Playing Cards - Green & Gold 3-Photo Ornaments

As far back as the early 1600's, the Germans were decorating their Christmas trees with roses made of paper and lighted candles. (Which sounds incredibly dangerous!) By the 1800's, ornaments had made their way to households in England -- although they were more items of opportunity or availability -- nuts, fruits, pine cones, etc. From there, the Germans, again, come to the forefront by adding hard, shaped cookies (like gingerbread) to their trees. Americans seem to have taken the lead when they created the first garland by stringing popcorn and cranberries and draping it around the trees. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, paper and lace were crafted into unique shapes and placed on the tree. By the middle of the 19th century, German glass blowers added their talents to the growing tradition of Christmas tree ornaments; starting with the familiarity of fruits and nuts, they branched out to geometric shapes and, finally, figures. Early in the 1900's, Japan expanded the color palettes used and the Czech Republic enhanced intricacy of design. It was not until after the first World War that Americans developed the means of mass-producing glass ornaments by machine. Since that time, with each advance in industry and, for example, polymers, the Christmas ornaments market expanded and the industry has flourished. Though Christmas ornaments can take virtually any shape, the most commonly recognized is the sphere. This fabulous design pays homage to the history and that iconic image. Three round ornaments are "hollowed" to allow for the placement of family photos. Without the photo placement, the bottom "layer" of green shows through. This design is all about layers, beginning with that bottom background layer of green. The next "layers" come from you -- three photographs to fit in the tiny frames. The primary design graphic comes next, bringing the green and gold to the table. Finally, there is a text area for you to modify with your name, sentiment or holiday message. One fascinating facet to these terrific playing cards is that the manufacturer, Bicycle, was making playing cards before the United States started manufacturing Christmas ornaments. This deck of cards makes a fabulous gift item or stocking stuffer for your favorite "card shark" -- or for the family that loves to get together for a friendly hand after big family dinners.