December '19

We are fairly certain about who began profiting off of the production of Christmas decorations at the end of the 16th century. It was a German named Hans Greiner from the town of Lauscha, which lies about 80 kilometers west of the Czech city of Aš. The proximity to the source, however, did not influence Czechs, who resisted the charm of the Christmas tree and glass spheres deep into the 19th century.

Even despite the strongly rooted glassmaking tradition, glass Christmas decorations were still being imported into Czechoslovakia in as late as 1933. During the economic crisis, Czech glass manufacturers finally grabbed Christmas decoration production by its dangling spheres. Several seasons were enough for the Czech ornaments to penetrate the market of the entire Christmas-celebrating world. In December, we thus commemorate not only Jesus’ birthday, but also the exceptional success of the glassmaking industry in the Czech lands and Central Europe in general.