A fascinating and rich history of New Year's toys. What are Christmas decorations? Names of Christmas toys for the Christmas tree

It's time to make our homes more comfortable, give them a festive look and fill them with joy and anticipation of the New Year. The Christmas tree is one of the main attributes of this holiday. So let's get it out of the box christmas balls, garlands, rain and serpentine. And here questions arise. What kind of Christmas tree to choose? In what style to decorate it?

Live or artificial Christmas tree

When buying a tree, we have two options: a natural tree grown in a special nursery, or an artificial tree from a store.

If you're leaning towards a natural Christmas tree, here are a few tips on how to choose a live Christmas tree New Year and under what conditions it should be kept.

Before buying, first check the leaves (needles). They must be green. Try moving them around a bit and see if they fall off.

A recently cut tree can be identified by its smell. Breathe a little on the tip of the twig and feel pleasant pine aroma. If this does not happen, the green beauty will not please your eyes for long.

Then carefully inspect the trunk. It should not show any signs of any fungus or disease. You will see dark spots on the cut, know that the tree was cut down a long time ago.

Finally, you have chosen the Christmas tree of your dreams and are happy to return home. Of course, I immediately want to install it in order to bring the feeling of the New Year closer. However, at first it is better to hold it on the balcony or in the garage, so that she doesn't fall apart from sudden temperature changes.

While the Christmas tree adapts to a higher temperature within a few hours, decide on its place in the house. Remember that in order for the tree to stay green longer, it is preferable to put it away from heat sources, for example, batteries or a fireplace.

The next step is to clean the bottom of the trunk from the bark and apply a series of shallow cuts for easier absorption of moisture. Then place the New Year's beauty in a specially designed stand with water or in a bucket of sand. Add a spoonful of sugar and an aspirin tablet to a bowl of water for a delicious pine scent.

So that the tree does not dry out, add water periodically. Approximately a couple of times a week. In the case of a bucket, immediately pour a liter of water and add a little glycerin. If you spray needles and twigs with water from a spray bottle once a day, the tree will be doubly grateful to you.

By the way, in the spring you can plant a live Christmas tree in your garden, if you have one. Just imagine how much joy it will be! Especially in children.

On the other hand, have artificial trees has its advantages. They tend to be cheaper, come in a variety of colors, their branches hold up decorations better, and are less likely to cause a fire. You choose!

Christmas tree decor

Currently, the variety of decorations is amazing, but there are several traditional ones, without which almost no decoration of the Christmas tree can do.

Firstly, these are balls rooted on thorny branches and entrenched in traditions like the New Year itself and Christmas.

Secondly, tinsel. Another classic decoration that gives our tree splendor and shine.

Thirdly, holiday electric garlands, which, like small miracle lights, radiate magic. When you turn them on for the first time and the tree lights up, some kind of switch clicks inside you, and your mood improves. Joy circulates through the veins. The smile doesn't leave your face.

And finally, Her Majesty is a star on top.

Decorate the Christmas tree with electric garlands

If we include garlands in the design of the Christmas tree, we will give our tree a brighter solemn look. Begin?

First of all, we are all waiting for an exciting lesson. We need to unravel the tangle of wires and light bulbs that we took out of the box. After that, tangled headphones seem like nothing. Is it true?

Do not rush to hang a garland. First stretch the garland on the floor and connect it. Check if all bulbs are working. Replace if necessary.

Now let's start decorating the beauty. Remember first of all we hang garlands and then Christmas toys. Take the end of the wire, without the plug, and begin to wind the tree from top to bottom in a spiral, preferably away from the trunk. So the tree will look more spectacular. Then, in the same way, braid the Christmas tree with a second garland, placing the lights on the tips of the branches. If you see fit, add a few more garlands. Plug them into an outlet and enjoy the beauty.

And on a note, when you go to bed or leave the house, turn off the garlands from the outlet.

And now the most interesting. Hear the drum roll!

Examples of Christmas tree decorations in different styles

Red, white and green- three colors that are primarily associated with the New Year and Christmas, like Santa Claus and tangerines. Hang red and white balloons, bows and stars on green branches.

golden tones- one of the most traditional decoration options. Decorate the Christmas tree with golden balls, ribbons and figurines.

New Year's Christmas tree in scandinavian style breathes harmony and tranquility. It is not replete with many bright flowers and garlands. White color prevails in the design. Simple elements are great as decorations: white balls and snowflakes, small silver decorations and pine cones, for example.

If you have children, decorating the Christmas tree will inevitably end up mixing all colors of the rainbow and a mix of various figures. But there is nothing wrong with that, on the contrary! The house will acquire a funny and certainly unique look. Dress up the tree with your kids, imagine everything as a game, let your imagination and creativity run wild. Together you will create your original style, imbued with the spirit of the New Year and Christmas.

white tree in multi-colored toys looks very elegant.

