Candy
Containers
Sweets for children at Christmastime have always
been a ubiquitous part of the holiday celebration. So it's little
wonder that candy containers were made in all shapes and sizes, and
from many different materials.
Christmas trees of the early 19th century were adorned with cookies,
fruits and nuts, and cones in which one could place small
confections. Beginning at around 1870, Dresden paper animal heads
and other Dresden ornaments often came with small silk bags that
usually held a single treat.
Out of the German toy industry in the 1880's emerged figures made of
cotton or paper mache that sat on top of boxes, snowballs, logs or
some other form that could hold candy (such as ones made by the toy
manufacturer, Heubach). Some of the more elaborate candy containers
were extremely detailed reindeer or Father Christmas figures that
separated at the waist, concealing a cylinder that held the candy.
Some separated at the neck and the candy could be stored in the
body. Still other Santa figures held candy in small baskets attached
to their back or belt, or transported their sweets in a wicker car
or moss-covered sleigh.
Regardless of their shape or size, it's fun to imagine the surprise
and delight on a child's face to find one of these treasures on
Christmas morning.
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