But before we dust off our boxes filled with last year’s decorations, we took a look at where tinsel and baubles came from – and the reasons for both is quite interesting.

Tinsel was created in Europe in the 1600s and while it’s thought of as the flimsiest decoration, it was developed by hammering paper-thin silver alloy until it was paper-thin and cut into strips. People then added to trees to reflect the flickering of candle flame

 
And the thought of that is making us feel all cosy inside!

Meanwhile, baubles were created with a more symbolic meaning behind them. The idea for baubles originated from the Roman tradition to hang fruit from trees.

Over time, the tradition transformed into baubles and became a popular practice in the 1800s, when inventor Hans Greiner produced glass ornaments in the shape of fruits and nuts, which, we have to admit, sounds like something we’d buy now. No wonder they became so popular…