Today, we tend to buy most of our Christmas decorations, and sometimes children make their own from paper and material. In the past though, especially in the 1800's and before, many of the decorations used on Christmas trees were actually edible! People made pomanders to hang on their trees by pressing cloves into an orange, and hung fruit, nuts and biscuits from their trees. They also made garlands out of popcorn, dried fruit, biscuits and lollies, and Roy and I thought we would show you how to make the most famous of these, the popcorn garland!
We can't be certain where the tradition of putting edible decorations on trees comes from, but it is likely that, like the Christmas tree itself, the idea came from Germany. The most likely 'start' for edible ornaments was actually 'Miracle Plays' performed in Christian Churches. In the 1300s most people couldn't read and write, so each year the Church would put on plays telling their audience about important religious days and events. The 24th of December was Adam and Eves Day and the play would be about the Garden of Eden. The problem was, how did you find an apple tree with apples on it in the middle of Winter? In Germany the solution came when an evergreen, like a Fir was cut down and apples were tied on to it. White waifers, like those used by the Catholic Church today were also hung on the tree to remind people that even though Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden (Paradise), Jesus was born to bring forgiveness. Lots of Germans liked the idea of the Christmas tree hung with apples and began to set up their own Paradiesbaum. Later, other edible decorations like the ones Roy made were also used.
Before you begin, make sure you have clean, dry hands, and that you have plenty of room to work. Remember, these can get quite long! If you have pets, especially a dog, you also might want to make sure they aren't around, or they might want to help by eating your garlands!
Popcorn Garland
You will need:
- A needle with a big eye
- Thick cotton or fishing line. Roy and I used white crochet cotton.
- Popcorn. Roy and I used colourful, store-bought popcorn, but you could pop your own or use plain, white popcorn if you liked.
Method:
- Decide how long you would like your garland to be. Roy and I decided to make ours 1 metre long. Cut a piece of cotton 20 centimetres longer than you want your finished garland to be.
- Thread the cotton onto your needle.
- Carefully thread a piece of popcorn onto the needle, and push it along the cotton until you are about 10 centimetres from the end.
- Now thread another piece, and another, and another until your garland is as long as you decided to make it! Roy and I alternated colours randomly so our garland looks very pretty!
- Sometimes the popcorn will break because it isn't very strong, but don't worry, just add another piece!
- Drape your garland around your tree, above a doorway or wherever else takes you fancy!
- When Christmas is over, if you haven't already eaten your garland, you could hang it outside as a treat for the birds!
You could also add dried fruit or lollies like jubes to your garland. Just 'sew' them on the same way which you sew your popcorn. Dried fruit and plain, white popcorn garlands were very popular in the past!