According to Nancy McMichael, a snow globe collector profiled in a 1997 article in The New York Times, the first snow globes were showcased at the 1878 Paris Universal Exposition by a local glassware firm. She isn’t the only one who noticed. As described in the (exhaustive) reports of the U.S. Commissioners to the exposition, the water-filled globes each featured a little man holding an umbrella, and “a white powder which, when the paper weight is turned upside down, falls in an imitation of a snow storm.” The next iteration of the snow globe came in 1889, again at the Paris Universal Exposition. As McMichael writes in her book Snowdomes, this time the globe—which was the work of an enterprising souvenir vendor—featured a tiny ceramic version of the just-unveiled Eiffel Tower, and the whole ball fit in the palm of a hand. (An example of the globe lives at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Wisconsin.)
Tired of all the happy ballerinas and princesses in snow globes? Then give them the finger with this terrible, but hilariously wrong, prank snow globe. It’s something we’ve all asked at one time or another, just never in snow globe form. I’m not sure if this is meant as a gift or as bathroom décor, but either way, it’s sure to be a conversation starter. More information at custom snowglobes.
Collecting Snow Globes: Snowglobes have become an increasingly popular collectible for both antique and novelty globes. Actor, Corbin Bernstein may be the most prolific collector with about 8,000. Bernsen began collecting snow globes in the ‘80’s. “There’s something that happens to a collector, this internal voice that says, ‘I want to have one of each that is in existence,’” Bernsen says. French collector, Mireille Sueur built an extensive collection trolling flea markets, gift shops and tourist sites. Her first words of advice, “make sure you know how to limit yourself”.
The origins of Christmas wreaths remain mostly a mystery. According to CBS, there are two theories about the origins of Christmas wreaths. One is that they are an “adaptation of the ceremonial wreaths of ancient Greece and Rome.” Another is that they developed from the “advent wreaths of mediaeval German Christians” who would adorn the wreaths with four candles to indicate the four weeks before Christmas. Even earlier, ancient Egyptians, the early Romans and the Vikings would display plants like green palm rushes, fir, spruce and evergreen branches that remained green all through wintertime as a way to ward off evil spirits and illness. Source: https://www.qstomize.com/collections/custom-snow-globe.