Our angels playing the mandolin are 3.5 inches long. The angels playing the mandolin hangs from a 3 inch loop of gold cord. The angels playing the mandolin have white wings with iridescent glitter. The angels playing the mandolin are wearing a white, long sleeved dress with gold around the cuffs of the sleeves and the hem and iridescent glitter. The angels playing the mandolin is playing a mandolin as she stands on a cottony white cloud with two small gold stars. The angels playing the mandolin have golden brown hair with a gold halo.
Coca Cola and Christmas.
In an attempt to encourage the purchase of soft drinks during the winter months, the Coca Cola Company commissioned artist Haddon Sundblom to portray Santa Claus in their advertisements. From 1931 to 1964 these annual advertisements became part of the Christmas landscape in North America and have led some to credit Coca Cola with creating the image of Santa Claus as he is now known. The Coca Cola ads used a view of Santa in red costume with white fur trim, black boots, and black belt that had already become standardized in books, advertisements and movies. After the Sundblom paintings became popular, however, it was impossible to think of the Santa Claus looking any other way.
Currier and Ives.
Currier and Ives was a New York publishing firm whose lithographic prints achieved widespread popularity from 1857-1907. Their colored engravings chronicled every aspect of social life in 19th century America. Their portrayal of winter scenes made the name Currier and Ives synonymous with a country Christmas.
Dresdens.
Dresdens are embossed cardboard Christmas tree ornaments that originated in 19th century Dresden, Germany. These colorful decorations used gold or silver accents to enhance the image and are now prized collectors’ items.
Gingerbread.
Ginger reached Europe by the 11th century. Those who traded with the Middle East brought it back. Its attractions wee quickly recognized. It could be used medicinally to treat flatulence, hangovers, and stomach disorders. It was also used as a preservative, a flavoring for food, and the root was soon traded at fairs across the continent. The centre of the medieval ginger trade was Nuremburg, which became famous for its gingerbread cakes and cookies baked by a special guild of Lebkuchler. At Christmas time gingerbread was a well loved feature of Nuremberg’s christkindlmarket, as it is to this day.
Gingerbread can besoft or hard, dark or light, heavily spiced or mild. It can be cut into various shapes, the most famous are gingerbread men and gingerbread houses. It can also be cut into shapes suitable for ornaments and hung on the Christmas tree.
Jingle Bells.
Jingle Bells is a winter carol written by James L. Pierpoint, that was originally entitled ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’. It was written for an 1857 Sunday School program in New York City. Pierpoint served with the Confederate cavalry in the American Civil War and was the uncle of financier J.P.Morgan.
The Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker story was written in 1816 by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. It was a rather grim tale of an unhappy girl named Marie whose only love is a nutcracker doll. In 1845 the famed French novelist Alexandre Dumas, who made it more suitable for children, adapted the story. In 1891 this version was chosen as the basis of the Russian ballet scored by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petitpa and Lev Ivanov.
The Nutcracker Suite opened in St. Petersburg on December 17, 1892. The original production was not a success. Though popular in Russia,it was never staged outside of that country until 1934, when a setting appeared in London. Since then numerous versions of the dance, long and short, have been attempted, with the most successful being that by George Balanchine in 1954. It is probably the world’s favorite ballet, being seen by millions each year,
during the Christmas season.
The ballet’s popularity has stimulated an interest in the collection of nutcrackers. Though many types of metal and wood nutcrackers were made through the centuries, the commercial production of the popular wooden toy nutcracker dates only from the 1870’s in Germany. The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Washington State exhibits over 3,000 of these implements from around the world.