The most fabulous and magical holiday which both children and adults love so much - New Year. A couple of weeks before the celebration, bright multi-colored illumination of city streets lights up, shops are filled with people choosing gifts for their friends and relatives, and children enthusiastically write letters to Santa Claus, looking forward to a magical New Year's Eve. And, of course, the holiday is not complete without the main winter beauty - who is dressed up by the whole family.

When did the custom of decorating the Christmas tree begin?

For the first time, the ancient Germanic tribes began to decorate the Christmas tree, however, they did it not in honor of any holiday, but in order to appease the evil spirits that, according to legend, live in coniferous trees. The Christian tradition of decorating the Christmas tree before the holiday, according to legend, spread from the famous reformer and priest Martin Luther, who once, walking through the winter forest on Christmas Eve, saw a beautiful snow-covered spruce. The shining frost on the branches of the tree reminded Luther of the stars in the night sky, and he ordered the tree to be delivered to his home, where he decorated it with candles. By the beginning of the 19th century, this tradition had spread throughout all European countries.

In Russia, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree gained popularity only in the 1830s during the reign of Nicholas I, although even under Peter I there was a tradition to hang branches of coniferous trees in front of the entrance to the house on New Year's Eve. After October revolution The custom of decorating the Christmas tree was abolished, but in 1936 it was restored, and from that moment the dressed up Christmas tree became an integral attribute of the New Year holidays.

At what age can a child put up a Christmas tree

Many parents are concerned about the question: is it worth putting up a Christmas tree if there are small children in the family? It all depends on the age of the child. If the baby still does not know how to move independently and spends all his time in the crib or in the arms of his parents, the New Year tree will not pose a danger to him, because he will not be able to reach it and drop it. You can put a decorated spruce tree so that the baby from his crib can see it: flashing multi-colored lights and beautiful toys, hung on the branches, will surely attract the attention of the baby.

If the child crawls and walks, but is not yet aware of the possible danger (up to three years), it is better to refrain from installing a Christmas tree, since the baby can drop it. If you wanted to decorate a live spruce for the New Year, you will also have to forget about this idea, because it is dangerous for the child: crumbling needles can injure a baby crawling on the floor. In addition, children up to three or four years old often tend to taste unfamiliar objects, which means they can put spruce needles, pieces of tinsel or Christmas toys into their mouths. If you still cannot imagine a festive celebration without a green beauty, choose a small artificial spruce with soft needles and place it as high as possible so that the child cannot reach it under any circumstances. It is best to decorate such a Christmas tree with plastic and textile toys that won't break when dropped.

It is better to decorate the Christmas tree with the child when he is four or five years old, because by this moment the baby will become more conscious. However, do not forget about safety precautions. It is better to place the tree in one of the corners of the room, and not in the center, so that the child does not accidentally run into it during outdoor games. Toys for decoration are recommended to choose from plastic and textiles. You can decorate the spruce with an electric garland, but remember that the included garland should not be left unattended by one of the adults.

Children are always happy to join the process of decorating the Christmas tree, especially if adults at the same time enthusiastically tell them about holiday traditions, about Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden, about the magic of New Year's Eve, receiving gifts and fulfilling wishes. It is very important that parents help the child feel the atmosphere of a fairy tale and the joy that the New Year gives, and that the joint decoration of the Christmas tree will be remembered by the child as happy and significant event. It is possible together with the child in advance from paper, cardboard, fabric, fir cones, acorns, cotton wool, thread and wool, and use them as Christmas decorations.

The upcoming 2015 will be the year of the Blue Goat or Sheep, so use symbolic decorations: sheep figurines, toy flower baskets or a few fresh flowers, a wooden or cardboard cornucopia that you can make yourself. Can wrap multiple Christmas balls goat or sheep wool.

To get started, remove or tie up extra and ugly protruding tree branches to make the Christmas tree look neat. If you plan to hang an electric garland, it is better to do it at the very beginning, otherwise it will get confused in toys and tinsel later.