Do you want to impress relatives and children in a pleasant way? bizarre curved Grinch tree will delight everyone around you.

Christmas Tree Decoration Ideas for children's room.

If you just want home warmth and comfort, look at these cute, endearing Christmas trees.

prefer more sumptuous decoration? Use extravagant decorations, ribbons, twigs of other plants.

Replace red with apple green and cream. Add more natural elements: cones, flowers, twigs, figurines of birds or animals. And create your own unique natural, elegant style.

Do you love the sea and the beach? Show your love, decorate the Christmas tree in a nautical theme! Shells, dried sea stars, ropes, anchors - this is the decor that reflects the marine style.

There is a desire to arrange white Christmas tree in modern style? How do you like the combination of white, black and gold stripes and polka dots decor? Black feathers with shiny golden tips look very exotic.

You might think, black trees- a bit sad and depressing. However, if they are decorated properly, they will look chic. They look best with rich metal jewelry in gold and silver, as well as white and lilac.

Do the last two options above seem too eccentric? Dress up a living tree using black and white jewelry, photos and garlands with printed words. The tree will look very original!

Bright red ribbons are a beautiful classic but worth adding checkered texture, and the tree will instantly change.

Two types of ribbons, medium and small balls, several large elements and twigs - this is the recipe for a luxurious New Year's decoration.

White, silver and pink colors wonderfully harmonize with each other. Long live romance!

Without Pink colour the design is no less touching and light, maybe more wintery. But with the onset of evening, when the lights light up, image snow queen melts before your eyes.

Look how tender the Christmas tree looks with white flowers and balls, lightly powdered with artificial snow (in the photo on the left). The tree in the photo on the right looks great due to silvery purple color.

New Year is not always snowy, but you can always create winter fairy tale in the house. Wrap your Christmas tree in a thick snow blanket that will remind you of childhood winters or winter trips to the mountains.

But what is curious: there is a trend in general do not decorate the Christmas tree. Maximum naturalness. Only the bottom of the Christmas tree is made out. As they say, everything ingenious is simple.

What is one of the most important new year holidays? Of course, this is a Christmas tree. It is near this green beauty that miracles happen, gifts appear and the whole family gathers. But before that, we need to work a little: hang toys on the Christmas tree and decorate the apartment with Christmas decorations. In Europe, as in our country, it is customary to dress up a fluffy beauty with Christmas tree decorations. Let's combine business with pleasure today: decorate the Christmas tree together and learn English vocabulary on the topic "Christmas Decorations".

Christmas tree in English

It all depends on what kind of tree we are talking about. If you mean a tree that grows in the forest, then you should remember the phrase fire tree(fir, spruce, tree), word spruce(spruce, conifer) or word pine tree(pine). But if you are talking specifically about the Christmas tree on English language then know what it will be christmas tree. You can cut down a real Christmas tree christmas tree farm. Of course, there are also bazaars where you can easily buy a living tree.

If you are a supporter 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 Christmas 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. Someone hangs toys of exactly the same color, while others try to alternate various colors, and still others hang absolutely everything that is 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.

At the very top of the tree, we usually hang a star ( 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 decorations will be in English 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 Christmas decorations in English, you will need the words ribbon(ribbon), candles(candles) and candy cane(candy in the form of a cane).

candy cane

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

Personalized Christmas ornaments
You can also hang Christmas socks near the Christmas tree ( christmas stocking). Thus, you can receive gifts not only from Santa Claus, 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 a better name would be Poinsettia(poinsettia, Christmas star). Also, do not be surprised if you meet flowers christmas cactus(Christmas cactus), holly ( holly) or mistletoe ( mistletoe). As we remember from the films, it is customary to kiss under the mistletoe during the Christmas season. So be careful, or vice versa, 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, missing home.

Poinsettia

Home decoration for Christmas

Many of us try to decorate not only the Christmas tree, but also dress up the whole house. You can hang tinsel throughout 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 wreat 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 figurines) or Christmas yard/lawn decorations.

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

christmas wreath

We hope that thanks to this article, you have learned not only what the New Year decorations are called in English, but also got a couple of ideas on how you can decorate your house for the New Year. Cut out snowflakes, paint on windows, and hang tinsel. After all, the expectation and decoration for the holiday sometimes even excites a little more than the New Year itself.

Shutikova Anna

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 welcome holiday in the memory of those over thirty, despite its certain simplicity, scarcity and unpretentiousness of dishes. holiday table.

The trend to celebrate in the manner of yesteryear is only growing. And a party in the American style no longer inspires contemporaries so much, I want to dress up fragrant needles with old Christmas tree decorations, and place cotton wool, nuts and tangerines under it.

