Christmas must be the most exciting time of the year for all of us. A lot of the Christmas traditions that we practise today come from Germany and have been celebrated around the world for centuries - from the Christmas tree to Christmas ornaments. Germany has been the main contributor to how we celebrate the Christmas season today so it's not surprising that there are a lot wonderful family businesses in Germany which create handmade Christmas products.
As parents, the lead up to Christmas can be a little stressful but we are here to help you not only with the best high quality and the most beautiful open-ended toys from all around the world but also with making Christmas even more special by decorating your home with gorgeous high quality wooden Christmas decorations from Graupner Holzminiaturen.
The range of Graupner Holzminiaturen consists of a lot of different decor pieces and gifts for special occasions. The majority of them are beautiful Christmas decorations that will brighten up your home and make your Christmas tree look even more stunning. In order to make it easier for you to compare the items and designs, we've have sorted them into the following categories: candle holders, congratulations boxes, incense smokers, music boxes, Christmas tree ornaments and pyramids.
Graupner Holzminiaturen (wood miniatures) was founded by Ronald and Kordula Graupner in 1986. Together with his wife, Ronald set up a workshop in Crottendorf, in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), where they have been creating the most beautiful wooden range of Christmas ornaments and decorations, Christmas pyramids, music boxes, candle holders and incense burners for more than 30 years.
Ronald is in charge of the technical side of the business overlooking the special machines that he invented and built himself and which cut and create all the small wooden parts that are used for the wooden miniatures. Since the beginning Kordula has been the Queen of paints and colours. She decides on colour combinations and creates every single shade of paint herself. Graupner Holzminiaturen only uses stains and paints which are certified for toy manufacturing and comply with DIN EN71 standards. Recently, Ronald’s and Kordula’s daughter Elisabeth joined the family business after completing her degree in media and communication studies and working in Berlin for 10 years. As the new brand manager of the company, she has brought some fresh air to the business and has improved the social media presence of Graupner Holzminiaturen.
Each finished piece of their collection consists of up to 100 tiny parts that are carefully and individually put together with brushes, tweezers and a steady hand. Details such as faces and whiskers are painted by hand making every single piece unique. Graupner sources all their hardwoods such as maple, birch and cottonwood from regional and sustainably managed forests. All of Graupner’s beautiful pieces are carefully wrapped in silk paper and packaged in cardboard boxes and any plastic material has been banned to protect the environment.
Graupner’s wooden miniatures bring fun and joy to every family by combining tradition and craftsmanship with colourful and modern designs.
Let's have a closer look at the different categories. Whether you're after a special gift or a gorgeous Christmas decor piece for your home, our range of Graupner Holzminiaturen contains many stunning items that will put a big smile on your and your children's faces.
Graupner Christmas Tree ornaments not only add a pop of colour to your Christmas tree, they also make beautiful gift tags and table decorations. Every single one of Graupner's Christmas tree ornaments consist of several small parts that are put together with love and patience.
Top left: Graupner Christmas Tree Ornament - Christmas Village Diorama
Top right: Graupner Christmas Tree Ornament - Snow Globe Fox
Bottom left: Graupner Christmas Tree Ornament - Gift Sled
Bottom right: Graupner Christmas Tree Ornament - Santa in Plane
Christmas pyramids are made from wood and crafted by hand by skilled artisans in the Ore mountain region of Germany. This community of artists, woodworkers, glassmakers, and craftsmen has been making original handmade arts and crafts for hundreds of years and Graupner Holzminiaturen belongs to this wonderful community. Graupner's pyramids are designed the same way as all their other products, the attention to detail and the vibrant colours make them stand out. Children love looking at Christmas pyramids. To them it seems that they are rotated by magic. The less magical explanation for this phenomenon is physics. Christmas pyramids are strickly speaking a thermal engine. The candles heat up the air which rises and when it hits the slanting blades, it makes them move and the pyramids starts turning. Together the warm candle light and the slow movements of the Christmas pyramid will get you into the Christmas mood.
Top left: Graupner Small Tealight Pyramid - Frog Prince
Top right: Graupner Tealight Pyramid - Carousel
Bottom left: Graupner Small Tealight Pyramid - The Nativity
Bottom right: Graupner Small Tealight Pyramid - Christmas Market
Candles and candle holders have been around for more than 5000 years and although electric lighting has phased out candles in many parts of the world, candles are still used in homes as a decorative element or to create a cozy atmosphere on special occasions like birthdays or Christmas. Graupner Holzminiaturen has created a beautiful range of candle holders that add a touch a colour and fun to your home during the Christmas season.
Top left: Graupner Candle Holder - The Nativity
Graupner's congratulation boxes will put a smile on anyone's face who receives one of these beautiful and detailed boxes. The gorgeous handmade boxes were designed as an alternative for greeting cards. Each box’s reverse side has plenty of space for a personal message and they contain a little scene inside which is brought to life by its lovely details and vibrant colours.
Top left: Graupner Congratulations Box - Wedding
Top right: Graupner Congratulations Box - Baby
Bottom left: Graupner Congratulations Box - Santa with Sled
Bottom right: Graupner Congratulations Box - The Nativity
Incense smokers play a big role in the Christmas traditions in the Ore Mountains. Graupner Holzminiaturen create colourful incense smokers which hide the burning incense cone inside beautifully constructed smoker houses. Graupner's smoking houses will make your home extra cozy during Christmas time.
Fun fact: The earliest German smokers were made from dough and paper mache.
Left: Graupner Incense Burner - Santa
Middle: Graupner Incense Burner - Hansel & Gretel
Right: Graupner Incense Burner - Snowman
The first music box was created in 1796 by Swiss watchmaker Antoine Favre and it was small enough to be enclosed in a pocket watch. Over the years music boxes were built in larger sizes and housed in rectangular or circular wooden boxes. Graupner's music boxes are available in two versions: as a wind-up, self-rotating music box or as a manually-operated music box. They are decorated with beautiful Christmas or popular fairy tale scenes. A magical piece to own.
Left: Graupner Music Box with Crank - Frog Prince
I hope you enjoyed getting to know our range of Graupner Holzminiaturen. We would love to know which category your favourite is?
Candle holders
Congratulation boxes,
Incense smokers,
Music boxes,
Christmas tree ornaments or
Pyramids
PS: Follow #graupnerinaustralia on Instagram to keep up to date with restocks and new products
