Along with the Christmas lights and tree, baubles are a staple among Christmas decorations. These days, they come in a huge range of shapes, colours and sizes, from cheap and cheerful to elegant and fragile.
There is no doubt that hanging Christmas baubles is a firm festive favourite. Just for fun, here are three facts about one of our favourite Christmas decorations:
German origins
The first glass Christmas baubles were made in Germany, following on from the tradition of hanging real fruit and nuts from evergreens during the dark winter months. It is thought that Prince Albert and Queen Victoria popularised the idea of decorating a Christmas tree with handmade ornaments in Britain, a token to the Prince’s home country.
The largest on record
The Guinness World Records currently has the largest Christmas bauble measuring a whopping 4.68m in diameter. It was situated in The Dubai Mall in December 2018. However, at 1,100kg, it wasn’t hanging from a tree!
The perfect ratio
In 2015, the Sheffield University Maths Society came up with a formula for the ideal number of baubles per square foot of Christmas tree. They playfully labelled these facts, along with their other decorating equations, “treegonometry”, so you can check in with your tinsel length and star height as well.
Regardless of whether your tree decorating is an exact science or a chaotic free for all, the most important thing is the joy it brings. Enjoy the day when it comes and maybe treat yourself to a new bauble for the collection.
