THE PRECIOUS GLASS ORNAMENTS in Frank Hrynchak's collection are seldom, if ever, displayed on the Christmas tree. Cats, he explains. "That could get very expensive." The collector, who lives in Alvena, Saskatchewan, has acquired thousands of Christmas ornaments over the past 30 years. He is especially protective of his antiques. They were handcrafted in the early 1900s, one at a time, in Germany's Black Forest region. These fragile collectibles have the thin glass, narrow neck and elongated shape indicative of hand-blown glasswork. Round kugel balls, the most common, are often three inches in diameter. "Two ornaments can look very similar, but those details can pinpoint where it originated," says Hrynchak. The value of such objects is determined by the amount of detail and extra material in the finish, and the age. The thinner, older ones are more valuable. According to Hrynchak, exporters also contracted German craftspeople to produce the less common figurative pieces, including everything from miniature airplanes to birds to Santa Claus ornaments. St. Nick made his first appearance in 1905, so ornaments featuring that character can be dated accordingly. The very early figurals are rare and expensive. Each one will sell for $100 to $200. Many glass Christmas ornaments were mass produced in the 1920s and 1930s, although some were still handcrafted until the Second World War. Following the war, Hrynchak says, the Japanese began incorporating some of the original designs into ornaments produced at their factories. While these are knockoffs, they are not without value, he says. Thanks to close encounters with cats and kids and other calamities each Christmas season, there are fewer and fewer of the German glass balls left to find, buy and place on the tree. In the Hrynchak house, the best ornaments are strung on wire along a wall, or displayed at a safe distance from hazards. His favourites are those made between 1900 and 1935. After the holidays, Hrynchak wraps his treasured ornaments in tissue paper and stores them in a dry area of the house, safe from fluctuating temperatures. "Breaks occur from extremes in temperature," he says. Mike Huen of Mike's General Store, a Winnipeg antique shop, recalls a memorable Christmas treasure, a hand-blown airplane from the First World War era. Wire-wrapped ornaments are also highly coveted, he says. What should one pay for vintage Christmas baubles? He notes that a collector can "spend a penny, or as much as a thousand." In the months before Christmas, would-be collectors should visit antique stores and flea markets. There are also numerous books and internet sites dedicated to vintage ornaments. Old-time ornaments have a nostalgic appeal, Huen says. Many people like to remember the Christmases, and the Christmas trees, of the past. For others, the yuletide is just a happy, well-received holiday time full of beautiful traditions. Tree decorating got a big kick-start in the United States in the 1880s, says Hrynchak. Before that time, a little tinsel and a few candles did the job. Now, many people greet the darker days of winter with lights and elaborate decorations. Who knows? Carefully handled, some of today's ornaments might be the hot collectibles of the future. - KAREN MORRISON