samples was awarded a III degree diploma with an annual bonus of 20,000 rubles.

Now the plant team is working on mastering the production of souvenirs from optical ground and polished glass. And yet, the main product of the plant remains glass Christmas tree decorations. At exhibitions in Budapest, Brussels and New York, visitors admired bright, festive pendants, figurines, balls...

It would seem like a simple product - a Christmas tree toy. But how much imagination, ingenuity, patience and labor the factory workers put in so that, reflecting the light of the bulbs, the decorations with multi-colored lights would sparkle on the Christmas tree.

Over 200 types of Christmas tree toys - this is the range of products of the plant. They go on sale individually and in beautifully designed boxes with a cellophane-covered window. And almost every month more and more new types of jewelry appear. This is a great merit of the plant’s artist T.I. Sergeeva. Based on her sketches, shapes are created and toys are painted. Only recently have interesting sets appeared: “Doctor Aibolit”, “Curly”, “Bells”, “Gray Neck”, “ Silver hoof", "Friendship of Peoples", etc. Among the Christmas tree decorations are characters familiar to children from stories, poems and fairy tales: Doctor Aibolit, Grandfather Kokovan, Daryonka, Father Frost, Snow Maiden, Little Red Riding Hood, animals and birds - hare, duck, fox, penguin ...

It’s hard to believe that all these toys are born from simple glass tubes (glass-dart) produced by the Klin and Skhodnensky glass factories. The tubes are calibrated and sent to glassblowers, who give them the required form. In the hands of glassblowers A.K. Chernykh, M.M. Kondrashina, N.K. Deryabkina, V.V. Chirikina, G.P. Evgrafova, V.I. Romashkina and their workmates, “dead” glass tubes come to life.

But what glassblowers make is only a semi-finished product or, as they say, “golyo.” Often “golyo” is silvered or aluminized. Aluminizing is a more progressive method that displaces silver plating. The installation of two aluminizing machines allowed the plant to save 100 kg of silver per year and reduce the labor-intensive production process.

Some toys are coated with clear or colored varnish; in some cases they are painted with an airbrush.

The next processes are drying and painting. An ornament is applied to the toys with a brush or a “stick” (through a piece of paper rolled into a bag). Toys are painted with white and nitro enamel of various colors, also using spray guns. The best colorists of the Christmas tree toys section are R. A. Vaskina and L. N. Poluektov. The ornament they applied, subtle in design and fresh in color, adorns the products.

After coloring, the Christmas tree decorations are processed using a mechanical disc knife (trimming the so-called “whiskers”), metal clothespins or caps are put on them and wrapped in paper or packaged in set boxes.

There was widespread competition among the teams of the Christmas tree decorations site for the right to be called communist labor collectives. The head of the site, I.V. Khayustin, calls the members of the youth brigade R.I. Eremeeva the best among the best.

Other sections of the plant are also operating successfully. The annual gross output is constantly growing, having already reached 17 million rubles. Not in vain high performance in the work of the plant team were noted by the CPSU Republic Committee and the District Executive Committee of the Stalinsky District of Moscow.

In the near future, it is planned to install a centering and sticker machine at the plant, and launch a refrigeration unit, which will greatly facilitate the removal of semi-finished optical products after processing. This will greatly increase product output and raise its quality even higher.