How to collect a beautiful collection of Christmas tree decorations. Christmas decorations from the times of the USSR: back to the Soviet past
To this day, Christmas tree decorations, which many still decorate Christmas trees with, remind us of our happy childhood. But not everyone knows that these toys are mostly considered antiques and can cost a lot of money.
Of course, the price includes the rarest and most complete toys from the 40s to the 70s. And here we will show you for which toys true connoisseurs of beauty and collectors are ready, without hesitation, to pay a tidy sum.
1. New Year's abstraction.
Such abstract icicles, airplanes and pendulums have recently begun to attract collectors, so their prices have almost doubled.
2. Christmas tree jewelry.
Beads for the New Year tree are a rarity today. At modern holidays they have been replaced by tinsel and rain. But true connoisseurs of the warmth of the holiday of bygone childhood will be very happy to buy such decorations and offer an amount several times higher than their real cost.
3. Antique lighting.
Today we are accustomed to seeing the same type of diode lights on Christmas trees, blinking in different colors and speeds, but in Soviet times there was a completely different approach to Christmas tree lights. Therefore, such a beautiful garland simply looks like a work of art, for which it is worth paying a lot of money.
4. The symbols of the USSR are valuable.
Collectors diligently search for airships with Soviet symbols and balloons with the communist red star. Such toys are not uncommon, but true connoisseurs will pay double the amount for their good condition.
5. Sweet house.
Huts with a snow-covered roof are exactly what you can get a tidy sum for.
7. Clothespins with decor.
Clothespin toys in the form of various figures were produced in small quantities over a period of time, so today they are considered relatively rare. If their condition is satisfactory, then you can easily earn extra money. Take a look to see if there is something similar lying around in your grandmother’s chest. For example, for such a Little Red Riding Hood, the seller can ask for at least 1.5 thousand rubles.
8. Clock for the Christmas tree.
No matter how strange it may sound, Soviet Christmas tree toys in the form of clocks are in price today. Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of them, collectors are willing to pay for them, since they vary in design and color scheme.
8. The most expensive of the cheapest materials.
You will be surprised, but the most expensive Christmas tree decorations are considered to be handmade dolls made from corrugated paper and cotton wool. These dolls were among the first to appear on New Year trees in the USSR. Today they are very rare, as they are made from materials that do not last long, unlike glass or plastic. Their price starts on average from 4-5 thousand rubles.
9. Valuable locomotive.
These steam locomotives from the 40s made of cardboard with a silver coating, a communist star and the inscription “Steam Locomotive I. Stalin” have gone down in price not far. These toys were produced in limited editions, and very few of them have survived to this day.
In December-January, an exhibition of Soviet New Year's toys was held at the "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" exhibition center near VDNKh. The history of Christmas tree decorations began long before the emergence of the USSR, but it was the Soviet government that strictly contrasted the Orthodox “bourgeois-noble” Christmas with the Soviet “atheistic” New Year, along with all the inherent holiday attributes. But, despite the changed semantic content of the holiday, the connection with the traditions of decorating the New Year tree has not been lost. Thus, thanks to Soviet ideology, an original and distinctive Christmas tree toy appeared, constituting a bright layer of the cultural heritage of the Soviet era. Each series of Christmas tree decorations was created under the influence of important historical events, so you can easily trace the history of the great country.Green beauties were decorated with papier-mâché toys even before the revolution. Balls with stars, a sickle and a hammer appeared later, in the late 30s of the last century. Then toys in the form of stars and astronauts, glass corn and even an Olympic bear were hung on the Christmas trees. In general, all the symbols of our history are collected here. The exhibition features Christmas tree decorations with Soviet symbols: balls with a star, hammer and sickle, toys symbolizing achievements in the field of aeronautics - airships with the inscription "USSR". Almost all the toys at the exhibition are handmade. They were produced in a handicraft and semi-handicraft way. Therefore, even if they were the same shape, all the figures were painted by hand and in different ways, with different colors, with different ornaments. The exhibition, of course, would not be complete without Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, Christmas tree decorations in the form of birds, animals, cones, icicles and glass garlands.
Mounted Christmas tree decorations from the 1920s to the 50s were made by assembling glass tubes and beads using wire. Mounted toys in the form of pendants, parachutes, balloons, airplanes, stars. The technology for making mounting Christmas tree decorations came to us from Bohemia, where they appeared at the end of the 19th century.
