Time
really does fly by!
This
week, I finally put up some Christmas decorations, our tiny, plastic tree and
the items we bought from our recent trip to Germany. At least, our apartment
looks a little festive now.
Since
the Poles celebrate Christmas, it’s very easy to find decorations,
particularly handmade ones.
One
of the most popular Polish decorations is made from gingerbread (pierniki). You’ll find gingerbread
hearts, snowmen, angels, trees, trains, snowflakes and more at the
slightly-hidden Tebe shop located
along busy Aleja Jerozolimskie. You can even buy edible gingerbread spoons that
you can dip into your morning cup of coffee or tea.
Whenever
I’ve popped into Tebe, the couple who run the shop are quite friendly and help
me find the ornament I want. They use only natural ingredients to make the pierniki dough, which is baked and then
decorated with dozens of different types of seeds, dried flowers and fruits. For
example, red lentils outline the stars and poppyseeds make up the snowmen’s
hat.
While
you’re at Tebe, it’s also worth taking the time to visit the famous Fotoplastikon, which
is located in the same old courtyard.
Another
popular item that most Americans will recognize are colorful, blown-glass
ornaments, known as bombki. Following
WWII, bombki appeared on the market
again and became a major export for Poland. In the U.S., you’ll find these
traditional ornaments at large department stores such as Dillards and Macy’s,
but they will cost you about 5 times or more than what I’ve paid here in
Poland.
I
bought my bombki from Bombkarnia, across the street from the
Palace of Culture, which is open year-round and also sells pretty Easter egg ornaments
in the spring.
Thirdly,
I couldn’t resist buying several handmade, crocheted snowflakes at Cepelia’s Centrum location. My
grandmother often used to knit and crochet so these Old World items remind me
of her and would make lovely Christmas presents too.
Cepelia
is a national foundation under the Minister of Culture and Art that promotes Polish
folk and artistic handicrafts. Most ornaments are reasonably priced between
10-20 pln (about $3-$6.)
Lastly,
you’ll find the ever popular Polish pottery being used in all kinds of
Christmas décor from serving plates to cake stands as well as Christmas
ornaments and candle holders. I love visiting Anna at Anka Pottery in Mokotow, and I must remember to stop by there soon
to buy some presents. However, I can also recommend buying pottery from the
Cepelia stores and Bolesławiec Pottery,
which is near the Rondo Onz tram stop.
Now
is the perfect time to stock up on some festive goodies like the Polish
Christmas ornaments I mentioned here.
And
years from now, I’ll take out my pierniki
and bombki to decorate my Christmas
tree and remember that time I lived in Poland.
Our tiny decorated tree - 2014 in Warsaw. |
Locations in Warsaw:
Bombkarnia
Emilii
Plater 47
Website:
http://www.bombkarnia.com
Cepelia
ul.
Marszałkowska 99/101, ul. Chmielna 8 and Old Town
Website:
http://www.cepelia.pl
Tebe
Al.
Jerozolimskie 51
Website: http://www.tebe.waw.pl or http://piernikidekoracyjne.pl
Website: http://www.tebe.waw.pl or http://piernikidekoracyjne.pl
Bolesławiec Pottery
ul.
Prosta 2/14
Website:
http://www.ceramicboleslawiec.com.pl
Anko Pottery
ul.
Modzelewskiego 79
Website:
http://www.anko-pottery.com
7 comments:
Joy, this list is so great. Will definitely be making some time for shopping next week!
those gingerbread ornaments are gorgeous. i really should make some for next year. you sure are in the right city for xmas!
Hey Jennifer, I need to go to Anko next week for xmas presents. Monday afternoon possibly?
@Joyce, you would love these shops! And I wouldn't mind trying to make some myself someday! :-)
Lovely!
Yes, they are! :-)
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