Now, when I say I’m addicted to Christmas, I mean the good ol’-Bing-Crosby-singing, multi-colored-fat-bulb-stringing, mercury-glass-ornament-hanging-on-a-tinsel-tree kind of Christmas!
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| Shiny Brite ornaments, Snapshot Vintage |
So what is it about Shiny Brite ornaments that make them so intoxicating?
Maybe it’s that they remind me (and a lot of other folks) of a time before plastic cartoon character ornaments, blinking LED lights and large red and gold lamé bows. Shiny Brites are the essence of a nostalgic
Christmas.
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| Floral Shiny Brites, This That & Christmas |
Back in the day, these little gems started their life as
unadorned glass orbs, were hand-decorated, then machine lacquered at one of
four Shiny Brite factories. The inside of the ornament was coated in silver
nitrate giving it a shiny and bright look. Get it? Shiny Brite!
Production limitations during World War II forced the elimination of all “nonessential” metals in the manufacturing process, so Shiny Brite ornaments produced during this time have a cardboard cap and no hook.
Production limitations during World War II forced the elimination of all “nonessential” metals in the manufacturing process, so Shiny Brite ornaments produced during this time have a cardboard cap and no hook.
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| Stenciled Ornaments, Vintage Biffann |
By the early 1960’s, demand for glass ornaments was surpassed by “space age” non-breakable plastic decorations and Shiny Brite could no longer compete, eventually closing their doors for good in 1962.
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| Shiny Brite Christmas Bells, Mary Beth Hale |
Lucky for all us addicts out there, a great number of Shiny
Brites have been lovingly preserved and are for sale on Etsy, ready to start their second lives creating fond Christmas memories for a whole new generation.
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| Classic Red Shiny Brites, The White Pepper |
21 comments:
This is fascinating! I LOVE learning about history, especially the history of vintage objects. Great piece, Bryan!
Love the history behind these absolute beauties! I for one am always on the lookout for Shiny's! Thanks for sharing Bryan, you have provided us with a fascinated read!
What a wonderful blog post, Bryan! I will be thinking of you when I am watching the old Christmas movies, especially the ones with Bing Crosby. I love those movies :)
You are the Shinest Brite, Bryan. And now I am addicted also. These shiny brites are truly part of the history of Christmas in the USA. Wonderful post!
I too - am an addict. Thanks so much for the history lesson Bryan. I will be saving this information in my research file. I appreciate you.
another group of addicts in our family. our tree is filled with vintage ornaments, many of them shiny brites. we have sooo many more and they have been a hit at every vintage show we do. great to have a little more history on them
Vintage ornaments are my absolute favorite part of Christmas. (I'm a bit of a magpie...) Thank you for this informative post!
Great post! I love the vintage ornaments!
My ornaments have never looked so good. And now I have a great thread to refer customers to when they make a Shiny Brite purchase! thanks!
Fantastic post, and just what I needed today to give me a dose of Christmas cheer!
OH, thank you for the include in this wonderful blog post. I always love when I find other people who appreciate these ornaments as much as I do. I too, own more than I could ever put on my tree!
Great little history lesson! Thanks for sharing your addiction with us :)
thank you so much for including my Shiny Brite bells :) just love the old ornaments!
I looooooove Shiny Brite ornaments! What a great post, I especially love that tidbit about ornaments having cardboard caps during WWII to conserve metal!
Bryan, thanks for sharing your addiction and knowledge!! This is a fabulous post and reminds me of my childhood Christmases. :)
Fun post! Very informative. I'm proud to say that all of my ornaments are vintage! Thanks, Bryan!
Thanks so much for this most interesting background on a classic vintage ornament - Shiny Brite has been a staple on our Christmas tree year after year! Wonderful to get some historical info - much appreciated Bryan!!!
love this so so so much!!
healthy addiction me thinks
and jolly interesting read
happy retro baubles to you and yours
x ... ***
Fantastic post Bryan! I'll have to look at our vintage ornaments closer.
Our Christmas tree is never complete until grandma's vintage ornaments add the finishing touch. We were just commenting today on how beautiful they look. Thanks for history lesson.
A wonderful lesson! Much appreciated :) Thank you so much xox!!
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