Just Because

Holiday Putz

This sparkly cuteness is parked in my living room. I think the red cellophane is a bit much, but it’s not something I can easily change.
This sparkly cuteness is parked in my living room. I think the red cellophane is a bit much, but it’s not something I can easily change.

The term “putz” was derived from the German verb putzen, which means “to clean” or “to decorate.” Originally, putz was a Moravian tradition that started about a century and a half ago when families created nativity scenes from organic materials as an annual holiday activity. By the twentieth century, putz creations had become secular, larger and more elaborate, and instead of nativity scenes, there were farms, villages, and toy trains. After World War II, Japanese companies started to mass produce cardboard structures with sparkly snow and colored cellophane windows that glowed when a C6 light bulb was inserted through a hole in the back. Nowadays, you see ceramic or plastic Christmas villages everywhere, but to me, these lack the putz charm of yore.

Thank goodness, the old hand-crafted paper and often crude putz structures from last century have been rediscovered and are being reproduced today. The two houses that I purchased were handmade here in the States. To see my second sparkly house, click on the link below.

(above) This smaller one is located in my bedroom.
(above) This smaller one is located in my bedroom.

One thought on “Holiday Putz”

  1. Margaret Downs-Gamble says:

    I grew up with a whole cardboard village and tiny ceramic people! What a great memory! Thank you, Patsy Ann!

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