FReeper Canteen ~ Favorite Christmas Ornaments ~ 18 DEC 2007

The FReeper Canteen Presents

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~Favorite Christmas Ornaments~

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Welcome to the FReeper Canteen! It's great to have you with us!!
Thank you to all of our Troops, Veterans, and their families for allowing us to entertain you!

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Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from early traditions.

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In the early 1800's, Christmas trees in Germany were typically decorated with candles, cookies, fruit, paper novelties, and candy. Then, a glassblower in Lauscha (a district long recognized for the quality of its glass) crafted some small glass balls to hang on his family's tree.

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Around the midpoint of the Nineteenth Century, in addition to candle lights, decorations hanging from Christmas trees included miniature replicas of fruit, animals, toys, musical instruments and angels made primarily out of materials available in homes.

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Another concept began to take hold with the German families in whose homes the first “popular” trees resided. Food, often gingerbread or other hard cookies, would be baked in the shape of fruits, stars, hearts, angels and bells.

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As the idea of decorated Christmas trees spread, various countries added their own variations. Americans, for instance, would string long strands of cranberries or popcorn to circle their trees. Small gifts began to be used to decorate the tree, sometimes contained in little intricately woven baskets, sometimes nestled in the crook of a bough, sometimes just hanging by a thread or piece of yarn.

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F.W. Woolworth brought the glass ornament tradition to the United States in 1890. From 1870's to 1930's, Germans made the finest molds for making ornaments with nearly 5,000 different molds at the time. At the turn of the century there were over one hundred small cottage glass blowing workshops in Europe.

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The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal.

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Six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.

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FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.

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Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly, and please leave politics at the door. Let's have fun!

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We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity.
We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon.
We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way.

God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always

381 posted on 12/18/2007 5:01:49 AM PST by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)

Good morning, Meg (((HUGS)))

382 posted on 12/18/2007 5:02:15 AM PST by beachn4fun (With the holidays fast approaching, remember the deployed troops. A care package shows you care.)

I love it..I am warm weather creature! Do you have “weather” yet?

383 posted on 12/18/2007 5:03:45 AM PST by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)

I should have seen it coming with all the helicopters in the air ahead of me. :)

384 posted on 12/18/2007 5:03:52 AM PST by ConorMacNessa (HM/2 USN, 3rd Bn. 5th Marines, RVN 1969. St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle!)

Morning Tom! (Sitting there in your underwear still?)

385 posted on 12/18/2007 5:03:55 AM PST by tongue-tied

386 posted on 12/18/2007 5:07:49 AM PST by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)

Good morning Beachy. (((HUGS))) to you too.

It should be warmer today, so I can work outside most of the day.

387 posted on 12/18/2007 5:09:50 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (I've been too busy for FR this weekend, because I did the things I refuse to let the invaders do.)

Well, I'm washing the bathroom towels this morning.

My brother from Texas and his family are coming for a visit. They're going to stay Saturday night. Then, go up to Bartlesville to visit in-laws Sunday. Then come back on Wednesday and stay a couple of days and then go back to Texas.

Their dog jenny will be here while they're up there.

We took Bo out to the lake. He had a great time out there.

It's in the 30's this morning. Great to see the sun.

388 posted on 12/18/2007 5:10:27 AM PST by E.G.C.

I saw the cedar pollen on the allergy reports the past few days. I got my annual allergy shots at the doctor yesterday, so maybe I won’t suffer when it really gets bad.

389 posted on 12/18/2007 5:12:08 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (I've been too busy for FR this weekend, because I did the things I refuse to let the invaders do.)

To: Arrowhead1952

I can’t wait for that warmer weather to get here.

I’m looking at the almanac predictions and it seems the northeast will get hit with another storm moving in after the 20th. Looks like lower east coast will have rain.

390 posted on 12/18/2007 5:12:13 AM PST by beachn4fun (With the holidays fast approaching, remember the deployed troops. A care package shows you care.)

I have to clean all the leaves out of the gutters today. I really need to get some screens on them to keep the trash out.

We will have another chance for rain this week. Not much, but it keeps the pollen out of the air.

391 posted on 12/18/2007 5:15:02 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (I've been too busy for FR this weekend, because I did the things I refuse to let the invaders do.)

That’s great that you’ll have some family visiting during the holidays. I’m betting Bo & Jenny will have fun.

392 posted on 12/18/2007 5:19:12 AM PST by beachn4fun (With the holidays fast approaching, remember the deployed troops. A care package shows you care.)

To: Arrowhead1952

I think our gutters are clean, but we do have a lot of leaves to clean up once again. And, we don’t have trees in our small yard. LOL. They belong to neighbors on each side of us.

You be careful out there.

393 posted on 12/18/2007 5:20:47 AM PST by beachn4fun (With the holidays fast approaching, remember the deployed troops. A care package shows you care.)

Boy, your frames are always so nice. Pictures to.

394 posted on 12/18/2007 5:21:37 AM PST by beachn4fun (With the holidays fast approaching, remember the deployed troops. A care package shows you care.)

To: GodBlessUSA; Tanniker Smith; LUV W; Mrs.Nooseman; tongue-tied