How To Make A German Feather Tree

An antique feather tree with wooden stand.

      A feather Christmas tree is a type of artificial Christmas tree that is one of the first artificial trees ever manufactured by cottage industry in Western Europe. They originated in Germany in the late 19th century and became semi-popular in the United States during the early 20th century.

      In the 1880s or 1890s there grew several environmental concerns involving the deforestation associated with the harvest of Christmas trees in Germany and so the handcrafting of feather trees grew into a popular alternative. The branches were made from sturdy wire and could hold many ornaments. The pine needles were made from goose feathers, that could also be dyed any color under the sun, thereby making the trees desirable as decorative items among more adventurous consumers.

       Although white, pink, and pale blue trees could be found among city dwellers in the later years of production, feather trees were initially made of green-dyed goose feathers which were attached to wire branches. The feathers were split and then secured with wire to form the branches. These wire branches were then wrapped around a central dowel which acted as the trunk. The branches were often widely spaced to keep the real candles clamped on the branches from starting a fire.

      The trees were stored separately from the stands. These stands were either made from turned wooden parts or metal cast music boxes. The fanciest music box stands would also rotate the tree as a little Christmas tune played. 

      Germans also built tiny elaborate villages to set beneath their feather trees. These were and still are called "putz" in Germany. The term was derived from the German verb putzen, which means "to clean" or "to decorate." The Nativity or the Journey of The Holy Family are the most common themes represented beneath German Christmas trees. Germans collect and add new figures to their putz every year and some older collections include many contemporary figures and farm animals that would not realistically be found in a traditional Nativity scene.

How to make a holiday feather tree in the German tradition.

      The enthusiasm for Christmas feather trees was brought to the United States by German immigrants in places such as Pennsylvania and Texas. Benefits touted for feather trees included the elimination of a trip to the tree lot and the lack of shed needles. Today, feather Christmas trees are valued as collectible antiques although there are small companies that still produce and sell them in the United States. 

Find Feather Trees:

• The Christmas Haus
• Tinsel and Feather Trees
• The Vermont Country Store
• My Old Historic House
• Feather Tree Kits

Include Cherry Hut Jellies in That Christmas Stocking!

      Something very sweet and special that my family includes both at the Christmas breakfast table and stuffed into the adult's stockings is Cherry Hut jelly or jam. Our family has vacationed in Northern Michigan for many summers and we never miss multiple visits to The Cherry Hut for cherry pie a la mode. I then usually sneak to the counter to purchase a few Christmas treats while the family is still lingering over their coffee. They have an online shop here.

Make your own jellies and jams for Christmas stockings:

• How to Make Jam, step-by-step
• Canning 101 and Strawberry 
• Kauffmans Homemade Amish Jams, Jellies, Salsa and Pickles
• I love the Amish Grocery in Jamesport, Missouri and often visit there to stock up on homemade jellies and jams for Christmas stockings.
• 100+ Homemade Jam, Jelly & Marmalade Recipes

Parlor Game: Jolly Cobweb Party

I actually hosted several parties for my children when they were young and played this game. It was a real crowd-pleaser.

      "A friend of Polly Evans did something last Christmas that was fine. She gave a Cobweb Party.

      This was really no new idea; cobweb parties were quite the fashion a good many years ago. For the boys and girls of to-day, however, it is a rather novel idea.

      She assembled all her guests in the large drawing room. Here each one was given the end of a string and told to follow the string to the other end, where he would find his gift. These gifts--oh! were they not hidden? In nooks of the attic, in corners of the cellar--here, there everywhere!

      The strings crossed and recrossed each other, and led through nearly every room and hallway in the house.

      You can imagine how often and how unexpectedly the various searchers came face to face and struggled to separate their intertwined strings. 

      The strings were of various colors, so as to be the more easily distinguished for each other. 

      Altogether, the Cobweb Party was a charming success. If not too late, why not try it yourselves to-day? " St. Paul Globe, December 25, 1904

Birds and Animals Share Christmas

      Christmas is not merely a festival celebrated by and for man alone. Among the folk lore of other countries are several quaint stories in which animals and birds give evidence of their adoration. A well-known Bosnian legend offers a version of world adoration --they claim that on the holy day "the sun in the east bowed down, the stars stood still; the mountains and forests shook and touched the earth with their summits, and the green pine tree bent; the grass was beflowered with the opening of blossoms; incense sweet as myrrh pervaded upland and forest; birds sang on the mountain tops and all gave thanks to the great God."

      In Bosnia on Christmas day a sheaf of rye is put into birds' nests and bird houses for the birds' Christmas. A stranger, stranded in a Michigan town was once startled to see a sheaf of rye in a bird box. He knew immediately that one of his kind lived there and was keeping Christmas in the old way.

      An old Indian (Native American) legend tells us that on Christmas night all the deer in the forest kneel in adoration before the Great Spirit. Woe to him, however, who tries to spy upon them. He is punished with perpetual stiffening of the knees.

      Many people of the old world claim that on Christmas night animals are gifted with speech, but none must trespass or eavesdrop.

More Related Content:

• Beautiful Slide Show of Old Serbian Orthodox Christmas 
• Iryna Bilay: In straw weaving each component means something
• Lejlas Story Operation Christmas Child, Bosnian girl, shoe box gift
• Birds in winter by Mrs. A. A. Whetstone

Craft A Wool Lollipop Christmas Ornament

The finished wool lollipop looks surprisingly attractive, I think. This project is ordinarily crafted by little ones, but it just goes to show that the quality of materials can change the appearance of a craft dramatically! I intended to sell these at a fair but my adult children absconded them after I took these photographs.

       This spiral Christmas lollipop craft is just sophisticated enough for ages 10 and up to enjoy making. Indeed, adult crafters may even wish to use up their old supply of yarn making these ornaments for a Christmas craft fair. The quality of yarn will dictate the pricing of this handcrafted ornament. 

      Simply braid two or three colors of yarn together and then twist the braid into a lollipop shape, taping the back with masking tape as you form the spiral disk. You will need to make two, identical shapes for one ornament. Sandwich a wooden dowel between the two with a sticky craft glue and then finish the edges with more braid glued along the edge. Allow this to dry for a day and then reinforce the braid with a transparent thread by hand. Wrap up your lollipop with plastic or cellophane and tie it in place with a bow. If you wish to hang the lollipop as an ornament. twist a plain green wire behind the bow and leave enough length to it so that the pop may be tied to the tree.

Left to right: The braided woolen yarn; choose any length you wish depending on the size of your lollipop. A wooden dowel rod or chop sticks may be used for the handle. Then make two identical disk shapes with the yarn. As you twist these together back the disk shape with masking tape. And last, you can see that I've sandwiched the dowel rod between the braided disk shapes to create a professional looking ornament. Don't forget to add extra braid on the edge.

 The Chordettes sing "Lollipop" & "Mr. Sandman"

 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show. February 22, 1958. Re-uploaded by request. Both performances included in this upload instead of being separated.

More Lollipop Crafts:

• How to make a tissue paper lollipop
• Circles Lollipop
• Plastic bottle cap lollipops