Fascinating Trivia about the Christmas Ball (1) The first Christmas balls, also known as Christmas baubles, were not balls at all but apples. During the middle ages, it was customary to decorate the 'Paradise Tree', an evergreen used in a popular play about Adam and Eve, with apples representing the forbidden fruit. (2) When apples became too expensive in 19th-century Germany, local craftsmen began producing glass balls to replace them. These early glass ornaments were known as kugels, derived from the German word for ball. (3) The tradition of hanging balls on Christmas trees gained widespread popularity in the mid-19th century when Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, brought a Christmas tree from Germany to Windsor Castle. (4) Christmas balls were initially made of glass, but during the World War II era, when resources were scarce, ornaments were often made of alternative materials like wood, paper, or even aluminum. (5) F.W. Woolworth, an American businessman, is credited for introducing Christmas balls to America. It's said that by 1890, his stores were selling $25 million worth of ornaments annually. (6) Shiny Brite ornaments, created by Max Eckardt in the 1940s, were the first mass-produced glass Christmas ornaments in the United States. (7) In the city of Lauscha, Germany, glassblowing is a tradition dating back to the late 16th century. The city is renowned for creating some of the finest glass Christmas ornaments in the world. (8) Many Christmas balls today are made of shatterproof plastic to make them safer, especially in households with children or pets. (9) Some people collect antique Christmas balls, and the most sought-after items can fetch hundreds, even thousands, of dollars at auction. (10) The world's largest Christmas ball ornament was made in 2016 in Algarve, Portugal. It measured 8.32 meters (27 feet) in diameter and held a Guinness World Record.