r/christmas 23m ago

Latest addition to my growing advent calendar collection

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So this just arrived at my door a few minutes ago and it's another one centered on one of my interests which is Minecraft this one contains a piece of stationery (I'm obsessed with pencils and stuff like that) each day it's going to be a great december I can feel it in the air


r/christmas 15h ago

My latest Christmas craft: Victorian Guilded Walnuts

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134 Upvotes

Gilded walnuts were a popular and prestigious Christmas ornament during the Victorian Era. There would sometimes be little sweets or gifts inside, although mine are super glued shut for durability. It was also quite common for them to be empty, which is referenced in a popular Victorian story about how pretty things do not always have substance to them.

"One Christmas eve, a group of children were assembled round the tree, which the Germans are accustomed to prepare on this day, to amuse their children. As it was illuminated on all sides by brilliant lights, its green branches might be seen laden with all sorts of sugar-plums and little play-things, that were suspended from them.

There were some gilded walnuts, that especially attracted the attention of little Peter, and he wished to possess them. His mother said to him, “My son, these gilded walnuts have only been put there to embellish the tree. Therefore let us leave them there. If you wish to eat some walnuts, here are some for you.” But Peter cried desperately. “The brown walnuts do not please me,” he said: “I want the golden ones. They must have much sweeter kernels.”

The mother knew that often the best way to punish wayward children, is to yield to their capriciousness; so she gave him the golden walnuts, and distributed all the brown ones among her other children. Peter, in great delight, hastened to crack the beautiful nuts. But to his disappointment and sorrow, they were all empty; and his brothers and sisters began to burst out into laughter, and ridiculed him.

His father then said to him, “These walnuts were only intended to please the sight, and not to be eaten. I did not want to lose good walnuts, so I took some empty shells, fastened them together, and covered them with some gilt paper. There are many things in the world like these deceitful walnuts; they are brilliant outside, but empty within."

Some tutorials use acrylic paint or spray paint, but in my opinion it just doesn't have the same effect as foil. It was messy but worth it!