"A Homemade, Handmade and Artist Made Christmas" virtual tour with Curator Dr. George Johnson

Step into a holiday wonderland at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, where you will celebrate a Christmas of craftsmanship and creativity spanning the past 600 years, from the 15th to 21st centuries. Explore a treasure trove of rare finds, cherished childhood memories and enchanting decorations created by families and gifted artists. As always, curators Dr. George and Jeanne Johnson help make this a memorable Christmas display.
This exhibition is made possible with support from Vonnie McDonald State Farm Insurance.

[@sawdust2556]

❤ Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing your family stories, traditions and antique finds! I so enjoyed this! Learning the history and about how different families celebrate and spend time together is wonderful!

[@TheAnimalsMagicShop]

I really enjoyed seeing this collection and the narrative. Amazed that so many of these pieces survived considering the materials. Thank you!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed it. Other videos we've done are listed at the top of the 'replies' list.

[@AvatarPrimus]

A GORGEOUS and well loved collection!

[@chriswitt2596]

I'm amazed. I love the candy container made with the paper hat. It almost made me cry. I thought about a mother trying to figure out something to make Christmas special for her children and coming up with using maybe a paper hat from the year before. It is might all be my imagination, but it was a wonderful thought. You are incredible with your knowledge of your collection. It is amazing. I have never seen half or any of those things you have. God bless you for keeping them so perfect. And showing them to the public. It's it is wonderful

[@carmencreamer3769]

I discovered your video of your annual display last year. I cannot express what joy it brings me to watch it this year. How wonderful that you share your marvelous collection and knowledge with us and the Center’s visitors. Thank you so much!!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you for your kind comments, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We also have a video tour of a 'Victorian Christmas' and a ''Russian Christmas' that might interest you. The Victorian Christmas is easily found on KZbin and the Russian Christmas can be found on the Decorative Arts site.

[@ginacable5376]

Absolutely enchanting I really enjoyed this thank you.

[@AlexanderQuijada-ou8jw]

Oh wow.what a beautyful decoration

[@lawrencezareno4916]

Thank u Sir for sharing your beautiful and vintage ornaments,decor,very informative,have a blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year...from the Philippines.

[@yankeecitygirl]

The millwork and crown molding are magnificent

[@suewegert2323]

Just happened to find your program. It must take a lot of time and work to care for this beautiful display. Thanks for sharing your collection.

[@georgejohnson8715]

It took two weeks to put it up, and about the same to get it down and all put back where it belongs. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Ladysensei]

I really enjoyed watching this. I am an artist from Charleston, SC. My father was born in Cleveland in 1920 and talked about some of these decorations. The large nativity was stunning. I love your story about using your dad’s sock for your stocking. My dad was a veteran from WWII also and after the war my parents lived in Cleveland. We still have the angel they purchased from Higbee’s Department store. Thanks for this tour! ❤

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed the video tour and it brought back pleasant memories.

[@mj9291b]

I enjoyed this so much! When I was little, we hung my mother’s anklets for St Nick. We would get up in the morning to find nuts and candy in them. There was one year, though, we found sticks in our socks and a note. I couldn’t read yet, so my brothers read it-if we didn’t behave, Santa wouldn’t be coming at Christmas. I was so upset. It didn’t help when my brothers said that all the sticks were in my sock, with no candy or nuts. They said that they each took a stick and they each shared their candy with me. Looking back, I’m pretty sure that they were the naughty ones!

[@deboramccallum3987]

My Mom homemade a village with Ivory snow and miniature houses, lamps, fences which I cherish. She still has it 50 years later. Thanks for all your history on items. Happy holidays

[@georgejohnson8715]

We are glad you enjoyed it and that the display brought back fond memories.

[@gailchurch194]

At 68 years old I love the homemade and vintage Christmas. Until my grandparents died when i was 35 i woke up every Christmas morning at their house. Cherished memories. I have a tree of vintage ornaments and i also still make cross stitched ornaments like your wife's. Makes a wonderful Christmas feeling for me. Thank you.

[@georgejohnson8715]

I'm glad the display brought back happy memories!

[@joanwalters4741]

A delightful hour spent seeing your wonderful collection of Vintage Christmas decorations. Each vignette is a treasure and with the history and stories shared with the items lovingly collected is Amazing. Truly a work of love as talented as the artists you credited.

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the display.

[@CarlosAraya-cf2lv]

I love your dedication !!!! Absolutely elegant 👏👏👏 Your Christmas vintage decorations is incredibly & beautiful ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️ Greetings from Chile.

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed the display. it does take a lot of work and we are still in the process of taking it down and putting it away.

[@allanegleston4931]

the busyiest diy hollidays are halloween. christmas and followed by easter and vallentines day. thanks dr george !!!

[@punkyspray]

I loved this so much. ❤🎄⛄️❄️🎁 🎅

[@donnaconrad6212]

I enjoyed this video very much! Inspiring to create and delightful to remember back when. Thank you! Happy New Year 2024!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video - Happy New Year to you and yours!

[@LeeParmanand]

Beautiful, Beautiful 😊

[@angelav8238]

I look forward to your christmas display tours each year now.

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you so much!

[@bluemethodify]

We still use bubble lights from Noma on our tree each Christmas. It was neat to also see them on your tree!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you. They were also on my childhood tree of the 1950s, in fact, that's how i got into collecting.

[@vintagerescuer5128]

As I will not make it to Ohio, I appreciate being able to see this wonderful display from my living room in California Thanks for sharing

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed it. youtube also has a Victorian Christmas video we did 2 years ago as well as a Story Book Christmas, and Russian Christmas videos.