Now you can start hanging Christmas decorations. How exactly to hang jewelry is up to you. Someone prefers to evenly distribute toys of different sizes throughout the tree, while someone likes it better when the small ones are located closer to the top of the Christmas tree, and the largest ones are on the lower branches. The most beautiful toys and crafts your child has made are best placed in a prominent place. Try to alternate toys of different colors and shapes so that similar ones do not end up hanging next to each other. It is better to fasten Christmas tree decorations with a green thread - it will not differ in color from Christmas tree needles.

After the toys are hung, you can decorate the Christmas tree with shiny tinsel of different colors, and under the tree itself, make an imitation of snow out of cotton wool or padding polyester.

A Christmas tree decorated by the whole family is the very gift that can be presented to a child at no extra cost. Such a gift is more precious than any material wealth. New Year is, first of all, family celebration, which should mean the unity of loved ones and relatives.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Victoria Gritsuk

Good day!

Today I propose to start decorating our holiday tree.

How to decorate Christmas tree, ideas with photos

Even the most pragmatic and skeptical people on the eve of the New Year begin to believe, if not in miracles, then in the magical atmosphere of this holiday and think about how to decorate the New Year tree. Maybe the reason for this is the change of the year or the expectation of a new life, but the Christmas holidays are also different in that everyone, from small children to old people, is happily preparing for the New Year - each due to their preferences and capabilities.

For some, the main thing is to cook delicious holiday dishes, for someone there is enough sweets and a gift, someone is impatiently waiting fun party with friends, but everyone without exception knows: New Year without a Christmas tree is not a holiday at all.

Yes, it is this forest beauty that is the main attribute of New Year's celebrations. The history of decorating Christmas trees for Christmas and New Year dates back more than one century, and some Christmas decorations have survived to this day in almost unchanged form. At the same time, new trends in the decoration of Christmas trees appeared. Which ones - we will consider below.

Decorate the Christmas tree with balls

The most traditional and popular decoration for coniferous beauties is balls. Shiny and matte, transparent and multi-colored, plain and with colorful patterns - balloons come in most different kind. Since childhood, we have been accustomed to hanging bright balls on spruce branches, not really thinking about the principle of their combination, and now designers are developing new fashion trends for such decor. For example, you can decorate the Christmas tree with one-color balls (red, gold and blue look especially impressive), or you can create a rainbow splash by hanging the balls in stripes of the same shade.

Bells for the decoration of the New Year's beauty

The ringing of Christmas bells is sung by the Americans in their famous song "Jingle bells", they also often decorate their New Year's trees with golden bells with red bows. And we often made and still make Christmas decorations in the form of bells. You can choose a more creative option for decorating the Christmas tree - crocheted, small bells woven from beads or carved from wood.

How to decorate a Christmas tree with tinsel

Another traditional way to decorate a Christmas tree is to wrap it with shiny tinsel. These fluffy garlands of silver or gold threads appeared in the 18th century, and now tinsel is different color, with short or long threads, curly, with additional decor, etc. It can be used to decorate a Christmas tree in different ways: wrap it in a spiral, place it vertically or hang it in waves. Tinsel can be chosen to match Christmas decorations or contrasting color.

In this case we are talking not about electric garlands with light bulbs, but about those that are various elements suspended on long threads. We all made primitive garlands for decorating the New Year tree back in kindergartens, gluing rings from paper strips and fastening them together. At the moment, the choice of Christmas tree garlands is huge: there are options with letters, furry balls, paper circles, snowflakes, animal figures.

How to decorate a Christmas tree with bows

Bows do not have to be an addition to any decoration. They look very nice on their own. You can choose just such an “outfit” for the Christmas tree and use bows made of ribbons and fabric in red, golden color or with a pattern for this. Bows to match the Christmas balls will look great. Suitable as simple options New Year's bows, and multi-layered, with intricate knots.