Christmas tree variety

The Christmas tree was decorated with an abundance of assorted ornaments. Particular attention is drawn to the old Christmas decorations on clothespins, allowing you to place them anywhere on the tree, even at the top or in the middle of a branch. This is Santa Claus, and the Snow Maiden, Snowman, Squirrel, bump, month or flashlight. Toys of a later version are all kinds of 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 festive composition. A considerable responsibility fell on the one who decorated the Christmas tree - after all, a fragile product shattered into fragments with the wrong movement, so it was a privilege to manage the preparations for New Year's Eve.

From toy story

The traditions of decorating the New Year's tree came to us from Europe: it was believed that edible items - apples, nuts, sweets, placed near the Christmas tree, were able to attract abundance in the new year.

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

The toys of the 17th century were inedible and consisted of gilded cones, objects in foil based on tin wire, cast in wax. In the 19th century, glass toys appeared, but they were available only to wealthy families, while middle-class people decorated the Christmas tree with knocked down cotton, fabric and plaster figures. Below you can see what the old Christmas 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 old Christmas tree athletes, skiers in funny jerseys, 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, simple to make, which were gradually supplemented and transformed before another, more fun variety appeared. Dolls with multi-colored skin symbolized the friendship of peoples. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, pleased with their natural color.

Grandfather Frost became a popular long-liver for 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. Gradually, his fur coat also changed: it could be made of foam, wood, fabric or plastic.

In 1935, the ban on official celebration was lifted, and the release of New Year's toys. The first of them were symbolic for some; they depicted state attributes - a hammer and sickle, flags, photos of famous political figures, others became a display of fruits and animals, airships, gliders, and even the image of the Khrushchev era - corn.

Since the 1940s, toys have appeared that depict household items - 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 you can’t find, taking out a bag of old Christmas tree decorations from the attic.

On the fronts New Year's needles decorated with spent cartridges, shoulder straps, made from rags and bandages, paper, burnt out light bulbs. At home, old Christmas toys were built from improvised means - paper, fabric, ribbons, eggshells.

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

Starting from the 50s, toys for miniature Christmas trees appeared on sale, which were conveniently placed in a tiny apartment and quickly sorted out: these are cute bottles, balls, animals, fruits.

At the same time, old Christmas 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 "grew" on the Christmas tree, and even sheaves of wheat.

In 1955, in honor of the release of the Victory 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, vintage glass bead Christmas decorations 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 and snow-covered pyramids, icicles, and cones are popular.

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

From the 70-80s, toys of their foam rubber and plastic began to be produced. Christmas and village themes turned out to be dominant. Updated cartoon characters: Winnie the Pooh, Carlson, Umka. In the future, mass production of Christmas tree decorations became the norm. A fluffy snowball has come into fashion, with the hanging of which it is not always possible to see the rest of the decorations on the Christmas tree.

Closer to the 90s, bright and shiny balls, bells, houses are leading in production, and they are more fashionable, 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 toys

Pressed factory cotton toys were produced on a cardboard basis and were called "Dresden". After they improved somewhat and began to be covered with a paste diluted with starch. Such a surface protected the figurine from dirt and wear.

Some made their own. When the whole family gathered, people created Christmas tree decorations using a wire frame and painted them themselves. Today it is not difficult to recreate such old Christmas toys from cotton wool with your own hands. This will require: wire, cotton wool, starch, egg white, a set of gouache paints with brushes and a little patience.

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

Without wire, with the help of cotton wool and glue, you can make balls and fruits, and also use a paper base instead of metal somewhere. 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 the pictures. This is exactly what the old Christmas tree decorations made of cotton wool were like - light enough to hang them on a threaded thread or put on branches.

Snowman

Everyone is familiar with the old Christmas tree toy Snowman made of cotton wool of the 1950s, which was later produced from glass and is currently a collector's item. Retro style clothespin decoration is a great gift for Christmas.

But vintage wadded Christmas decorations in memory of past years, as already mentioned, can be created independently. To this end, first make a wire frame, and then wrap it with cotton wool, periodically dipping your fingers into the glue. The body is first wrapped with newsprint or toilet paper, also soaked in paste or PVA. Wadded clothes are attached over the paper base - 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 in another way, after which they are made convex, glued to the figure and dried.

Toys created by yourself will give the Christmas tree an unforgettable flavor, because they are valuable not for their beauty, but for their originality. Such an item can be presented as a souvenir or complement the main present with it.

balls

Balls in the old days were also popular. But even those 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 garlands in themselves, thanks to which they create a fabulous illumination. Among them there are even phosphoric, glowing in the dark.

