From cane candy to baubles and stars: All you need to decorate the Christmas tree!

It’s that time of the year again when we put up the evergreen coniferous tree at home and decorate it with various little ornaments, setting the mood for a joyous and blessed holiday season. With Yuletide setting in, let’s unravel the little secrets behind the glittery wonders that adorn everyone’s much-loved Christmas tree.

Tiny decorative icons of baby Jesus, Santa Claus, the star of Bethlehem and the holy angel are commonly used to embellish the crown of the tree, and so referred to as tree toppers. A spherical showy item called the bauble comes in dazzling colours. Thought to have its roots in a small German town called Lauscha, the ornament was originally made from glass.

Often seen in white colour with red stripes on it, the cane candy is a decorative stick that was made part of the Christmas tree back in the 17th Century by the Europeans. The original white candy sticks were mostly offered to children during nativity services. Peppermint and wintergreen flavours are traditional favourites, while the red-and-white stripes are believed to represent Christ’s blood and purity.

Beautiful crystal snowflakes are a popular choice for Christmas tree decoration. Artificial snow sheets are also used to simulate snow under the tree, complete with snowmen. 

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The decorations will be incomplete without the brightly coloured tinsels wrapped around the tree, while tiny drums, sweets, golden bells, red ribbons, presents, stars, strings and twinkling lights are put together to jazz it up a little more.  

Christmas is not celebrated by Christians alone, as people from different religions and communities across the globe are seen flocking to shops selling these delightful tree-decoration items during the holiday season. From colourful stars to Santa dresses, Christmas stockings, balloons, streamers and confetti are also sold at different places. If all these are not enough to set the holiday mood, you can pick the much-loved Santa cap!

When talking about festivity, holiday plants like holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, Christmas cactus and the poinsettia cannot be missed out. During Christmas, people also purchase circlets of assorted flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs and glitters. Wreaths, often seen being put on doors or windows until the New Year, are traditionally used to celebrate the birth of Christ.

That said, if you are not much into decorating the tree and plan to spend the holidays munching on goodies and meeting friends and relatives, the lovely little Santa and Christmas tree keychains could be perfect for you. Merry Christmas!