The theme of musical instruments is reflected in Christmas tree decorations from the 1940s to the 60s. Christmas tree decorations in the form of mandolins, violins, and drums are distinguished by their perfect shape and unique hand-painting.
With the release of the film "The Circus" in 1937, all kinds of clowns, elephants, bears and other circus-themed toys gained great popularity.
The animal world around us is reflected in Christmas tree decorations - bears, bunnies, squirrels, foxes, birds give the New Year tree a special charm. Released in the 1950-60s of the last century.
The underwater world is also reflected in the Christmas tree decorations - all kinds of fish with bright colors and unusual shapes. Released in the 1950s-70s of the last century.
At the end of the 30s, a series of Christmas tree decorations on an oriental theme were released. Here are Aladdin, and old man Hottabych, and oriental beauties... These toys are distinguished by oriental filigree of shape and hand-painting.
What is New Year without a snow-covered hut, a Christmas tree in the forest and Santa Claus. The sculptural forms of the huts and the stylization of a roof covered with shiny snow create a unique New Year's mood. Released in the 1960s and 70s.
Christmas tree decorations depicting household items - teapots, samovars - began to appear in the 1940s. They are distinguished by fluidity of form and hand-painting with bright colors.
Santa Clauses made of papier-mâché and cotton wool were the base figures of the Christmas tree assortment in the 1940s-60s. They were called stand-shaped because they were mounted on a wooden stand and installed under the tree. Since the late 1960s, with the development of plastic and rubber production in the USSR, stand figures were made from these materials in a wider range.
And with the release of the film "Carnival Night" in 1956, "Clock" toys were released with hands set to 5 minutes to midnight.
Symbols of the Soviet state appeared on Christmas tree decorations in the 1920s and 30s. These were balls with stars, a sickle and a hammer, “Budenovtsy”.
With the development of astronautics and Yu. Gagarin's flight into space, a series of Cosmonauts toys was released in the 1960s. Christmas tree decorations with a sports theme were released in honor of the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow. A special place among them is occupied by the “Olympic Bear” and the “Olympic Flame”.
Christmas tree decorations “Tops” in the shape of a lance are associated with the design of military helmets from the times of the Kaiser’s Germany: lance-shaped tops for Christmas trees were made there. The Christmas tree toy "Bell" was produced in the 1970s. Thick glass jewelry was made in the first half of the 20th century. Since the glass in those days was thick, with a lead coating on the inside, the weight of the toys was quite significant. Mostly toys depict owls, leaves, balls.
In the early 1950s, Christmas tree decorations associated with China were released - lanterns stylized as Chinese and with the inscription "Beijing" or simply painted in different variations. Interior items (lamps), nesting dolls and children's toys were also reflected in the form of Christmas tree decorations of the 1950s and 60s.
The Christmas tree decorations presented in the exhibition are made using the Dresden cartonage technique, which appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Factories in Dresden and Leipzig produced embossed figures glued together from two halves of convex cardboard, tinted with gold or silver paint. Dresden craftsmen were famous for their particular variety, elegance and finesse of work.
Christmas tree decorations from papier-mâché were made until the middle of the 20th century (papier-mâché is paper pulp mixed with glue, plaster or chalk and coated with Berthollet salt for shine and density). Mostly the figurines depicted people, animals, birds, mushrooms, fruits and vegetables. Toys made from laminated cardboard depict houses, lanterns, bonbonnieres, baskets, etc. They are made using the following technology: cardboard is cut out along the cutting contour using die-cutting tools and glued with wood glue. The finishing materials are different types of paper and textiles. Flag garlands were very popular in the 1930s and 40s. They were made of colored paper with a printed multi-color design.
The cardboard Christmas tree decorations presented in the exhibition are made using the “Dresden cartonage” technique, which appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In our country, after 1920, cardboard Christmas tree decorations were made in private workshops and consisted of two pieces of cardboard glued together with a slight convexity in the form of a pattern. They were covered with foil, silver or colored, and then spray painted with powder paints. As a rule, the figurines depicted heroes of Russian folk tales “Kolobok”, “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka”, “At the Pike’s Command...”, as well as animals, fish, butterflies, birds, cars, ships, stars, etc. Cardboard Christmas tree decorations were produced in the USSR until the 1980s.