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

The old papier-mâché Christmas decorations were also extremely good: these are balls of two halves that you can open and find a treat inside them. Children love such unexpected surprises. Hanging these balloons among others or as a garland, they add an interesting twist and make for a fun mystery or gift discovery event that will be remembered for a long time.

A papier-mâché ball can be made independently using napkins, paper, PVA glue, having first prepared a mass for its layer-by-layer formation. To do this, the paper is soaked for a couple of hours, squeezed out, kneaded with glue, and then applied to the balloon in half. When the layer becomes dense to the touch, it can be decorated with ribbons and beads, painted with paints, and various applications can be pasted. But the most interesting thing is a gift hidden inside a kind of box without a lock. Both a child and an adult will be truly delighted with such an original packaging!

beads

Ancient Christmas decorations in the form of beads and large glass beads 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 grandchildren from grandmothers. Bicycles, airplanes, satellites, birds, dragonflies, handbags, baskets were also made from glass beads.

A series of toys with an oriental theme, released in the late 40s and retaining its popularity, represented such characters as Hottabych, Aladdin, oriental beauties. The beads were distinguished by filigree forms, hand-painted, 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 according to the old 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 on their own.

They glow in the dark and give the Christmas tree a unique charm. It seems that these are 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 like contemporary specimens. If there were gaps between the branches, they tried to fill them with cotton wool, garlands and sweets.

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

paper toys

Many old do-it-yourself Christmas toys - plastic, paper, glass - were created by hand, so they looked very cute and charming. To repeat this masterpiece, you need very little time and materials.

A cardboard ring (for example, left after scotch tape) is decorated inside with an accordion made of colored paper, and outside with sparkles and snow. An accordion can be of different colors or interspersed with tabs, for which you should bend a rectangle of paper of a different color and place it inside the ring.

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

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

Toys made from other materials

The following materials open the field for fantasy:

figurines made of cardboard and buttons (pyramids, patterns, little men);
felt, the solid edges of which allow you to cut out any details and bases for toys;
used disks (in an independent form, with a photo pasted in the center, in the form of an element - a mosaic crumb);
beads, which are collected on a wire, give it the desired silhouette - a heart, an asterisk, a ring, complement it with a ribbon - and such a pendant is already ready to decorate the branches;
egg tray (moisten, knead like dough, form and dry figures, color).

For the manufacture of ball toys from threads: inflate a rubber ball, smearing it fat cream, dilute PVA glue in water (3: 1), put the yarn of the desired color in a bowl with glue solution. Then start wrapping the inflated balloon with a thread (it can be replaced with a thin wire). Upon completion, leave it to dry for a day, after which the rubber ball is gently blown off and pulled through the threads. You can decorate such a toy with sequins to your taste.

Of course, the most uncomplicated, but interesting way creating and transforming existing balls - decorating them with artificial or natural materials: wrap the ball in a cloth, add a ribbon, paste over with acorns, wrap it with a cord with rhinestones, put it in a wire with beads, attach beads, tinsel stones with a syringe with glue.

Where to buy vintage toys

Today, you can find old Christmas toys made of cotton wool or tinsel in the manner of past years at city flea markets. As an option, you can consider online auctions, online stores offering products from the era of the USSR. For some sellers, such jewelry is generally antiques and is part of the collection.

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

On the New Year holidays, you should pay attention to the exhibitions of old Christmas decorations, which are often organized in museums. The spectacle looks like a hall with a huge Christmas tree covered with Soviet-era toys from top to floor. On the walls there are stands with New Year's copies of the past, on which you can track the entire history of their transformation and even take a picture. IN new year holidays Admission to some museums is free.

And when there is a living Christmas tree in the house, decorated with Soviet-era toys, lights are shining and garlands are hung or candles are burning, all that remains is to turn on your favorite film "The Irony of Fate" and sit around the festive table with the whole family, as well as present your loved ones with New Year's souvenirs of your own making.

Publications in the Traditions section

In the 21st century, it has become fashionable to decorate a Christmas tree with toys. self made. Today, balls are sewn from felt and rags, knitted from thread, folded from paper or even Lego. But still, with special trepidation and love, we take out old balls that have been preserved from grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

“A tree lit by lanterns or candles, hung with sweets, fruits, toys, books, is the joy of children who have already been told what good behavior and diligence in the holiday will appear a sudden reward ... "
"Northern Bee", 1841

The first Christmas tree decor in Rus' was designed to demonstrate abundance, so New Year trees were decorated with burning candles, apples and dough products. And in order for the Christmas tree to become bright and sparkling, decorations shimmering in the light were added: tinsel, gimp (thin metal threads), sparkles. In combination with burning candles, the effect of the play of light made the green beauty even more radiant and solemn.

From the middle of the 19th century, special artels began to operate, which were engaged in the production of garlands, Christmas decorations, as well as chains made of thin foil, tinsel and rain.