Decorate the Christmas tree with lights

Luminous garlands give the Christmas tree that delightful look in the evening. The flickering of tiny lights among fluffy branches and sparkling balls looks bewitching. For your Christmas tree, you can choose a single-color garland (more often these are models with white lights) or multi-colored - these options are especially effective when combined with silver Christmas trees. The shape of light bulbs can be the simplest, but there are also models with figured caps.

We decorate the Christmas tree with beads

Beads can decorate not only the necks of beauties, they are also suitable for Christmas tree decor. Shiny threads made of small balls do not look as noticeable as tinsel, and at the same time, they can adequately replace other garland options. Their great advantage is that they can be hung as you like - in the form of pendants, horizontally or vertically, diagonally or in a spiral. For greater showiness, you should choose glossy and sparkling beads, while options with a matte finish look more delicate and elegant.

How to decorate a Christmas tree with ribbons

Affordable yet very beautiful decor for the Christmas tree can be made from ribbons. For these purposes, any strips of fabric will fit - ready-made satin ribbons, cut into long strips of tulle, chiffon and even strips of burlap. All this fits beautifully in the branches of spruce and looks very original. You can arrange the tapes randomly or in a strict order - for example, in the form of rhombuses or triangles. The connection of the ribbons can be masked with bows of the same material.

We decorate the Christmas tree with toys

Toys will look very unusual in Christmas tree branches, and children will be delighted with such decor. To do this, you need to pick up small soft toys, baby dolls, wooden or plastic figures are also useful. You can arrange a themed Christmas tree - for example, hang various options for dolls, bears or houses on it. Snowmen, Santas and gnomes are another suitable option for a "toy" Christmas tree. If there are children in the house, then you won’t need to buy special decorations for such a Christmas tree - it’s quite possible to get by with an assortment of your baby’s toy box, and he himself will be happy to help you decorate a coniferous beauty.

For children, one of the main joys of the New Year is gifts. They are used to looking for them under the tree, but you can change the tradition - hang sweets and fruits on the branches. To do this, you need to stock up on gingerbread and hard cookies, small chocolates and sweets in bright wrappers, nuts and tangerines. Gingerbread in the form of little men looks very beautiful and New Year's-style - a traditional Christmas delicacy in Western countries.

Stars for the Christmas tree

Stars decorate the tops of Christmas trees, but why not use them to decorate branches too. Silver and gold stars, studded with sparkles, will stand out beautifully against the background of dark green needles and remind you of the night sky with their radiance. Ornaments in the form of stars can be taken in different sizes, flat or voluminous. Such a decor in a single-color design will look especially impressive.

There are many ways to decorate Christmas trees, and even when it seems that nothing new can be invented, new types of decor appear for every taste. Don't forget to choose in advance New Year's gift to have something to put under the tree. Happy New Year!

Let's see how you can decorate the Christmas tree.

Bouquet

The winter landscape has its own unique charm. But sometimes you really want to return to summer again, enjoy the view and aroma of flowers ... Well, decorate the New Year tree with flowers! It can be small bouquets, individual flowers or even whole flower garlands. But, unfortunately, even when using floral sponges, fresh flowers are unlikely to last all the holidays. Therefore, we still suggest using decorative flowers. Here the choice is no less great: from fabric, beads, threads, paper, ribbons. You can also create such decorations yourself.

Origami

A very economical option for decorating a Christmas tree is Christmas toys made using the origami technique. Moreover, the whole family can be involved in this work. Children will be especially happy to help. Here your possibilities are limited only by your mastery of the art of folding paper toys. Cranes, boats, butterflies, animals... You can create whole garlands of figurines. Only candles from such a Christmas tree will have to be kept away.

monochrome

Only a person with a well-developed aesthetic taste can decorate a Christmas tree with colorful "different-sized" balls-toys and at the same time observe moderation. Not confident in your abilities? Make your Christmas tree one color! Decorations in one color are very suitable, for example, for an office or for rooms whose owners prefer minimalism in design. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to select decorations of the same shape and size: the main thing is color, and the decor itself can be very diverse. Depending on the prevailing shade, you can create a certain mood: black and blue - for rigor and orderliness, beige - for comfort and romance, red - for fun.

