Shop windows are glowing, balconies are turning into tiny light-filled stages, and that unmistakable “holiday scent” - a mix of pine, cinnamon and… seasonal marketing — fills every shopping mall. Which can only mean one thing: December has officially arrived!

And although we take Christmas decorations for granted now, a few weeks ago I caught myself wondering when it all actually began. Who decided that December should look like a fairy tale? When did simple ornaments turn into miniature works of art instead of just a symbol of tradition?

Out of pure curiosity, I started reading about it - you know, one link leads to another - and it turned out that the whole aesthetic of Christmas has a much longer and more fascinating history than I expected. It’s woven into changes in society, fashion, technology, and probably our very human desire to make winter feel a little brighter.

From apples on branches to the first baubles from Lauscha

Long before glass ornaments and glittery garlands appeared in our homes, Christmas decorations were incredibly modest. In 16th-century Germany, people hung apples, gingerbread, walnuts and simple paper ornaments on the tree. That was it - no sparkle, no colour-coordinated sets. Just small symbols of life and warmth during the coldest time of the year.

The real turning point came in the mid-19th century in the village of Lauscha in Thuringia, where glassblowers began creating the very first Christmas baubles. They were fragile and irregular, each slightly different, each with its own little charm.

And then Woolworth started importing them to the United States — and suddenly, glass ornaments became a global trend. By the 1880s, American newspapers were already advertising “modern European Christmas decorations”, and the magic spread faster than anyone expected.

How Christmas learned to shine

If you’ve ever admired December lights on Oxford Street, Piazza del Duomo or even Plac Piłsudskiego in Warsaw, it’s worth knowing the story began with just one person: Edward Hibberd Johnson, a colleague and friend of Thomas Edison.

In 1882, he wrapped his Christmas tree in 80 colourful electric bulbs. New York went wild.

Only three decades later, electric lights were a December staple in New York, London, Berlin and Chicago. Streets began to glow, and Christmas illumination slowly became part of urban culture.

But the true pioneers were the grand department stores. Macy’s in New York treated Christmas displays like theatre as early as the 1920s - huge, story-driven windows that stopped people in their tracks. In Europe, Harrods in London, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette in Paris, and KaDeWe in Berlin turned festive decorating into an art form. Their displays became cultural moments - photographed, described in newspapers, copied all over the world.

Marketing and the birth of modern Christmas (yes, including Coca-Cola)

No story of Christmas decorations is complete without mentioning Coca-Cola. In the 1930s, the brand shaped the modern image of Santa - warm, red-coated, friendly. They didn’t invent the colour, but they definitely made it iconic.

As television grew, Christmas became marketing season number one. Decorations turned into fashion: art-deco ornaments, shiny tinsel, plastic chains, paper stars and, of course, artificial trees.

By the 1950s and 60s, stores like Sears, JCPenney, Marks & Spencer and Woolworths were publishing special holiday catalogues - basically the paper version of Pinterest. They showed complete interiors, ready-made ideas and entire trends at once.

Shopping centres - the modern stages of Christmas

What department stores once pioneered, today’s shopping centres have taken to another level. Some of the most impressive festive displays of recent years include:

• Westfield London, famous for its gigantic light installations and themed photo spots,
• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, with its Swarovski Christmas tree under the iconic glass dome,
• Galeries Lafayette in Paris, whose tree is one of Europe’s most photographed holiday landmarks,
• Macy’s Herald Square in New York, still setting trends in Christmas storytelling,
• Harrods, which every year unveils a completely new holiday narrative - often in collaboration with Dior, Tiffany & Co. or other luxury houses.

These places shape the holiday aesthetics we later see in interior stores, seasonal collections and - of course - on Instagram.

Photography: Benh Lieu Song / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Why do we decorate? And why do we love it so much?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about this more than usual. And I think we decorate simply because we enjoy the feeling that December brings. Something sparkles, something glows, something instantly lifts the mood. For a moment, the world slows down and we step into this once-a-year atmosphere that’s hard to compare with anything else.

And honestly? I do feel that Christmas decorations used to have more magic. They were simpler, a little imperfect, but incredibly charming. Today, the choice is endless — shelves full of singing, blinking, colour-changing everything. And sure, that can be fun too. But sometimes it’s hard to find that gentle, nostalgic vibe in all the noise.

Still, I’m not complaining. I love watching cities and shopping malls light up. This year, I’m just paying more attention to the pieces that are truly beautiful - not necessarily the most spectacular. Maybe it’s the mood, maybe the changing taste, but I find myself a bit nostalgic for decorations that had something subtle about them, even if they were just two baubles and a few branches.

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