“The Christmas tree was bent from a lot of toys and sweets, it was blazing with a cheerful happy fire, crackers were crackling, sparklers suddenly flashed and crumbled into stars.”
Sergey Potresov. "A Christmas Story"

glass toys

Meeting of the New Year. 1950s Photo: ITAR-TASS

An old Soviet Christmas tree toy-airplane in the Museum of Christmas tree decorations "Klinskoye Compound", Klin. Photo: P. Prosvetov / photobank "Lori"

The first glass toys: balls, beads, spherical mirror objects in the form of spotlights and icicles - appeared on Russian Christmas trees in the middle of the 19th century. They were heavier than modern ones because they were made of thick mirror glass. Initially, most of the glass jewelry was foreign-made, but very soon they began to be made in Russia as well.

“Buying a glass toy for a Russian inhabitant of the late 19th century was the same as buying a car for a modern Russian.”
Sergei Romanov, toy historian and collector of Christmas decorations.

It was in Rus' that they came up with the idea of decorating a spruce with women's jewelry - glass beads. The whole family was engaged in their manufacture: glassblowers blew small balls, women dyed beads, and children strung them on a thread. This craft was most widespread in the Klin district, where the Yolochka factory was later founded, and now it produces New Year's garlands.

Production of the Klin association "Herringbone", 1982. Photo: A. Semekhina / Newsreel TASS

Old Christmas toy - clown. Photo: Y. Zobkov / photobank "Lori"

Old Christmas toy - corn. Photo: Y. Zobkov / photobank "Lori"

In the late 1930s, heroes of children's literature appeared on the Christmas trees - Ivan Tsarevich, Ruslan and Lyudmila, brother Rabbit and brother Fox, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Crocodile with Totosha and Kokosha, Dr. Aibolit. After the premiere of the movie "Circus", circus-themed figurines became popular. In honor of the development of the North, Christmas tree paws were decorated with figurines of polar explorers. At the same time, filigree and hand-painted ornaments on an oriental theme appeared: Aladdin, the old man Hottabych, the sorcerer Chernomor.

During the war years, figurines of tank planes, Stalinist armored cars were hung on Christmas trees. They also made figurines from military shoulder straps and improvised materials, such as medical bandages.

New Year's composition. Photo: S. Gavrilichev / photo bank "Lori"

An old Christmas toy in the form of a Soviet airship. Photo: Y. Zaporozhchenko / photo bank "Lori"

Only after 1947 did the production of toys on a “peaceful” theme begin: New Year trees were decorated with fairy-tale characters, forest animals, fruits and vegetables.

After the release of the film "Carnival Night" in 1956, the famous Clock toys appeared - with hands set five minutes before midnight. In the 70s and 80s, cones, bells and houses were the most popular.

In addition, in the USSR, the Christmas tree was decorated with toys that reflected the ideals and aspirations of the communist state. So, on the same Christmas tree, vegetables and fruits, spaceships and submarines, figures of men in national costumes coexisted together. different peoples, factories and plants, domestic and wild animals, athletes.

Papier mache

Museum of Christmas decorations "Klinskoye Compound", Klin. Photo: S. Lavrentiev / photo bank "Lori"

Papier-mâché (a dense substance consisting of paper pulp mixed with glue, plaster or chalk) was widely used in the Soviet Union. In the USSR, the production of toys from papier-mâché was manual and consisted of a number of lengthy operations: molding, filling, priming, polishing, painting, painting with intermediate drying at a temperature of 20 to 60 °. The range mainly consisted of realistic figurines of people and animals. Bertolet salt coating made the surface of the toys more dense and gave them a soft sheen. New Year's masks and figures were created using vacuum casting large sizes for the Christmas tree (Santa Claus and Snow Maiden). Such toys were light in weight, but not inferior in strength to pressed ones.

For 20 years now, the artist, historian and restorer Sergei Romanov has been collecting children's toys: dolls, soldiers, teddy bears, doll furniture, crockery, pedal cars... And especially Christmas decorations. There are about three thousand items in his collection: cotton dolls from the 1930s, airships, papier-mâché vegetables and fruits from the 50s, and plastic Santa Claus from the 1970s. Until January 18, the Bulat Okudzhava Cultural Center on the Arbat is hosting the exhibition “Christmas Tree. Candle. Two balls. Using her example, the collector Romanov spoke about the one and a half century history of the New Year's toy.

I was 14 years old when we got a kitten. By the New Year, the kitten had turned into a big, well-fed cat. And this cat saw a decorated Christmas tree for the first time. And stunned. First, he knocked down those toys that hung below with his paw, and then contrived and jumped right onto the Christmas tree. And the tree, although it was fixed on an iron tripod, lay full length across the room. In one minute I lost all the most beautiful and beloved toys. To restore what was lost, I began to look for and buy old Christmas decorations ...