Vitamin cocktail

Let's make the Christmas tree tasty and healthy! It is also a very economical option, especially for those who have their own garden and vegetable garden. You will need everything that your household plot has pleased you with this year: apples, nuts, dried berries. You can go even further by decorating the Christmas tree with carrots, onions, potatoes ... And make garlands from seed bags. And if you still buy fruits, you can make a wonderful “exotic” Christmas tree. True, if you have children, you will have to ensure that the festive decor "live" until New Year's Eve.

Crochet and knitting

Ideal for those who love and know how to crochet and knitting. Tie exactly those decorations that you would like to see on your holiday tree! Snowflakes, Christmas trees, flowers, sweets, houses, little men and amigurumi animals... Fantasy is endless. Maybe you can just crochet spiral icicles and decorate the Christmas tree with only them. Or you can involve children in the work by entrusting them, say, with the manufacture of pompoms or simple knitted toys. Then such a decorated Christmas tree will be an ideal option for a nursery.

paper again

This option will also appeal to the younger generation of your family. This time, to decorate the Christmas tree, we will make applications from paper. Stock up on stencils, blanks, paper, ribbons and glue and go! Applications can be both the simplest (such as Christmas balls cut out of paper and decorated with ribbons), and practically works of art (filigree snowflakes and complex silhouette compositions).

Sweets

What is the New Year without sweets! Naturally, confectionery delights will become suitable decorations for the Christmas tree. Here, as they say, it's a matter of taste: if you want - decorate tree branches with sweets in beautiful wrappers, if you like gingerbread - you have at your disposal wonderful sweet figures of different shapes and sizes. You can spend money and find marzipan figurines to decorate the Christmas tree. Or you can make an original version of the decor from lollipops hung on ribbons. And garlands can be made from sweet popcorn. But there are still chocolate eggs, sweet bars, a variety of cookies ... But, again, take care of the Christmas tree from children until the holiday, otherwise, instead of sweets, fir branches will be decorated with picturesque candy wrappers.

mini toys

Decorating a Christmas tree with any standard, purchased toys is boring. And how do you like to decorate the New Year's beauty with mini-decorations? Then, borrow a box of Kinder Surprise toys from your child. It remains only to attach small loops. This decor will look especially good on a small desktop Christmas tree. And so that the child is not offended, promise to put this Christmas tree in his room. Moreover, this decoration option is ideal for a nursery.

Return to original

People show remarkable imagination to come up with unusual decorations for Christmas trees. Do you want to surpass them all? Return to the original decoration of fir branches - cones! Of course, the cones do not need to be left in their “natural” state: paint them with different colors, silver or gild, glue beads, pieces of cotton wool, ribbons, miniature snowflakes. And if you also cover the tree itself with silver or a special spray with sparkles, you get a fabulous tree in general.

Ice queen

This option - perfect solution for those who will celebrate the New Year in the country and put up a Christmas tree on the street. All you need is a variety of ice molds, eyelet ribbons and water, which can be lightly tinted with watercolors or other paints. Pour water into the mold, insert the loop there - and in the refrigerator for several hours. And in the molds you can put pieces of fruit, berries, tinsel and sparkles. With the right lighting, the Christmas tree, decorated with ice figurines, will shine at the holiday like a real Snow Queen.

As you can see, there are many options. Of course, this is not all the things that you can decorate a Christmas tree with. Everyone has their own preferences and their own supply of suitable things. But you need to think in advance so that your Christmas tree becomes the only and unique one.

2. European duo, that is, two colors, one of which is usually gold, silver, yellow or white.

3. Color play. This is how we decorated the Christmas tree in our childhood. The more colorful toys the better and more fun. When there are children in the house, this option is best, because kids love when there are a lot of colors.

