Our clay ornaments are 4 inches tall. The polymer clay ornaments show Santa on a pair of skis and holding his ski poles. The Santa skiing ornaments are wearing a brick red ski sweater with black and white checks around the cuffs and hem, blue ski pants with white cuffs, blue gloves, brick red ski boots with a gold star on the toe and a brick red Santa hat with a cluster of holly leaves and berries above the cuff. The Santa skiing polymer clay ornaments hang from a loop of jute.
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History of Reindeer.
The reindeer is a deer of northern Europe and Asia which is closely related to the North American caribou. It can be tamed and has become one of man’s most valuable possessions in the arctic regions. Reindeer and caribou differ from other members of the deer family by having large, deeply cleft hoofs, a hairy muzzle and somewhat broader antlers, borne by both male and female. Reindeer stand about three and a half feet high and weigh about three hundred pounds. They are smaller and have shorter legs than the caribou. This has probably come about by selection over the centuries as the owners sought to get an animal that could be managed. The wild caribou is too big and strong, as well as too obstinate to be tamed successfully.
If it were not for the reindeer, the people of Lapland would have no means of transportation in their cold and barren country. These animals can draw their sledges over the snow at the rate of twelve to fifteen miles an hour. Reindeer have endurance as well as swiftness, for they can travel with a load of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds for hours at a time. To the lowland Laplanders, the reindeer is horse, sheep and cow, all in one. The animals furnish the people with shelter. In the summer, reindeer meat is cured and great quantities of cheese are made from the surplus milk and stored for use through the long winter. Many of the animals run wild, but are lured into traps by the use of trained decoy reindeer. They are given ownership marks by cutting or biting out notches from the ears and are then trained. They wander about near their owner’s home and fond their food under the snow.
In order to provide a reliable source of food for the Eskimo of western Alaska, the United States Office of Education imported 1,280 reindeer from Siberia between 1892 and 1902. More than a million reindeer descended from these animals are now distributed from Point Barrow to Kodiak Island. In 1935 the Canadian Government established a large herd of reindeer near the mouth of the Mackenzie River in Yukon Territory for the benefit of the Eskimo of that region.
Because the herds increase every year by about 20 percent, a surplus of animals is available even after the needs of the natives have been satisfied. Reindeer hides are used in making clothing and sleeping bags. The strong flavored meat is jerked, smoked and sometimes canned.
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Mrs. Santa Claus History.
Since Santa Claus evolved from St. Nicholas, a celibate priest, it is believes that Mrs. Claus was originally created simply because the German glassblowers felt that she would have appeal to the American public. Very few of the early glass Mrs. Claus ornaments were made because some considered it sacrilegious to bestow a wife upon a priest.
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Christmas Story.
Starting on December 6th and lasting until January 6th, Christmastime is celebrated continually throughout Germany. It is a time for joy and thanks. Spirits run high as everyone comes together. Whether for dancing or just for entertainment, music is always played as part of the festivities. One of the most distinctive instruments heard in the nostalgic air is the horn. They are still heard today throughout the streets of German villages bringing laughter and cheer to all. Horns are used in churches across the world as a special addition to the liturgical season.
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