Toys in the form of fruits and berries (grapes, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, lemons) were made after the Great Patriotic War. In the sixties, during the reign of Khrushchev, agricultural-themed toys predominated: eggplants, tomatoes, onions, beans, peas, tomatoes, carrots and corn, cobs of all sizes and colors.
The first Christmas tree “traffic lights” of the 1930s were made for educational purposes, precisely repeating the location of the signal by color. But the “traffic lights”, which were released in the 1960s, have only a decorative purpose - the signals light up in random order. Silver hoof, three girls at the window, Chernomor - characters from famous fairy tales. These toys were released in the 1960s and 70s.
A series of Christmas tree decorations based on the fairy tale "Cipollino" by J. Rodari was released in the 1960s, when the book was translated into Russian. Ruler Lemon, Cipollino, Cipollone, lawyer Green Peas, Doctor Artichoke and other characters - these toys are distinguished by sculpture and realistic painting.
Aibolit, the owl Bumba, the monkey Chichi, the pig Oink-Oink, the dog Ava, the sailor Robinson, the parrot Carudo, the Lion - characters from the fairy tale "Aibolit". Issued in the 1930-60s.
With age, sometimes an irresistible desire arises to remember your childhood, to feel some nostalgia for the times of the USSR. For some reason, the New Year in the Soviet style most reminds those over thirty of times that, despite the shortage, you remember with rapture of the heart, considering them the best.
Nowadays there is a growing tendency to celebrate the New Year in the style of the USSR. It’s no longer surprising to see a Christmas tree decorated according to the American model in three colors. More and more I want to decorate the Christmas tree with old Soviet toys. And be sure to put cotton wool simulating snow and tangerines under it.
Variety of Christmas tree decorations
Often the Christmas tree in Soviet families was decorated with an abundance of toys and decorations. Particularly noteworthy are the clothespin toys, which are very convenient to attach to the middle of a Christmas tree branch. They were presented in all sorts of forms: Santa Claus, Snowman, Snow Maiden, candle, matryoshka.
The balls, as now, were of different sizes, but the unique highlight was in the balls with round hollows, into which the light of the garlands fell, creating a fabulous illumination throughout the Christmas tree. There were also phosphor patterned balls that glowed in the dark.
Since the New Year begins at midnight, toys in the form of watches were produced. They were given a central place on the tree. Often, such Soviet Christmas tree decorations were hung at the very top, just below the top of the head, which was certainly decorated with a red star - the main Soviet symbol.
Christmas decorations of those times were also represented by decorations made from large glass beads and beads. They were usually hung on the lower or middle branches. Old Soviet toys, especially pre-war ones, are carefully stored and passed on from grandmothers to grandchildren.
From icicles, houses, clocks, animals, balls, stars, a unique design was made.
Was it raining?
There was no such fluffy and voluminous rain as there is now during Soviet socialism. The Christmas tree was decorated with vertical rain and beads. A little later, horizontal rain appeared, but it was not thick and voluminous. Some voids on the tree were filled with garlands and candies.
For a few days, you can feel the atmosphere of the Soviet Union with the help of a Christmas tree decorated in retro style. Unique Soviet-era Christmas tree decorations, decorations and tinsel should be looked for in the bins of our grandmothers or purchased at city flea markets. By the way, auctions and online stores are being created online for the purchase, sale and exchange of Christmas tree decorations from the USSR era. Some even collect such toys, many of which are already considered antiques.
All that remains is to decorate the Christmas tree with old Soviet toys, turn on the Irony of Fate and for a second remember your childhood.
For several years now he has been collecting a collection of special Christmas tree decorations: antique ones, brought from travels, or simply ones that he wants to keep for many years. In this article, she will talk about the history of the appearance of toys in Russia, how she selects jewelry herself, where to buy them, how much they cost and how to create your own unique collection.
In the world of things that surround us every day, Christmas tree decorations occupy a special place. The New Year holidays are over, the tree is dismantled, the toys are packed into boxes and sent for storage until next December. From a practical point of view, a Christmas tree toy is a completely useless thing; it is designed to serve another purpose: to evoke nostalgia, revive memories and the most vivid images from childhood.