You can also decorate the Christmas tree in the colors traditional for the owner of the coming year according to the eastern horoscope. But you must know exactly the element of the animal and the shades corresponding to it. Or you can take and create a Christmas tree decor from the colors of the national flag - a very patriotic idea.

Christmas tree design: toys

The most popular toy is, of course, the Christmas ball. In shape, it most closely matches the silhouette of a tree. In Europe, the design of the Christmas tree, as an addition to the balls, often includes bows and wide ribbons.

Children love figurines the most. These are icicles, snowflakes, bells, cones, stars, snowmen, Santa Claus and Snow Maiden, various animals and fairy-tale characters, etc.

The finishing touch will be tinsel, rain and the choice of New Year's garland, which will shine with its lights, and it will immediately be clear to everyone that the New Year is coming soon.

At the top of the Christmas tree, it is customary to set the crown. She is the one most often forgotten about. Do it yourself, the easiest option is to wrap the top with a thick layer of tinsel, and fix the rain under it. Tie a bow, weave from beads or colored foil, cut out two parts of the star and fasten them with a stapler. Make a snowflake out of twigs and paint it with silver paint. You can plant a small one on top soft toy or securely attach the Christmas tree.

A special Christmas tree rug is called upon to close the base of the spruce - also a European idea of \u200b\u200bdecoration, which appeared in our country relatively recently. It has a round shape and a slit from one side to the center, and therefore it is often called a herringbone skirt. The rug not only covers the bottom of the tree, if you decide to choose an artificial Christmas tree, it is very convenient to put gifts on it.

Christmas tree decoration: ideas

Easiest to buy christmas balls and decorate the spruce only with them. According to the principle, small at the top, at the bottom bigger size. It can be one color, much more fun two or three.

Alternatively, dilute the balls with one or two more types of toys. Get a stylish European Christmas tree. We decorate the Christmas tree not randomly, but according to the principle of alternating toys on the same level. That is, on one branch there is a ball, next to it is a snowflake, then a bird. On the branch below, we start with a snowflake, etc.

You can decorate the Christmas tree for the New Year using only one type of toys, but of different shapes.

Or some garlands of beads, toys and other things that you can easily make with your own hands.

And such a Christmas tree is suitable for newlyweds and can stand until Valentine's Day. All toys on it are handmade from fabric.

Try to beautifully decorate the Christmas tree with a lot of decor, filling in all the voids between the branches, using bows, voluminous ribbons and artificial flowers. And naturalness and fabulousness will be added by fallen leaves collected in autumn and real forest cones.

Bows can be not only tied. Try to run them down from the top of the tree, fastening narrow and wide ribbons of contrasting color and gathering them a little. Or use thin translucent ribbons instead of tinsel. In this case, the toys should be large and voluminous.

You can make a sweet Christmas tree by decorating it with pastries, gingerbread figurines, sweets, dried fruit slices, walnuts in foil, chocolate bunnies and medals. These Christmas decorations can be eaten during the holidays, and they will not take up space in your pantry.

We hope that you were able to choose your own version of decorating the Christmas tree, or you had some other interesting ideas looking at the photos in our selection. Let your Christmas tree for the New Year be the most elegant and beautiful!

Share pictures of your beauties!

Christmas tree decoration- an essential attribute of the New Year holidays. There are many options for decorating a festive tree, but only creating your own New Year's crafts unusually bring the whole family together, and also create a real festive atmosphere in the house. Today offers you non-traditional options for decorating a Christmas tree with children!

Fold a square sheet of paper in four, divide the resulting right angle into approximately 3 equal parts and fold two more times. You will get 12 layers of paper, and after cutting out the patterns invented by your child - a snowflake with 6 rays. Remember - the paper should not be too thick. Such snowflakes can be dipped in water, glued to windows, or made into garlands.

fit different forms pasta - shells, flowers and others. Paint them with gouache in the desired colors, let dry, and then glue them into different figures or snowflakes. If desired, using a coarse thread or ribbon from the same crafts, you can create unusual garlands to decorate an apartment.

