Bergen, Norway For the ultimate in gingerbread architecture, the end-all and be-all is without a doubt the Gingerbread City of Bergen. While gingerbread is popular throughout Europe, and gingerbread construction projects a favorite activity for Christmas celebrants around the world, no one takes gingerbread more seriously than the good citizens of Bergen, Norway. Every … [Read more...]
NATIONAL GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION
Asheville, North Carolina Gingerbread is not only the most traditional of Christmas cookies; it is also widely held to be the world’s most structurally sound edible substance. Whether or not this is a good thing is debatable. However, what is a fact is that the construction of gingerbread houses has become a wildly popular holiday tradition, and one that has been raised to … [Read more...]
HOPCROFT BAKERY
Market Drayton, England Gingerbread cookies are one of the holiday season’s great culinary traditions. Gingerbread was probably introduced to Europe as early as the 17th century, but did not become popularized in Christmas cookie form until much later. The earliest recorded major producer of gingerbread was a bakery in the west England town of Market Drayton, which was … [Read more...]
SNOW GLOBE MUSEUM
Vienna, Austria Snow Globes have been around since the 19th century, and have long been associated with two traditions: the holidays, and tacky tourist souvenirs. However, thanks to the efforts of serious artists, as well as prominent appearances in the movies Elf and The Santa Clause, the snowglobe is once again becoming a favorite Christmas collectible. There are few … [Read more...]
NUTCRACKER MUSEUM
Leavenworth, Washington The Nutcracker Museum, located in the unlikely but very picturesque town of Leavenworth, Washington is the largest such museum in the United States and possibly the world as well. This museum, which was built to “foster and encourage interest in… the evolution of the Nutcracker” is the brainchild of Arlene Wagner. Mrs. Wagner, a former local ballet … [Read more...]
STEINBACH NUTCRACKER WOODWORKS
Hohenhameln & Marienberg, Germany To children of all ages, Christmas is the time of year for the giving and receiving of toys; and no toy is as evocative of this magic season as the Nutcracker doll. Created by innovative woodcarvers in the rich forestlands of Central Germany, Nutcracker dolls have been around at least as far back as the 16th century, possibly even … [Read more...]
KRAKOW NATIVITY SCENE COMPETITION
Krakow, Poland Nativity scenes may have been introduced in Italy and popularized in France, but no one takes their Nativity scenes more seriously than the innovative and enthusiastic residents of Krakow in Poland. The idea of the Nativity scene arrived in Poland sometime in the late Middle Ages in the form of local plays and, in child-friendly adaptation, puppet shows. The … [Read more...]
SANTONNIER’S FAIR
Marseilles, France What Lauscha is to Christmas tree ornaments, Marseilles is to the Creche, or Nativity display. The artisans of Marseilles did not create the idea of a Nativity Scene. That honor actually goes to Francis of Assissi, who organized the first living Nativity Scene in Greccio, Italy in the 13th century. The performance was such a wild success that it was … [Read more...]
MURANO GLASSWORKS
Venice, Italy With the advent of the popularity of glass Christmas ornaments, it is not surprising that Venice, home to the world’s most famous glassmakers, was soon involved. By the late 1800s, the production of Christmas ornaments became one of the most important niches of the Venetian glass industry. During the holidays Venice’s major shopping thoroughfares are filled … [Read more...]
LAUSCHA GLASSWORKS
Lauscha, Germany While the earliest Christmas trees were documented in Central Europe sometime in the early 16th century, the first true Christmas ornaments did not appear until three hundred years later. During that long intervening period, the Christmas tree decorations of choice consisted primarily of edible treats. Sometime in the 1840s, a glassblower in the small town … [Read more...]