(Total 21 photos)

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Source: lenta.ru

Toys from the collection of Sergei Romanov. All photos: Pavel Bednyakov / Lenta.ru

1. Angel, early 20th century

The custom of decorating a Christmas tree for the New Year appeared in the Middle Ages among the Germanic peoples. Since ancient times, the Germans have revered spruce as a sacred tree - a symbol of immortality. Every year in days winter solstice they cleaned their houses spruce branches believing that the good spirits of nature live in the needles. Since the 16th century, spruce has become a symbol of Christian Christmas. In Germany, Holland, England, a tradition appeared to put a whole coniferous tree in the house and hang decorations on its branches. For the first three centuries, these decorations were exclusively edible. Apples are like a memory of the fruits of paradise that grew on the tree of knowledge. Unleavened wafers - instead of prosvirok, symbolizing the body of Christ. And of course, marshmallow, gingerbread and nuts, which were gilded with real gold leaf. Actually, real Christmas decorations appeared only at the end of the 18th century. In those years, decorations made of fir cones covered with gold plating, silver-plated stars made of straw and small figures of angels made of chased brass were very fashionable.

My grandmother often recalled how candles were lit on the Christmas tree. These candles were small, like for a cake, in iron candlesticks. On the branches they were fastened so as to turn the flame outward. And they lit it only once - on Christmas night. And on the same night, buckets of water and sand were placed under the Christmas tree along with gifts - to avoid a fire.

2. Boat. Late 19th - early 20th century

First Christmas balls appeared in Thuringia, in the city of Lausche, in 1848.

Laush has long been famous for its glassblowers. And then one day, one master decided to decorate a Christmas tree for his children on Christmas. But he was very poor. There was not enough money for fruits and sweets. And then he blew apples, lemons, gingerbread and nuts out of glass. The toys turned out so beautiful that there was a rumor about them. And soon, not only the inhabitants of Lausch, but throughout Germany began to order glass decorations for Christmas.

3. Christmas grandfather. Cotton toy, chromolithography. Late 19th - early 20th century

At first, glass Christmas decorations were made of thick heavy glass, and from the inside - for shine - they were covered with a layer of lead. But in the 1860s, a gas works was built in Lausche. With the help of gas burners, glass could now be heated to very high temperatures, and glassblowers began to make thin, elegant gizmos. Balls with gold and silver patterns, angel heads, strawberries, icicles, cones… For a long time, German glassblowers kept the secrets of their craftsmanship a secret, so until the 20th century, Christmas decorations were made only in Germany, from where they were exported to other countries: England, Holland, France , Russia.

4. Christmas grandfather. Glass. Late 19th - early 20th century

In Russia, they began to celebrate the New Year on January 1, 1700, by decree of Peter I. He also ordered, in imitation of the Dutch, to decorate the gates and doors of houses with spruce branches. Toys were not hung on these branches, and Christmas trees were placed mainly on the roofs of drinking establishments. The very first Christmas tree, decorated with candles, toys and garlands, was installed in St. Petersburg in 1852 - it is believed that this custom was started by the wife of Emperor Nicholas I, Alexandra Fedorovna, who was born and raised in Prussia.

From that moment on, decorating a Christmas tree for Christmas has become very fashionable. However, there was one difficulty. Glass jewelry brought from Germany was very expensive. At the turn of the 20th century, toy dealers asked for 20 rubles for one glass ball, and they could take 200 for a set. And this despite the fact that for 20 rubles in those days you could buy a cow, for 200 - a house near St. Petersburg.

5. Boy on skis, glass balls. Late 19th - early 20th century

Cotton toys have become an alternative to expensive glass decorations. You could buy them at the store, or you could make your own. Around Christmas, many women's magazines told their readers how to make a do-it-yourself cotton figurine.

Here is an excerpt from a magazine from the beginning of the 20th century: “We cook paste. For 1 and 1/2 cups of water, take 2-3 tablespoons of starch, bring to a boil. Then we make a frame from the wire. We divide the cotton wool into strips, moisten it with a paste and wind it on a wire. You can also use the papier-mâché technique. That is, stick pieces of paper soaked in paste on the frame. We fix it all on the frame with the help of threads. We dry the toy for two days. Then we paint.

6. Children on a sled. Cotton toys with porcelain faces. Late 19th - early 20th century

A wide variety of figurines were made from cotton wool: angels with wings, birds of paradise, girls on skates and boys on skis. Often the heads of these pupae were porcelain. Die-cut sheets with chromolithographic images were also sold in stores. From these sheets it was possible to cut out the faces of the same angels, children or Santa Clauses and stick them on a cotton or fabric toy.