Well, what kid wouldn't like that?! Together you can glue or make a large candy out of cardboard (or corrugated or wrapping paper as an option), stuffing it with cotton from the inside and tying the folds with ribbons. Not superfluous in giant sweets will be small surprises for all family members.

You can mold anything from the dough that comes to mind, it will be bunnies, stars, snowmen or Santa Claus himself in miniature. All you need for the dough is 200 g flour, 200 g salt and 125 ml water. Dry the made figures in the oven, making a hole for a thread or a paper clip in advance. Then paint them with paints. And don't forget to be imaginative!

A wonderful option for non-standard decorations is garlands in the form of angels, elves or animals holding hands. To do this, you need to fold into an accordion paper strip, then draw half of the intended figure on it and cut it out along the contour so that there is a hand on one side and the middle of the body on the other. After - proceed to joint coloring.

Was there a bag of shells from the sea lying around? Gathered a basket of acorns or cones in the forest? It's time to find a use for them! Cover them with paint, best of all - gold or silver, and sparkles. You can make garlands out of them or hang them on a Christmas tree by making holes.

Balls of thread

Prepare PVA glue, container, yarn or thread of any color, petroleum jelly or fat cream, air balloons and scissors.

Now it is difficult to imagine a New Year's Eve without its symbol - a fluffy evergreen beauty of spruce. On the eve of this wonderful holiday, it is installed in every home, decorated with toys, tinsel and garlands. The fragrant smell of fresh pine needles, the taste of tangerines - this is what is associated with New Year's celebration in most Russian children. Under the Christmas tree, the children find their gifts. At matinees, round dances are performed around her, songs are sung. But it was not so at all times. Where did the New Year tree come from in Russia? The history of the tradition of decorating it for the New Year is described in this material.

Pagan totem tree

Our ancestors believed that all trees are alive, spirits live in them. In pre-Christian times, the Druid calendar of the Celts has a fir-worship day. For them, it was a symbol of courage, strength, and the pyramidal shape of the tree resembled heavenly fire. Fir cones also symbolized health, strength of mind. The ancient Germans considered this tree sacred and worshiped it. They identified it with the World Tree - the source of eternal life, immortality. There was such a custom: at the end of December, people went to the forest, chose the fluffiest and tallest tree, decorated it with colorful ribbons and made various offerings. Then dances were made around the spruce and ceremonial songs were sung. All this symbolized the cyclical nature of life, its rebirth, the beginning of a new one, the arrival of spring. Among the pagan Slavs, on the contrary, spruce was associated with the world of the dead and was often used in funeral rites. Although it was believed that if spruce paws were laid out in the corners of a house or barn, this would protect the dwelling from storms and thunderstorms, and its inhabitants from illnesses and evil spirits.

New Year tree: the history of its appearance in Europe after the birth of Christ

The Germans were the first to decorate the fir tree in the house for Christmas in the Middle Ages. This tradition appeared in medieval Germany not by chance. There is a legend that the holy apostle Boniface, an ardent missionary and preacher of the word of God, cut down an oak tree dedicated to Thor, the god of thunder. He did this in order to show the pagans the impotence of their gods. The felled tree felled several more trees, but the spruce survived. St. Boniface declared spruce a sacred tree, Christbaum (the tree of Christ).

There is also a legend about a poor lumberjack who, on the eve of Christmas Eve, sheltered a man lost in the forest. little boy. He warmed, fed and left a lost child to spend the night. The next morning the boy disappeared, and instead of himself left a small coniferous tree at the door. In fact, under the guise of an unfortunate child, Christ himself came to the lumberjack and thus thanked him for the warm welcome. Since then, spruces have become the main Christmas attribute not only in Germany, but also in other European countries.

The story of the appearance of a star on top of a Christmas tree

At first, people decorated their houses only with twigs and large spruce paws, later they began to bring whole trees. But much later, the custom of decorating the New Year tree appeared.

