DECEMBER 16, 2011 A RADKO HOBBY

"Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body." - Proverbs 16:24

Who doesn't want to hear pleasant words? We all do. I know I do. Two other beekeepers, S and J sent us this quote which I love. Beekeeping as a Hobby has been a pleasure. It is now more than a hobby. I consider it part of our lives. Rick and I read on all aspects of bee life. I have 1st edition books on Bees.

Every year we have a special chore. The chore is magical. It is in the spirit of the Holidays. It is putting up the tree with all its splendor. The splendor comes from another hobby. The hobby of Christmas Ornament collecting.

As the legend goes, the Christopher Radko Company started with the falling of Christopher’s family tree. After more than 1,000 vintage mouth-blown glass ornaments were broken to bits, Christopher tried to replace them by looking far and wide in the United States and by scouring Polish glassware markets. His quest did not produce even one replacement ornament that met his requirements, and he soon came to realize that his only option was to start completely from scratch. Armed only with his memories of his family’s ornaments, Christopher enlisted a Polish glass blower and together they went to work, trying to recreate his family’s lost heirlooms. It went so well that by 1985, Christopher was in business. Sixty unique designs debuted that year and the rest, as they say, is history.

I have been a Christopher Radko Christmas ornament collector since 1988, when my daughter Alyssa was born. Every year I add more and more Christmas Ornaments. I have a favorite- the Penguins.

Today, the Christopher Radko Company has produced more than fifteen million fine European glass ornaments and grown to encompass several additional lines of holiday décor, including Home for the Holidays—a beautiful collection of decorative holiday tabletop items and trim, including snow globes, ceramic cookie jars, tree skirts and stockings.

Despite this fantastic growth, the company’s original passion for and pride in carrying on the noble tradition of producing only the finest holiday treasures remains 100% intact: Christopher Radko Fine European Glass Ornaments are produced in Europe by a seasoned team of artists and craftsmen, many of whom have been with the company since its very inception. Each piece is meticulously crafted by hand, using Renaissance-era carving, molding, glass blowing, silver lining, hand painting and finishing processes that require both unparalleled skill and several weeks to complete. This Christmas 2011, Rick and I counted about 40 Radko's which now adorn our Martha Stewart Christmas Tree. We did add four new Radko's to the tree last night.

It has been a Holiday Hobby.

Some of our collection are now retired bulbs. I know Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Elizabeth Taylor and Love are all retired. These magical heirlooms produced by the Christopher Radko Company have brought joy and happiness to everyone who sees our tree. We will pass the collection on to younger members of the family as the years go by.

Until tomorrow...