• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

'Crawling elves' -and other seasonal decorations.

trekkiedane

Admiral
Admiral
Already as early as in the early years of the 20'th century you could buy the first sheets of elves to cut out.
In 1947 Frederik Bramming drew a couple of sheets and had them printed on white cardboard, calling them "kravlenisser" ~ crawling elves. They became such a big success that the next season several other sheets were available.
Danish christmas has become unthinkable without these fellas.

sheet1.jpg


sheet2.jpg
Bramming's elves are easily recognizable; no teeth, long hats without fur-trimming and those pants.

Print on cardboard (you can of course re-size to fit your needs and tastes), cut out, fold flaps back and put them on, respectively hang them from; picture frames,

pictureframe.jpg


book-shelves,

shelve320x.jpg


and anywhere else their mischief could raise a smile.

anysurface.jpg


___________
Google for "kravlenisser" or try these links for more:

Mine:
Skimpily clad girl.
X-rated. Edit: (Sorry, this one had to go - RJ)
Donald Duck w. closest family.

External:
http://www.julidannevang.dk/kravl/kravl.shtml
http://www.julesiden.dk/kravlenisser.htm
http://www.duda.dk/Grundfag/Kristendom/Jul/juleklip/kravlenisser/kravlenisser.html
http://www.tegneseriemuseet.dk/Kravlenisser/kravlenisser.htm



Please tell about, and show, the decorations your christmas would be incomplete without.
 
Last edited:
Ok, no takers :rommie:

Then how about stars:

Stjerne.gif

In December I rarely go anywhere without a pack of paper strips to make stars from.

It's actually pretty difficult to explain in writing - difficult meaning impossible - Those of us that have been taught how to fold stars always get a good laugh from the how-to's that are printed in the paper-strip packages; they are the most useless directions you are likely to ever see!!!

I'll try though:

You'll need four paper strips, about 12" in length folded in the middle and ends cut like in this picture:

1.gif


Arrange them interlocking like this:

2-4.gif


Pull them together -but not too tight:

5.gif


Fold the upper layered strips over the centre square one over the other -but the last one goes over AND under:

6-7.gif


pull and press -again; not too tight:

8-9.gif


fold a triangle from one of the strips:

10.gif


make a loop with the same strip and pull and squeeze it til it also becomes a triangel:

11.gif


turn 1/4 round and repeat until you have 4 little triangles.

Then flip over and do the same thing with the last four strips.
What you have now should resemble this:

15.gif


Now comes the tricky part ;)

On each side of the square there should be four strips kind of coming out of the square, fold them ever so slightly 'up' so they stand out of the square part.
I really hope this scan shows how it's done b/c it's rather difficult to describe: you have to fold (lightly, not as sharp a fold as earlier!!!) a triangle standing up on the square and loop the strip and put it under the neighbouring strip.

The strip will then come out of one of the flat triangular folds you did earlier -pull on this and a triangular pyramid-shape takes form standing on the square piece...
16a.gif


turn 1/4 repeat with the remaining strips on this side flip over repeat -you know the drill!

use a pointy sharp pair if scissors to cut off the remaining strips and your star is finished!

18.gif


A ring of stars is made with eight stars, where you put one set of the side triangles into the 'pocket's of the next star (with a bit of glue)

Stjerne-krans.png
 
^Indeed, kids love those :bolian:

I find it strange that no one else have anything to share on the subject of decorations…

Nevermind, I've got plenty more.

Today's decoration is a jar of Preserved Christmas:

Jul53.jpg

2004 and 2002

You take a handfull of christmassy stuff; whatever is around the season you'd like to preserve, and fill it into a jar, label it with the year and contents - voilà, christmas preserved!

It is a seasonal decorative item in it's own right (plus: unlike other decorations there's not a lot of dusting required ;) ), or you could bring it with you if you're not home during christmas and use the items in the jar to decorate your motel room or you could mail a bit of homemade christmas to someone overseas and it makes a great little gift!
 
^I'm so ging to put one of those up once I'm finished re-decorating my bedroom :bolian:

I couldn't knit if my life depended on it. But grandma could! and she supplied the whole family with hand-knitted Mr. and Mrs. Santa's:

Jul63.jpg

From the clothes you might guess that this couple is from the seventies. ;)
 
Today's decoration is a jar of Preserved Christmas:

Jul53.jpg

2004 and 2002

You take a handfull of christmassy stuff; whatever is around the season you'd like to preserve, and fill it into a jar, label it with the year and contents - voilà, christmas preserved!

That's a neat idea!

I'll post some of my decorations later.
 
Does anyone else think that "Crawling elves" sounds like one of the side effects Stephen Colbert mentions in his show? :lol:
 
Dad got a couple of extra sheets of elves today when he bought the paper so I now have "Extra Bladet"s take on prolific Danish politicians as elves :rommie:

Here's our statsminister (~prime minister):

ExtaBladetKravlenisserstatsminister.jpg

Label: Tax cuts


Anyone else know of the christmassy thing about sticking cloves into oranges?

appelsinmednelliker.jpg

The juice of the oranges seep through the dried cloves and the result is an all natural deodorizer; spreading the christmas smell all through the house
xmas-smiley-016.gif
 
Pomander balls? Yes, I know about those - I like to make them this time of year, and yes, they *do* smell nice :)
 
Having had mine hanging for almost a week, the oranges are all dried up and old-looking; might need to re-do those sometime tonight -I still have lots of oranges
xmas-smiley-016.gif
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top