The Great Apple Shortage That Invented Baubles

Before glass ornaments existed, French families decorated their Christmas trees with real red apples, nuts, and dates. However, in the winter of 1858, a severe drought in the Northern Vosges mountains caused a total failure of the fruit harvest, leaving families with no apples for their trees. Stepping in to save the holiday, a clever glassblower in the village of Goetzenbruck decided to blow small, round glass spheres painted bright red to mimic the missing fruit—accidentally inventing the modern Christmas bauble.