[@PaulaMiddleton-un8wr]

This is lovely and so informative. Thankyou ever so much. I'm laid up with 'flu and this has been really therapeutic as well airstrip down memory lane. I'm in the UK, but it's lovely to see that children's precious early Christmas decorations made in school have been very similar to ours! I love to get the one remaining crumpled paper lantern out every year. As a matter of fact, I don't remember seeing one of those in your collection. In the UK they have been a staple Christmas decoration made in schools for decades. I made them in the 60s and my children made them in the 80s & 90s. My grandmother used to love novelty crackers. There must have been a cracker revolution in the 60s. She bought a big snowman table centrepiece, which was covered in cotton wool with crêpe paper hat. Inside there were the small trinkets, hats, jokes act for everybody. She re-filled it every year and it grew more and more tired looking! She made trifle for tea in the same glass dish that had been her mother's, with sherry-soaked sponge, some tinned fruit like raspberries or Mandarin oranges, custard, then whipped cream with toasted, flaked almonds sprinkled on it and a design of glacé cherries with little stems of green angelica like flowers. It looked lovely, but was not my cup of tea! She went to huge trouble over our Christmas days with them. The poignant thing which I only found out later, was that their son, my father's older brother, had been killed in a car crash two weeks before Christmas in the early 1950s. It devastated the family. It would have been his birthday on Boxing Day too, but over the years, they found they could enjoy Christmas again with grandchildren coming along and they seized every opportunity for joyfulness in life.

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you for your lovely message, so glad it helped you feel better. Our family also uses the English tradition of the crackers both on the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. Everyone has to read the jokes aloud. The edible tree had about 5 English crackers from the 1920s - probably hard to see in the video. My wife makes a triffle for Christmas, I'll share your mother's ingredient list with her. We have four children and none made the school lantern you spoke of - sounds cute. I understand about your later comment on autocorrect -- I've made mistakes of my own using it. Happy New Year!

[@anasofialulo7808]

Gracias por mostrar tesoros NAVIDEÑOS...... antigüos y preciosos... Bendiciones

[@georgejohnson8715]

Gracias por sus amables palabras. Feliz año nuevo.

[@dismalcoffee3484]

A delightful presentation!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you!

[@yelinmanu7204]

Thank you very much 😊

[@georgejohnson8715]

You are welcome, glad you enjoyed it

[@r8chlletters]

My angel for my tree is 4th generation and hand crafted during the depression. Thank you for this presentation 🎄

[@georgejohnson8715]

Keeping your family's Christmas treasures is such a blessing and so full of memories! Glad you enjoyed the presentation.

[@anaferguson5135]

Awesome collection!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Thank you!

[@adrianapapakonstantinou9207]

Είναι όλα πολύ ωραία καλή χρονιά με αγάπη υγεία λατρεύω την Γερμανία απο Ελλάδα Αθήνα

[@georgejohnson8715]

I'm glad you enjoyed the tour and Happy New Year to you also!

[@Xavierxavou]

Merci beaucoup de nous faire partager votre magnifique collection ! ❤ Joyeux Noël de la France 😊

[@georgejohnson8715]

Merci. Joyeux Noel!

[@Tuckerz5d]

Very interesting, thanks so much! Merry Christmas!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Links to other Christmas Videos: 'Storybook/Brady Bunch Christmas', 'A Victorian Christmas', and 'A Russian Christmas' can be found by clicking on the "Videos" button above

[@juanitatabe7472]

Thank you for this wonderful collection you are sharing. Have you considered a book about the ornaments and instructions for making some of them. I love creating ornaments and my tree contains many vintage ones, some collected in travels, family ones and handmade ones

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed the tour. As for books, I written four on antique decorations: "Christmas Ornaments, Lights, and Decorations Vol. I, II, and III" and "A Pictorial Guide to Christmas Ornaments and Collectibles" by George W. Johnson. Unfortunately, they are out of print when Collector Books went out of business about 2012. However, all can be found used on Amazon Books.

[@nphipps9406]

unique❤💚

[@georgejohnson8715]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mickie4445]

Paper ornaments are the most valuable.

[@georgejohnson8715]

Yes, old paper decorations can be expensive.

[@antoniojosecarrero]

Your video is so incredible, but belive or not the Spanish Madona that you made reference is the " Virgen de la Pastora" ( the Sheep Madona ) , and today the same day that I found your video it is her religious day in several countries of Sud America, principaly in Venezuela where more that two millon people goes to venerate the Madona!!!

[@georgejohnson8715]

Wonderful information! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@markbenkelmann8940]

Are you the author of the Pictorial Guide to Christmas Ornaments and Collectibles?

[@mariansinger9003]

I wonder if you are aware of the high-end Cracker Box push pin kits. Kits can come with Swarovski crystals. Many kits cost well over $100. I have over 50 my mother crafted from their kits. Just an FYI.

[@georgejohnson8715]

Aware of this and a couple were on display, but did not know they were called Cracker Box push pin kits. Than you for the additional information, I'll check it out. You must have a wonderful collection of them!

[@PaulaMiddleton-un8wr]

I made a typo below; "airstrip" should read "a trip". So much for predictive text....

[@christopherfelipe60]

Are the Santa candy containers for sale?

[@georgejohnson8715]

No, nothing in our collection is for sale.

[@jimmy2668]

2 Producers in Germany, Marolin and Ino Schaller

[@pal98111]

“Housewives” are artists too.

[@hmrowland6114]

Nice...lots of furniture to paint there. Nativities? Why? Interesting but droaning. The family tree contains some of the ugliest junk I've ever seen ... emotional drivel over artistic merit of which there are many examples. Wow...speed it up. Thanks for sharing this. Hard to get throughthough. Yawn.