The hero of Stephen King’s novel “The Dead Zone” (1979), John Smith, said very correctly: “It’s so funny with these Christmas tree decorations. When a person grows up, little remains of the things that surrounded him in childhood. Everything in the world is transitory. Little can serve both children and adults. You will exchange your red stroller and bicycle for adult toys - a car, a tennis racket, a fashionable console for playing hockey on TV. Little remains of childhood. Only toys for the Christmas tree at my parents' house. The Lord God is just a joker. A great joker, he created not a world, but some kind of comic opera in which a glass ball lives longer than you.”
Each historical era created its own Christmas tree decorations. Pre-revolutionary Christmas tree decorations, for example, were fundamentally different from Soviet ones. The Russian Christmas tree was a product of German culture, because Germany is considered the first European country where they began to decorate a Christmas tree - this was in the 16th century. In the second half of the 19th century, spruce became a pan-German tradition. A description of the decorated classic German Christmas tree of the 19th century can be found in Hoffmann’s fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (1816): “The large Christmas tree in the middle of the room was hung with gold and silver apples, and on all the branches, like flowers or buds, grew sugared nuts, variegated candies and all sorts of sweets in general.” In Russia, the Christmas tree appeared after the decree of Peter I on December 20, 1699, but the tradition spread everywhere only at the beginning of the 19th century. In Tsarist Russia, the Christmas tree was an attribute of the privileged culture of the nobility and decorated the homes of merchants, doctors, lawyers, professors and government officials. The presence of a Christmas tree in the house testified to involvement in European culture, which greatly increased social status. From the second half of the 19th century, the Christmas tree also appeared in the provinces, especially in those county towns where the German diaspora was strong.
The Christmas tree decorations that went on sale were only imported and were very expensive. Therefore, it was not easy for an ordinary city resident, even an intellectual, to decorate a Christmas tree. Due to the lack and high cost of Christmas tree decorations, and then due to tradition, even in aristocratic families, toys were made at home. True, there were public charity Christmas trees that allowed children from low-income families to attend the holiday.
Christmas tree decorations in Tsarist Russia contained religious symbols: the top of the tree was crowned with the Star of Bethlehem, angels and birds hovered here and there, apples and grapes hung - symbols of “heavenly” food, garlands, beads and wreaths - symbols of the suffering and holiness of Christ. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the Christmas tree was decorated with toys made of papier-mâché, cotton wool, wax, cardboard, paper, foil and metal. Glass decorations were still imported, so the main place on the tree was occupied by “homemade” toys and edible decorations. It was they who endowed the Christmas tree with that festive smell that remains in the memory for a lifetime.
The absence of its own toy production in Tsarist Russia made the Russian Christmas tree completely apolitical and devoid of any national flavor. Russian toys from the reign of Nicholas II were hand-carved from wood, blown from glass, and painted in a few handicraft industries. Now these toys are kept in museums and private collections of lucky collectors. After the October Revolution, after 20 years of oblivion and prohibitions, the Christmas tree will be revived as a symbol of the new Soviet era and will become one of the main tools of the new ideology and education of patriotism.
My collection of Christmas tree decorations is not an object of worship for a fragile material thing. Each of them represents memories, emotions, unfulfilled hopes and dreams that still have a chance to come true someday. Already as an adult, I looked at ballet dancers with enthusiasm, admired their grace and elegance. My collection includes a weightless crystal dancer from Vienna and an antique glass ballerina with singed velvet legs, which I found on the eve of Christmas at Le Puce in Paris. Over the past few years, I have assembled a Russian ballet troupe from cotton wool - all these ballerinas come from pre-revolutionary and Soviet Russia. “Cotton” toys appeared in our country much earlier than glass ones, because the production of Christmas tree decorations from glass was incomparably more expensive than those made from papier-mâché, cotton wool and shreds. Now the situation has changed dramatically: a glass ball from the late 30s can be bought for 300–500 rubles, but the price of cotton figurines from this period starts from 3,000 rubles.
