From glass apple to Christmas bauble

The beginnings of glass Christmas ornaments are associated with Lauscha in Germany in the mid-19th century. A legend tells of Hans Greiner, a glassworker who could not afford fruit, nuts and sweets for his tree. Instead of buying edible decorations, he is said to have made glass substitutes. This is a story about the origins of a custom, rather than a documented account of a single invention.

Early baubles imitated apples and nuts. Their shapes referred to decorations familiar before glass ornaments became widespread, rather than just the smooth sphere commonly associated with a bauble today. Glass ornaments became popular in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. They reached the United States towards the end of the 19th century and appeared in Poland during the same century.

The range later expanded to include human and animal figures. Machine production developed alongside handcrafting, so modern baubles can be made in quite different ways.