When I was a teenager my mother owned a ceramics store where people came in and finished ceramic pieces. At this time of the year we’d be firing hundreds of Christmas trees in our kilns. Most of them were finished with assorted green glazes, some had a type of glaze on the ends of the boughs that resembled snow after they were fired. We did so many of them that I vowed I never wanted to see another ceramic Christmas tree. Ever. As it turned out my husband and I inherited one from his mother, and I put it out every year, smiling as I remember.
On my way home from work last night, driving slowly through driving snow I realized that almost all the huge pine trees along the roads were covered in great big wads of sticky snow. And they looked just like the ceramic trees of my youth! They were everywhere! Guess you just can’t escape your past. That’s OK. They’re beautiful and I didn’t have to load a kiln, or pack them in a box with shredded paper for our customers!
Katie and I wish all of you out there a very happy holiday, whether you have a ceramic Christmas tree or not!
Change Is Hard 
December 2, 2008 at 9:13 pm
My Ma was into ceramics for a long time and at one point made one of those ceramic Christmas trees. It had little “lite-bright” like plastic pieces that went into holes and bulb inside it that lit them up.
It was cool…but we always seemed to lose the little colored clear plastic pieces.
Ah…childhood and ceramics. I scraped and painted a fair share of various things myself. Our neighbor had the kiln and molds. Good times.
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December 3, 2008 at 6:05 am
My sister-in law made one of those for everyone in our family one year. But they are a whitish color with a sparkle to them. The blubs werent glued in so when my kids were little we didnt put the blubs in. We were worried about choking. It looked cool with the light coming thur the holes. We still pull it out every year and everyone still loves it. I think is has fond memories for my kids. So thanks for all your hard work to make Christmas special. Diana
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December 3, 2008 at 9:20 am
Diana, your tree might have a white opal glaze on it, I remember those too! Spike, we used to glue the little plastic lights into the holes, but sometimes they’d still fall out. In fact my mother-in-law’s has a couple missing. I should find a ceramic store, I think there are still a few around, and buy a few more little plastic bulbs! And yes there was a central light down at the bottom to light the whole thing up.
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December 4, 2008 at 10:02 am
I got one from my mother-in-law too. It has plastic lights in the shape of butterflies, candles, and all sorts of stuff. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
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December 5, 2008 at 5:35 pm
If I remember correctly, one ceramic Christmas tree was out at your house just about all year last year — right? Christmas all year long (only the good memories!)
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January 5, 2009 at 3:33 pm
i am trying to find out where you can buy those little plastic bulbs that go in the ceramic christmas trees – some of mine are bulbs,some birds and some poinsettias – any ideas? thanks
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January 5, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Kris, I have noticed in my travels that there are still a few ceramic stores out there. These are places you can buy things like unfired Christmas trees and glaze them yourself, then the store fires them again. I haven’t been in one in ages, but I’d bet if you can find one they’d have the lights for the trees, because I’d bet they are still making Christmas trees! I drive by a place like this on my way to work and I was thinking that I needed to stop to see if I can pick up a few lights myself. I don’t know specifically about the lights shaped like things, but check out your yellow pages under “ceramics” and see if you have any resources. Might find something online too…but I”ve never tried, and I’m guessing that’s how you got to me! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
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January 7, 2014 at 11:43 am
i am looking for an unfired christmas tree 14-18 inches high….woud appreciate any suggestions as to where I might find this
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