In my collection there is a clown from the “Circus” series (colored batting, painted, mica; 1936) and a reindeer herder (stearin, colored batting, painted, mica; 1930). By the way, circus performers appeared on the Soviet Christmas tree thanks to Stalin, who liked the film “Circus” with Lyubov Orlova in the title role. After the film was released in 1936, the tree was quickly decorated by acrobats and circus performers. The exploration of the North Pole also left its mark on the tree: deer, polar bears, Eskimos and skiers - all this was embodied in cotton wool, glass and cardboard. Soviet Christmas tree decorations reflected the events taking place in the country: red stars shone on the tree, cosmonauts and rockets took off into the sky in Gagarin's footsteps, agricultural products grew, and especially the queen of fields - Khrushchev's corn. The heroes of fairy tales celebrated the centenary of the death of A.S. Pushkin in 1937 - now the Old Man with a Net, Tsar Dadon, the Shakhaman Queen, Alyonushka, Chernomor with the Bogatyrs and other fairy-tale heroes are coveted trophies of collectors all over the world. In 1948, Christmas tree decorations on clothespins appeared, and in 1957, sets of mini-toys were released in the USSR, which made it possible to decorate a Christmas tree even in the small space of a Khrushchev-era apartment with low ceilings. From the second half of the 60s, the production of Christmas tree decorations in the USSR was put on stream: with the development of factory production, Christmas tree decorations became as standardized as possible and practically lost their artistic and stylistic originality. By decision of the International Organization of Collectors of Christmas Tree Decorations Golden Glow, toys produced before 1966 are recognized as antique.
I advise you to look for the most interesting papier-mâché toys of the Soviet period at flea markets (for example, in Tishinka in December) and from sellers on the websites Molotok.ru and Avito.ru. The price of toys varies from 2,000 to 15,000 rubles, depending on the rarity and degree of preservation.
However, my goal is not to make my tree vintage; I want it to be unique and reflect the history of my family. And this story is happening right now! Now we can safely talk about a genuine revival of the production of Christmas tree decorations in our country: there has been a return from the use of glass-blowing machines to a unique manual method of blowing toys, filling them with special content and meaning, and using the best traditions of domestic folk craft. And I am very glad that today fewer and fewer people decorate the Christmas tree with plain, faceless balls. The trend of replacing the variegated and multi-colored Christmas tree with a pretentious designer Christmas tree “for adults” seems blasphemous to me! A laconic and discreet Christmas tree, creating a feeling of stylish luxury, is unlikely to impress anyone, leaving memories in the soul for many years. In my opinion, the bright diversity of Christmas tree decorations has never seemed to people either intrusive or vulgar: it is at the sight of a multi-colored and shining Christmas tree that I feel that special Christmas smell, which consists of the smells of a pine forest, wax candles, baked goods and painted toys.
I spent my childhood with my grandmother in the village, so I have a special weakness for Christmas tree decorations with rustic motifs. A wonderful, but still rare exception among the Chinese abundance, are handmade Christmas tree decorations made by Russian glassblowers and artists: unique figurines from the majolica workshop of Pavlova and Shepelev, hand-painted balls and figurines from the Ariel company. Unique balls from the “Russian Traditions” series by SoiTa are painted using miniature painting techniques by artists from Palekh, Fedoskino, Mstera and Kholuy. Each of these balls is unique, made by hand (craftsmen spend two to four weeks making it) and can rightfully be called a work of art! In my collection there is a ball “At the command of the pike”, which can be looked at endlessly! The majolica workshop of Pavlova and Shepelev is located in the city of Yaroslavl; you can order Christmas tree decorations on the website mastermajolica.ru (prices from 1,000 to 6,000 rubles); the plant for the production of Christmas tree decorations "Ariel" is located in Nizhny Novgorod, in Moscow their toys are widely represented in the Moscow book house (prices from 500 to 2,500 rubles); New Year's toys from SoiTa can be purchased on the website soita.ru (prices from 6,000 to 40,000 rubles).
In recent years, I have been traveling a lot and always bring back antique and unusual Christmas tree decorations from my trips. On my last trip to New York, I walked into an absolutely incredible store owned by an old lady who loves Christmas. From under the More & More antiques counter, she pulled out treasures, the value of which for me is beyond doubt: clay figurines of animals and mermaids from Chile, Noah's Ark from Mexico, a glass skunk with a silver tail from Italy - I paid $148 for a large box of treasures! If you're in New York, stop by after visiting the National History Museum: the store is a five-minute walk from the museum.
Now the tree is neither an exquisite luxury for the rich, nor a joy for the elite, nor a fad for the spoiled, and on Christmas and New Year's Eve everyone can hang sparkling glass squirrels on the spruce paws.
