Glass chritmas tree decorations - the collector's dillemas

Abstract

Titular dilemmas concern reflections on the need for and scope of collecting material manifestations of changing customs and registering new cultural phenomena by ethnographic museums. A good example of such deliberations are Christmas tree ornaments made of glass, so far of little interest to ethnographers.The need to reflect on this branch of industry resulted in organizing an exhibition of glass Christmas tree decorations shown in various cultural contexts, not only as festive ornaments. It was held in 2005 in the Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Cracow and was an opportunity to consider the questions whether Christmas tree decorations made of glass should be, and to what extent, the object of ethnographers’ interest and collected by ethnographic museums.
Adapting a contextual perspective, also with reference to the exhibits discussed in the article, seems to be the most appropriate in building collecting procedures. Undertaking research into family traditions involved in festooning a Christmas tree, will help to make an inventory of objects – namely glass decorations of Christmas trees – often stored, collected and augmented by one family for many generations. From that perspective one can look at the story of people’s lives as well as the history of this branch of industry. The reality recorded in those objects may rekindle the memory of various Christmas family traditions, the memory of people associated with the objects and maintained in their memoirs, stories and anecdotes. It is also a story of changing trends in the decoration, ornamentation and form of objects involved in the cultural phenomenon called a Christmas tree.