Christmas is incomplete without a magical Christmas tree decked with baubles, lights and fine felted wool ornaments. Dressing up a Christmas tree is in fact, one of the best traditions associated with this festival as it involves fun for the entire family.

There are many stories surrounding the origins of the Christmas tree; however, the tradition is believed to have originated in Germany in the early 16thcentury. The Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, first introduced the idea of a Christmas tree when he decorated a fir tree with candles for his family on a wintry Christmas Eve. The rest of the world soon adopted the practice and before we knew it a classic Christmas tradition was born and celebrated.

The first Christmas trees were decorated with candles and roses. Over time, decorations became more diverse as popcorn garlands, cookies and even gingerbread men formed Christmas ornaments. Soon enough, reusable décor items like tinsel, glass baubles, and felted wool ornaments replaced these edible items.

Today, felted wool ornaments are almost synonymous with Christmas. Their soft, woolen texture, classic colors and impressive motifs make them iconic of the beautiful wintry scene that is associated with Christmas. When placed beside shimmering baubles and sparkling Christmas lights, felted wool ornaments form cozy and colorful accents that add festive cheer to the Christmas decor.

With the holiday season soon approaching, let us find out more about these beautiful felt Christmas ornaments.

What are felted Christmas Ornaments? Did you know that felt from wool is one of the oldest textiles known to man?

Felted wool is created by matting, condensing and pressing wool fibers together, so that they hook together and form pieces of fabric.

To make Christmas Ornaments, raw felt wool is molded by hand into desired patterns and shapes using water and soap. Depending on the pattern, wool of different colors can be used for the purpose. Once the desired shape is made, it is left to dry completely. Afterwards, details are added to the felted wool ornament using embellishments like beads and embroidery.

Handmade felt ornaments have unique creative quality, and the best thing is that no two pieces are exactly alike. Being resilient, durable and sturdy, felted wool ornaments hold their shape. They are easy to clean and look as good as new even after many years.

Felted wool Christmas ornaments at Farmer Soul are produced by artisan women in Nepal, at a Fair Trade Certified™ factory. They use high quality local yak wool to create the felt for these ornaments. Not only is this type of felt strong, it is also superior to the felt you can find elsewhere. Furthermore, every stage of production employs sustainable practices, so the product is 100% environment-friendly and fully biodegradable. Sheep naturally grow wool which mostly consists of a protein called keratin – the same protein found in human hair. In perfect conditions where oxygen and moisture are at appropriate level, the bio-degradation process begins first with fungi that destroys the ends of the wool fiber. Bacteria then secrets enzymes and digests the weakened fiber. The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio found in wool fiber is quite balanced which means the wool has a high percentage of nitrogen that is highly beneficial for plants.

When you choose these unique felted wool Christmas ornaments for yourself or as gifts for your loved ones this holiday season, you directly support our mission of impacting people and planet by providing fair employment to women in Nepal to produce eco-friendly products. And with Christmas being all about giving to those who need our help, this is a win-win collections that do good for everyone.