1. Katya, was your collection born spontaneously?
On the one hand, the decision and desire to collect Christmas tree decorations can be called spontaneous. But if you think about it, everything falls into place! When I moved to Moscow five years ago, all my time was devoted to study and work. I lived in a rented apartment, which was in no way associated with the word “home”. So, at the beginning of my first December in Moscow, I went into the Scarlet Sails store and was stunned: it was all sparkling and shimmering with the light of New Year’s lights and bulbs. There I first saw incredibly beautiful Christmas tree decorations, they appeared as if from my childhood memories, like a picture appears on a Polaroid photograph. And the most interesting thing is that they were exactly what I could have dreamed of - bright, sparkling nutcrackers, crocodiles, squirrels and clocks with neat paintings. Previously, I could only see these toys in movies or in pictures; there were no such toys in Soviet and post-Soviet times. I will always remember that evening, because it confirmed my thought: “If today I don’t have a home, and I can’t buy sofas and curtains, then let me have Christmas tree decorations. They symbolize the warmth of family traditions, and moving a small box to a new place is not that difficult.” And so it begins!
2. How many years have you been collecting Christmas toys?
About 7 years old.
3. How many exhibits are in your collection?
I didn’t count, but I believe that there are at least 600 pieces.
4. By what principle do you select new toys for your collection?
Today I am very selective - not like at first! Now I only buy very special toys. I always bring a few from each trip, so I always check where the antique shops and markets are in the new city. Often toys can be bought in shops at museums: in Vienna I found the heroes of Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych “The Temptation of St. Anthony” - that was such a joy! As for purchasing in Moscow, I really love the Ariel toy factory - the highest quality of hand-painting and stories that are very close to everyone’s heart. In my opinion, this is incomparably better than the Chinese conveyor belt!
5. What is the oldest exhibit?
The oldest toys are Russian pre-revolutionary figures made of cotton wool, in my case ballerinas. There are toys from the late 19th century from Barcelona, but it should be noted that they are still heroes of the puppet theater, ideal in size to hang them on the Christmas tree.
6. Do you have any favorites?
Of course, everyone has their favorites! And as happens in life, favorites do not always occupy a justified place in our hearts. My favorite toys are gifts from my closest people. My favorite gifts are my husband's, such as the cotton acrobat he bought at the Flea Market our first Christmas together. Of course, I adore gifts from our parents, grandmothers, sisters, and friends! Everyone knows about my collection, so by the new year it is always replenished.
I’ve already told you that when I travel, I buy toys at flea markets and museum stores. Well, if you go during the “season”, then you can find something interesting at the Christmas markets. Although I found my most interesting specimens in the off-season, when less Chinese trash catches the eye. In Moscow, there is an excellent opportunity to buy antique jewelry at the traditional “Flea Market” in December, but the prices there are greatly inflated, and if you search, you will find more interesting and much cheaper items on the Avito or Ebay websites. If you are looking for a toy as a gift, you can look at the Polish factory M. A. Mostowski - Christmas tree decorations are quite expensive, but exceptionally beautiful and high quality, grouped in series and packaged in holiday boxes.
8. How do you store your collection?
As of today, 4 large boxes have been allocated for my collection, which sit neatly in the closet and take up half of it! I pack each toy in craft paper. I almost never keep the original boxes because they take up so much space.
9. Does your collection have a practical application? Are there toys that you buy out of passion for collecting, knowing that you will not use them in Christmas tree decorations?
No, when I buy a toy, I always “see” it on the Christmas tree. For me, the point of a collection is to bring joy, not to satisfy the collector's passion. In a good way, I am a collector secondarily, a happy adult child first. After all, children do not collect, they rejoice in what they hold in their hands.
10. How early do you decorate your home for the New Year? By what principle do you select toys?
As a rule, we put up a Christmas tree a week before the New Year, that is, right on Christmas Eve (December 24). Sometimes a little earlier if we are leaving for the holidays. We always buy a live tree, so we never have a tree for a month - I don’t want the magic to become boring. As for the toys, I just decorate until I run out of space on the tree!
11. Can you give some advice to new collectors?
It seems to me that the most important thing is not to invest in a collection of material value, but to collect a “family history.” Buy not the toys themselves, but remember the days and moments in which these cats and nutcrackers appeared. There is no fashion or trends here, there is only your heart and your soul, your thoughts and feelings that will emerge in your memory when you open the next box with your Christmas tree decorations. Only our memory gives value to things. .
