Glen & Stephen Thistlewood
Carnival Glass Worldwide
  • Home
  • Patterns, Colours, Shapes
  • Carnival Gallery
  • Books, e-books

NetworK ezine Christmas Special 2016

by Glen and Stephen Thistlewood
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass

Bringing Home The Yule Log
Network Christmas Special
What exactly is Yule?

​
"Yule" or "Yuletide" refers to the festival of the Christmas season, and the Yule Log would usually be lit in the hearth on Christmas Eve. Different European countries have different traditions surrounding the Yule Log, and you can read the fascinating history about it on many websites. Traditionally, a large Yule Log would be selected in the forest, cut down and then decorated with ribbons before being dragged back home around the time of the Winter Solstice. This was known as "Bringing in the Yule Log" and was believed to bring good luck to all who joined in. 

We remember Christmas when we were children, and a chocolate Yule Log would have pride of place on the Boxing Day table (Boxing Day is a British tradition, taking place on December 26th). The chocolate Yule Log (the French call it a Bûche de Noël) would be a sponge cake, filled with cream and decorated with chocolate to make it look like a log of wood! We used to put a little toy robin on the top of ours.

We've created a "Yule Log with a Twist" image for Carnival collectors. In the picture above, we've added a magnificent Seagulls Vase (made in Czechoslovakia, circa late 1920s, early 1930s) on top of the Yule Log. You can read all about the Seagulls and other bulbous Czech vases in this feature on our website, scroll down a little for the link, but first …
​


Colouring the Past - SEARS ROEBUCK


​If you do one thing on the internet this Christmas ...

make sure it’s this … visit the Sears Roebuck feature on our website. Thanks to Phil Prince, who has methodically researched his 1909-27 Sears Catalogues to identify Carnival Glass ads, we offer amazing revelations, documentation and illustrations, with added insights and photos that colour the past and bring it alive.

Such is the wealth of information that this project will take a little while to fully complete; make sure you re-visit the Sears Homepage as we will add links when we complete each new section.

Open your Sears Catalogues
Sears catalogue

​Seagulls Vase and More - Collectors Facts


Read all about these truly amazing bulbous vases - click here or click on the picture below.
Czech bulbous vases

​​

​
Ho, Ho, Ho!

​Santa Claus ... on a Carnival tumbler!


See the latest Exhibit in Bob Smith's amazing Tumbler Museum - click on Santa's picture!
Santa tumbler

Everybody Likes a Gift

Christmas presents under the tree are a favourite nostalgic image of childhood. We all love gifts!

On the right is a clip from a 1911 newspaper about an “accidental” gift (that got one man out of trouble on his wedding anniversary); it will leave you with a smile.

It was featured in an ad for the Great House of Isaac Benesch, along with offers of promotions and give-away premiums.


Isaac Benesch, of course, is well known for their magnificent Carnival Glass advertising pieces - here's a super example, courtesy of Seeck Auctions.

The Story Behind The Glass is fascinating (and puzzling). Read all about The Great House of Isaac Benesch or click on the Isaac Benesch bowl.​
Newspaper ad 1911
Isaac Benesch bowl
​
​

​And to round off 2016 ... we hope that Santa* brings you all you wish for ... and good health and happiness!
 



Merry Christmas and

Happy Holidays to All


​

​* Contemporary Santa Claus fairy light signed Robert Hansen. Courtesy of Seeck Auctions.​
Hansen Santa Claus
Picture
Carnival Glass NetworK
Picture
Carnival Glass Worldwide

​Read more issues of NetworK
Copyright © 2025 by G&S Thistlewood and the individual authors and contributors where named. Protected under all applicable international laws and all rights are reserved. No image, text, or any part thereof may be copied, shared or transmitted to others without permission from the Copyright holders. Information herein may not be posted or made available, in whole or in part, on any website, social media site, FTP site, electronic bulletin board, newsgroup, or their equivalent.