The story of the appearance of a star on a Christmas tree is associated with the name of the founder of Protestantism, the German Martin Luther, the head of the burgher Reformation. One day, walking down the street on Christmas Eve, Luther looked up at the bright stars of the night sky. There were so many of them in the night sky that it seemed as if they, like small lights, were stuck in the tops of the trees. Arriving home, he decorated a small spruce with apples and burning candles. And on the top of the tree he hoisted an asterisk, as a symbol star of bethlehem who announced to the magi about the birth of the baby Christ. Subsequently, this tradition spread among the followers of the ideas of Protestantism, and later throughout the country. Since the 17th century, this fragrant conifer has become the main symbol of Christmas Eve in medieval Germany. IN German even such a definition appeared as Weihnachtsbaum - Christmas tree, pine.

The appearance of the Christmas tree in Russia

The history of the appearance of the New Year tree in Russia began in 1699. The custom to install a Christmas tree appeared in the country during the reign of Peter I, at the beginning of the 18th century. The Russian Tsar issued a decree on the transition to a new account of time, the chronology began from the date of the Nativity of Christ.

The date of the beginning of the next year began to be considered the first of January, and not the first of September, as it was before. The decree also mentioned that before Christmas the nobility should decorate their houses with pine and juniper trees and branches in the European manner. On January 1, it was also ordered to launch rockets, arrange fireworks and decorate the buildings of the capital with coniferous branches. After the death of Peter the Great, this tradition was forgotten, except that drinking establishments were decorated with fir branches on Christmas Eve. By these branches (tied to a stake, stuck at the entrance), visitors could easily recognize the taverns inside the buildings.

Revival of Petrine customs in the first half of the 19th century

The history of the New Year tree and the tradition of decorating it for the holy holiday did not end there. The custom of putting lighted candles on the Christmas tree, giving each other gifts for Christmas became widespread in Russia during the reign of Nicholas I. This fashion among the courtiers was introduced by his wife, Tsaritsa Alexandra Fedorovna, a German by birth. Later, all the noble families of St. Petersburg followed her example, and then the rest of society. In the early 1940s, the Severnaya Pchela newspaper noted that “we have a habit of celebrating Christmas Eve” by decorating the treasured Christmas tree with sweets and toys. In the capital, on the square near Gostiny Dvor, grandiose Christmas tree markets are held. If the poor people could not even buy a small tree, then noble people competed with each other in this: whoever had the spruce is taller, more magnificent, more elegant. Sometimes precious stones were used in the decoration of the green beauty, expensive fabrics, beads, gimp (thin silver or gold thread). The Christmas tree itself began to be called the celebration, arranged in honor of the main Christian event - the birth of Christ.

The history of the Christmas tree in the USSR

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, all Religious holidays, including Christmas, were cancelled. The Christmas tree was considered to be a bourgeois attribute, a relic of the imperial past. For several years, this wonderful family tradition became illegal. But in some families, it still persisted, despite the prohibition of the authorities. Only in 1935, thanks to a note by party leader Pavel Postyshev in the main communist publication of those years - the Pravda newspaper, did this evergreen tree regain its undeservedly forgotten recognition as a symbol of the coming year.

The wheel of history has turned back, and Christmas trees for children have begun to be arranged again. Instead of the Star of Bethlehem, its top is adorned with a red five-pointed star, the official symbol of Soviet Russia. Since then, the trees have been called "New Year's" and not "Christmas", and the trees themselves and the holidays - not Christmas, but New Year's. In the history of Russia, for the first time, an official document on non-working public holidays: The first of January officially becomes a holiday.

Kremlin trees

But the history of the New Year tree in Russia does not end there. For children in 1938 in Moscow, in the Hall of Columns, a huge multi-meter Christmas tree with tens of thousands of glass balls and toys was installed. Since then, every year in this hall there is a giant Christmas tree and children's parties are held. Every Soviet child dreams of getting to the New Year tree in the Kremlin. And until now, the favorite meeting place of the next year among Muscovites is the Kremlin Square with a huge, elegantly decorated forest beauty installed on it.

