Traditionally, the Russian Post issues a thematic stamp for the New Year. This time it depicts a red Christmas ball with snowflakes on a gray background.
In Russia, the first Christmas trees appeared as ornaments in the XIX century on roofs and fences of pubs. Following the European fashion, Russian people began decorating Christmas trees in 1860-1870-s. Only wealthy people could afford ordering toys in Europe. To buy a glass toy at the end of XIX century for the inhabitants of Russia was the same thing that to buy a car for the modern Russian citizen.
The first Soviet Union glass toys were fabricated in Klin during the First World War. Toys were also made out of cardboard, cotton, wool wound on a wire frame (by this way figures of children, angels, clowns, sailors were created). Christmas trees were decorated with fake fruits made of papier-mache and velvet. At the top a star of Bethlehem was fixed.
