Come with us, and we will take you to a place where a beautiful Christmas story is made – the story of Christmas ornaments. Their production has remained unchanged for a century, but they have introduced a new way of hanging them.
The company began selling glass, expanded to include glass beads, and later started offering Christmas ornaments. Today, it boasts over a century of tradition in handmade products.
“Every piece is an original, connected to tradition. I would like to mention that the production method in our country has not changed over the past hundred years,” says Pavel Joska from the Czech company Ozdoba. His great-grandfather Václav Berger added that he was extremely persistent in his business. When he had to enter the First World War, he sent detailed instructions directly from the front to his wife.
Prompt and Precise
The family tradition continued and is now in the hands of the fifth generation of Bergers. How is such an ornament created?
“We always start from a glass tube, which we mold, blow, silver, dip in colors, and then paint and pack.” You might say it sounds simple. However, Paul reminds us that blowing is a challenging part of the work that not everyone can do. And painting? Precision and promptness are required here.
He emphasized that the actual value of Christmas decorations lies in the process of their production and hand-painting. “We incorporate the traditions, production processes, and precise designs into Christmas decorations. Instead of using printing tools, we paint everything by hand.”
Color Matters
We often associate Christmas with some trends every year. We want decorations that are up to date; we want to create an original and unique festive atmosphere. But what about the Christmas decorations? Are they like a new winter coat or boots straight from the catwalk?
“Every year, we adapt more and more to the trends, at least in color. However, customers are mostly used to traditional colors such as snow white, red, burgundy, and gold. But I would like to say that the situation is changing, and customers are starting to react to modern colors.”
Customer’s Eye
When it comes to Christmas decorations, the color most often decides. Either we like it, or it just goes well with other decorations. But can we know the actual quality of the ornament when shopping? “It can be assessed by the painting. Some manufacturers use the so-called screen printing – they repaint the center of the ornament using a template, and when it is a ball, I paint the rest by hand. It is very noticeable on the painted parts because they do not paint the entire design in one whole. It also depends very much on the colors and combinations of painting and covering used.”
Everyone knows it
Although we notice the Christmas ornaments’ shape, color, and decoration, it would not be complete without one detail. It’s that little pin that can hang on a Christmas tree.
This important element was brought into production by the Czech Ozdoba. The hanger with a fork and a cap as we know it today came on the market in 1934. We owe the idea to Josef Berger, the eldest son of Václav Berger.
Do you prefer a retro, romantic, or vintage style like your grandmother’s?
While we recognize that trends are reflected in colors, Christmas decorations are beautiful with intricate details. The craftsmanship we admire adds value to the ornaments. The ornaments in new collections, for example, feature a delicate Renaissance flower, still the current color of the year – peach fuzz, but also more classic motifs such as frost flakes or blueprints, which will remind the times of our grandmothers.
Text: Eva Vašková, photos: Ozdoba CZ s. r. o.