Christmas decorations: then and now

In tsarist times, Christmas decorations could be eaten. These were figured gingerbread wrapped in multi-colored metallic paper. Candied candied fruits, apples, marmalade, gilded nuts, paper flowers, ribbons, cardboard figurines of angels were also hung on the branches. But the main element of the Christmas tree decor was lit candles. Glass balloons were brought mainly from Germany, they were quite expensive. Figurines with porcelain heads were highly valued. In Russia, only at the end of the 19th century artels for the production of New Year's products appeared. They also make wadded, cardboard toys and papier-mâché figurines. In Soviet times, starting from the 60s, mass production of factory Christmas tree decorations began. These products did not differ in variety: the same "cones", "icicles", "pyramids". Fortunately, now on the shelves of shops you can find many interesting products of Christmas decorations, including hand-painted ones.

Where did tinsel and garlands come from?

No less interesting is the story of the appearance of other New Year's paraphernalia: tinsel and garlands. Previously, tinsel was made from real silver. They were thin threads, like a "silver rain". There is a beautiful myth about the origin of silver tinsel. One very poor woman, who had many children, decided to decorate a Christmas tree before Christmas, but since there was no money for rich decorations, the decoration of the tree turned out to be very nondescript. During the night, spruce branches entwined spiders with their cobwebs. Knowing about the kindness of the woman, God decided to reward her and turned the web into silver.

Nowadays, tinsel is made from colored foil or PVC. Initially, garlands were long strips intertwined with flowers or branches. In the 19th century, the first electric garland appeared with many light bulbs. The idea of its creation was put forward by the American inventor Johnson, and brought to life by the Englishman Ralph Morris.

Stories about a small Christmas tree for children and their parents

Many fairy tales, stories, funny stories about the New Year tree have been written for small and big children. Here are some of them:

"The Tale of a Little Christmas Tree", M. Aromshtam. A touching and kind story for kids about a small tree that was awarded for the desire to bring joy to others.
Comics from the Snegirev couple "Keshka in pursuit of the Christmas tree." Short, funny stories about the cat Keshka and his owner.
Collection of poems "Christmas tree". Author - Ag Jatkowska.
A. Smirnov “Yolka. Ancient fun" - reprinted on modern way an old edition of the 1911 Christmas lotto.

Older children would be interested in reading "The History of the Christmas Tree" in the book by Alexander Tkachenko.

Elena Lysenko

New Year is the most favorite holiday for children! On this festive day children waiting for something extraordinary. Well, as always, the first to visit comes herringbone. Children they look forward to her, her outfits, they themselves make an outfit for her. In our group, the guys decided to dress up Christmas tree with your own crafts. thought and thought and figured out how to dress up. Decided for Christmas trees make a multi-colored chain.

To do this, they took multi-colored rectangles, cut them into identical stripes.

Then they glued the strips into circles, connecting them together, agreeing on the sequence of colors.

It turned out a long, colored chain.

Then children happily decorate the Christmas tree.

And at the end they sang a song about herringbone.

Read New Year's poems.

Christmas tree decoration brought joy to the children with their own hands. Children shared their joyful impressions with each other, told their parents what they were doing. After sleep, the guys returned to herringbone, led round dances. Everyone had fun.

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From September 4 to September 8, 2017 in the MBDOU "Kindergarten" Sun "was held theme week"Week of Solidarity in the Fight Against Terrorism".

Every child is a genius to some extent, and every genius is a child to some extent, A. Schopenhauer once said. What is giftedness?

So autumn has come for everyone and for our group "Cinderella". Our kids have already become older by a whole year and pretty soon entered the life of c.

Winter came. The approach of the New Year is becoming more tangible, and the main tree of the holiday, of course, is a Christmas tree decorated with toys, garlands, tinsel.