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. We are all sticker shocked by the rise in food and gas prices and there are horrific wars, natural disasters, and climate change effects happening that are affecting millions of people right now. 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 which he loved! 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 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

Flying Beaded Wildlife from South Africa

Unique Batik is a Fair Trade retailer working in several countries. I thought this beaded elephant was cute! They also have a giraffe and a hippo here. They have ornaments from other countries as well. Go here:

https://uniquebatik.com/filterSearch?q=ornament

Carved Gourds from Peru

Felt Ornaments from Central Asia

Embroidered Doll Ornaments from Australia

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.debradorgan.com/artful-figurines

Hand Blown Glass from the US

Thomas Spake lives in Tennessee, USA, where he has his studio.  He creates gorgeous blown ornaments!  He also teaches glass blowing there.

https://www.thomasspakestudios.com/collections/6191

I hope you have enjoyed our little ornamental world tour!  The thing with these ornaments is that most can be used all year long as small decorations. And, they do not always have to do with the Christmas story. They could be used as Hanukkah or Kwanza gifts; as a thank you, a birthday gift, something for a teacher and so much more! 

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. 

Our Ornaments Category

Here are some random products from the ornaments we have in our Market.

See more here.