7. Christmas grandfather. Cotton toy, chromolithography. Late 19th - early 20th century

Also, before the revolution, Christmas decorations using the Dresden carton technique were very popular in Russia. These were figures glued together from two halves of embossed cardboard, tinted with gold or silver paint. They have been machine-made in Dresden and Leipzig since the 19th century. These figures were sold in the form of sheets with embossed details that had to be squeezed out, cut out and glued on their own.

In Russia, Dresden cartonage could be ordered by mail. It cost quite affordable. 40 kopecks - for a sheet of simple figurines in the form of birds, bunnies, elephants, lions. 1 ruble 20 kopecks - for voluminous figures: silver cannons, airplanes, horse-drawn carriages ...

8. Star. Mounted toy. Glass. Late 19th - early 20th century

Factory production of Christmas decorations was first established in Russia during the First World War. At that time, there was a glass factory in the city of Klin, which had belonged to the princes Menshikov since 1848. Lamps, bottles and vials for pharmacies were made from colored glass in this factory. Captured German soldiers got to Klin during the war. It was they who taught Russian craftsmen how to blow Christmas balls and beads out of glass.

9. Christmas grandfather. Chromolithograph. Late 19th - early 20th century

We owe the First World War to another decoration, without which it is impossible to imagine a modern Christmas tree - the top in the form of a spire. Throughout the 19th century, the top of the Christmas tree was decorated with either the Star of Bethlehem or a figurine of Jesus Christ. They were usually made from Dresden cardboard and illuminated with candles for greater effect.

With the beginning of the First World War, the rise of patriotism in both Germany and Russia was so high that shishaks, the tops of soldier's helmets and helmets, were put on the tops of the Christmas trees. In the Soviet years, the Star of Bethlehem was replaced by a red Kremlin star, but the cone was preserved and was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It could be in the form of a spire, it could turn into a rocket taking off, or it could be decorated with bells on a twisted wire.

10. Christmas tree with cotton toys. Second half of the 1930s

In 1925, the custom of celebrating Christmas was banned in the Soviet Union. In the next ten years, Christmas trees in our country were not decorated. But on December 28, 1935, the Pravda newspaper published an article by the first secretary of the regional party committee Pavel Postyshev entitled “Let's organize a good Christmas tree for the New Year for children!”.

From this moment begins the era of the Soviet Christmas decorations. In terms of technology, Christmas tree decorations of the 30s did not differ too much from pre-revolutionary ones. As before, toys were made by hand by craftsmen. As before, they were made from Dresden cardboard, cotton and glass. But the plots became different - the biblical characters were replaced by Red Army soldiers, sailors, pioneers and collective farmers in red scarves with a sickle in their hands. Also, the hut on chicken legs, ruddy athletes and a janitor with a broom were popular with Soviet citizens.

11. Ball in honor of the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution. Glass. 1937

Christmas decorations of the pre-war years can be easily understood how the country lived. 1935 The film "Circus" with Lyubov Orlova in the title role was released - cotton clowns, acrobats and trained dogs appeared on the Christmas trees. In the same year, the metro opened - and now the Christmas trees began to be decorated with miniature red Metropolitan caps. 1937 20th anniversary of the October Revolution. By this date, a glass ball was made: four portraits on red panels - Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin. And in 1938, Moscow artels for the production of Christmas tree decorations produced a series of cotton figurines in honor of Papanin's expedition to the North Pole. It included: a polar explorer with a bear planting a red flag at the North Pole, the North Pole station and a skier delivering mail. In addition to cotton toys, a glass ball was also made with the image of a Papanin with a dog in the camp near the tent.

12. Letter from Santa Claus. New Year card. Mid 20th century

A special type of Christmas toys - bonbonnieres. They were also called surprises. These were small, beautifully decorated boxes in which sweets or small gifts were hidden. Bonbonnieres began to be made in the 19th century - from the shell walnut or from matchboxes. They were given the appearance of houses, books, drums. In the 1930s, they were also hung on the Christmas tree. But they were designed in accordance with the Soviet ideology. There was, for example, a surprise - a mailbox. There was a house with a red flag - the district council. And there was a planer - an instrument of the proletariat. After the war, bonbonnieres quietly disappeared. But it has become fashionable to hang chocolate figurines in foil on the Christmas tree - hares, bears, Santa Clauses. In the 1950s, you could buy a Help Me Get Dressed chocolate bar in stores. There was a picture of a baby on the wrapper. And inside there is a leaflet with clothes that could be cut out and a rhyme:

“It’s not good for me to sit like that,
So I can catch a cold.
Help me get dressed
Help me warm up."

13. Santa Claus. Cotton toy, 1930-1940s

The top of the New Year tree in the Soviet years was crowned with a red five-pointed star - like on the Kremlin towers. Santa Claus was standing under the tree. It was a tribute to tradition.

