Covid Gift Guide: Handmade Ornaments from Around the World

Decorating for the holidays is a huge deal for many people, with many bringing out treasures that have been handed down for generations. Ornaments and stocking stuffers can be great small gifts that delight young and old. But, just because something might be small in size, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily “cheap”. The handmade community tends to have a great selection of lower priced ornaments, but small treasures can also reflect high skills that demand an investment. It all depends on the goal: to build an unusual collection or to find fun trinkets to give away. I love watching the old British Pate movie clips and have seen lots of them shot in workshops from the early to mid 1900’s. I found this odd one of two women making ornaments for export:

And, here are some Christmas balls in the making:

It’s astonishing to watch the old footage and see how commercial these holidays have been for such a long time. And, yet, they are a time where many pass on traditions or create new ones. This year, we have covid-19 to deal with, dashing our gatherings and making them deadly. So many families are struggling as the world deals with shuttered businesses, illness and even death. We have gone through this before and can only hope that vaccines will come soon and make us safe again. The important thing is that even if our normal behaviors are disrupted, we can make this a season of love and peace. My father was a very poor farm boy when he was young, in post Depression USA. His Christmas stocking had an orange, a treasure and rarity back then. May we all appreciate what we have and learn to live simply!

Meanwhile, we also want to support our artists and fair trade groups. If you are sending out gifts this year, have a look at these treasures!

Guatemalan Fair Trade Embroidered Ornaments

MayaMam Weavers- Guatemalan fair trade ornaments

MayaMam Weavers have a Holiday Collection which includes a beautiful woven stocking, ornaments and table top mats and napkins. They are a fair trade collective in Guatemala and have been able to improve their quality of life a great deal through the sale of their woven products. A couple of years back, each weaver was able to purchase a propane stove! Their children are going to school and they are all learning leadership skills.

www.mayamamweavers.com/collections/holiday-collection

Japanese Temari Balls

Temari Ball Ornaments by Yarndance

India practices an ancient Japanese art called temari which involves wrapping threads into beautiful designs. Any of her balls can be made into ornaments. Many people collect them and display them in a bowl for the rest of the year.

www.etsy.com/shop/YarndanceKnitTemari

Embroidered textile pins from Switzerland

Embroidered textile pins

Felt ornaments from Central Asia

HoonArts Fair Trade ornaments and gifts with owner, Rikki Quintana

Wooden Bird House Ornaments

Nelsonwood bird house ornament, turned in Texas

Bryan makes these beautiful little birdhouse ornaments which come with their own stand so that they can be displayed year round. His crochet hooks and kaleidoscope eggs would make great stocking stuffers!

Bird house ornaments:  www.nelsonwood.com/miniature-bird-houses.html

Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/NELSONWOOD/

Embroidered doll ornaments from Australia

Embroidered doll ornaments by AllThingsPretty

Debra Dorgan makes these cute little dolls from embroidery and textile remnants and they would look wonderful dancing on a tree! She also has a small pair of slippers in her shop, so make sure to look for them.

www.etsy.com/shop/AllThingsPretty

I hope you have enjoyed our little ornamental world tour! If you are on Facebook, check out our photos on our page for more ideas!  Click here.

These are tough times for so many and we hope that all of you stay safe and find ways to celebrate and connect with those whom you love.