"Mary" Christmas Tree Ornament

Hand-blown Glass Christmas Tree Ornament

This hand-blown, hand-decorated Christmas tree ornament, “ & ‘Maria & ’,” is part of the Palle Presepe collection (Italian for “Nativity Scene Christmas Ornaments”) by A di Alessi . There, she portrays Mary, one of the classic nativity figures, as they perform their nativity scene right next to the Christmas tree. The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with large and small colored glass ornaments dates back to the mid- 9., when a particularly dry year in the Vosges Mountains stripped the fir trees of their green needles. A glassblower from Goetzenbruck came up with the idea of blowing many small glass objects to hang on the tree to counteract the sad sight of the bare branches. The round shape was the quickest to produce, and thus the many colorful Christmas ornaments were created, which would soon become a tradition in various countries and cultures. It wasn’t until 1964 that the glass factory in Goetzenbruck ceased industrial production of Christmas ornaments. Over time, the blown-glass Christmas decorations—made according to old traditions—changed in shape, with the addition of small decorative elements or typical Christmas motifs such as Santa Claus, bells, stars, and a sleigh. Later, it was Marcello Jori who, with his creative spirit and sense of irony, created the “Palle Presepe,” sparking a small revolution at Alessi . He recounts that although there was a Christmas tree in his home every year, he envied those who set up nativity scenes with figures that seemed so much more lifelike than the decorative elements on the tree. Marcello Jori: “Finally, one night I dreamed of an angel who hung ornaments on the Christmas tree that I’d never seen before—ones that spoke, sang, and prayed. Some were saints, stars, or animals, and one that shone brighter than all the others was the Baby Jesus.” Jori’s dream came true. Now these hand-decorated, hand-blown glass ornaments really exist. The “Palle Presepe” feature the classic ten nativity figures, which—with imagination and a touch of irony—create an entirely new kind of Christmas tree: Mary and Joseph with the Baby Jesus, the ox and the donkey, the angel, the star, and the Three Wise Men.