In pre-Petrine times in Rus', Father Frost was represented as an old man with a gray beard, who ran through the fields and caused bitter frosts with a knock. At Christmas time, it was customary to invite him into the house and feed him kutya - to appease him. The image of the Christmas grandfather, who gives gifts to children, appeared only at the end of the 19th century - in imitation of the European Santa Claus. In Russia, Santa Claus in those days was associated with Nikolai Ugodnik, the patron saint of travelers and children.

14. Snow Maiden. Cotton toy. 1930-1950s

But the granddaughter of Santa Claus appeared only in the Soviet years. In 1937, a children's Christmas tree was arranged for the first time in the Hall of Columns of the House of the Unions. Santa Claus was the host of this holiday. But he needed an assistant. At first, the organizers of the Christmas tree wanted to appoint the Snowman-mailer as such an assistant. But then they remembered the heroine of the play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "Snegurochka" - a beautiful fair-haired girl fashioned from the snow.

At the end of the 30s, the figurines of the Snow Maidens began to be placed under the Christmas tree. They were made from cotton wool or papier-mâché. In one version, the Snow Maiden was a proletarian girl in morocco boots and with a red flag.

15. Steam locomotive. Embossed cardboard. 1930s-1940s

Airplane wing matte ball. Budennovites are walking along it. Above the Budennovites there is an inscription: "Happy New Year 1941!" In the Soviet Union, everyone was waiting for this year, wondering what it would bring? He brought the Great Patriotic War. However, even in these difficult years for the country, people continued to decorate Christmas trees - in the rear, in hospitals, in the trenches on the front line. And they continued to make Christmas decorations. They were made from everything that was at hand. They took light bulbs, painted them in different colors, painted cherries and flowers. From waste copper wire spinning butterflies and dragonflies.

16. Airships. Glass. 1930s-1940s

In January 1943, shoulder straps were introduced in the Red Army. Both soldiers and officers began to make toys for the Christmas tree from them. Airplanes assembled from glass beads and tubes, as well as glass airships, emok-type cars, cardboard cannons, tanks and figurines of the border guard Karatsupa with the Hindu dog, which have been preserved since pre-war times, were also popular.

17. Clock. Glass. 1950s-1960s

In 1946, January 1 was declared a public holiday. New Year's Eve is real national holiday. And toys are massive. In the 1950s and 1960s, several factories of Christmas decorations were opened at once - in Moscow, Leningrad, Klin, Kirov, Kyiv. New items appeared: toys on clothespins and miniature toys for artificial baby Christmas trees.

Christmas decorations in these years were very different. In the 1950s, after the release of the film " Carnival Night”, glass watches became very fashionable, the hands on which froze at “twelve to five”. In the time of Khrushchev - figurines of astronauts and ears of corn. And in the 1970s - shells, houses with snow-covered roofs, spotlights and balls called "radio waves".

“Radio waves” began to be made even before the war. These were balls with a pattern of circular lines. The pattern was applied with phosphor paint, and the balls glowed in the dark.

18. Hare with a drum. Glass. 1950s-1970s

Fairy tale toys were very popular in the 1960s and 1980s. Basically, it was not news. As early as the 1930s, artels made cotton ornaments in the form of Russian heroes. folk tales or poems by Korney Chukovsky. In those years, in many houses, huts on chicken legs, lame bast shoes or a cockroach in red boots hung on Christmas trees. And when in 1935 the Tales of Uncle Remus were translated into Russian, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox settled in the needles.

19. Clown with a pipe. Glass. 1950s-1970s

In the era of developed socialism, whole fabulous sets appeared: "Golden Cockerel", "Little Muk", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Cipollino". The same fairy tale was produced for years and in different factories. At the same time, the appearance of the characters could change. This is clearly seen in the old woman from The Tale of the Goldfish. At the beginning of the issue, the old woman is quiet, standing, holding on to her jacket. But at the end, she already has her hands on her hips.

20. Glass toys 1960-1980s

In the 1970s and 1980s, many of the most different toys: bells, figurines of animals, genies, girls in fur coats. Among the balls, the main one was a large polystyrene ball with a rotating butterfly inside. These balls were sold all year round, they were blue, red, green, purple. The kids thought they were magical.

Probably, there was not a single child who did not want to take this butterfly out of the ball. Once I myself came out of the store with such a ball and around the corner made it about the asphalt like this: bam! The ball crashed, I got the butterfly. But outside the ball, she no longer spun. And all the magic is gone.

21. Lady with a snowball. Porcelain doll. Late 19th - early 20th century

For reference: among collectors, toys released before 1966 are considered rare. All the value of toys released after this date is in the memories.