Old World Christmas searches for master decorator

Jul. 8—LENOIR — On Friday, June 3, Old World Christmas, the leader in hand-blown glass ornaments, announced their search for the first Old World Christmas Master Decorator. The master decorator will not only receive the title and $2,500, but also have the chance to star in Old World Christmas's holiday campaign on YouTube.

"We have this incredibly passionate following, so we thought it would be interesting to see how our fans decorate, celebrate, and use our ornaments to make their holidays magical," said Neal Applefeld, president and CEO of Old World Christmas. "We thought it would be a nice approach to get a chance to look at their ideas and how we've inspired people."

More than 600 applicants applied, and it's been narrowed down to five contestants, including Taylor Edwards from Lenoir.

"I should be the next Old World Christmas Master Decorator because I am obsessed with all things Christmas," Edwards said in her entry video for this contest. "Every year from Nov. 1 through Jan. 5, every square inch of my house is completely covered in Christmas from top to bottom. I can never be satisfied with any project that I start. I continue to build on them year after year until they're just over the top immaculate. It's my favorite thing in the world."

Edwards is a "self-taught" decorator who loves to craft or build on pieces to create her beautiful displays.

"I typically just see something in a store and I think, 'I could make this out of that, or build off of this to make something else,' " she said. "I started by crafting pieces for Christmas, and I started accumulating so much of it that I decided to put things together to make large displays throughout the house."

Edwards is a huge fan of Old World Christmas and a follower of their Facebook page, which is where she found out that Old World Christmas was holding the master decorator contest.

"I'm a huge fan of their ornaments," she said. "I started collecting in 2012. All of their ornaments are unique, all hand-made. They have such a variety. I initially started collecting them based on ones that had significant meaning to me. For instance, I collected one, a baby grand piano, that reminded me of my grandmother who always played the piano. She's special to me. Then I needed more ornaments to cover the big tree."

Edwards told her mother, "If there's one contest in the world I could win, it's definitely this one."

If Edwards is chosen as the winner of the contest, she will use the $2,500 prize money to take a trip to Germany during Christmastime to see their Christmas markets and villages.

"There are towns in Germany that are literally something out of a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel," she said.

Edwards submitted many photos, but one photo in particular holds special significance for her.

"It's a little wicker basket sleigh my grandma had for years," she explained. "I always loved it. She passed away this past year, and I took it from her house. I fixed it up to use with my Christmas décor. I changed out the liner in it, added garland and other things, just because it's special to me."

Edwards asks that the community take a few moments to vote for her on the Old World Christmas Facebook page. The very first post on their page is a video compilation of the five finalists' entry videos. Edwards is finalist No. 2, so to vote for her, simply comment "2" in the comment section of that video.

Entries were accepted through June 26. The top 10 finalists will be chosen and put to the public vote before the Old World Christmas Master Decorator is crowned on Wednesday, July 13.

Voting runs from Wednesday, July 6 until Monday, July 11 on Old World Christmas' Instagram and Facebook pages.

"We want the audience and the fans to participate in selecting the winners," said Applefeld. "The other piece is, we wanted to be able to work with the winner to showcase what they do. Once the winner is selected, our team will work with them to create some YouTube content where they can share tips and tricks on decorating so other people can learn from them."

Old World Christmas is the premier brand of Christmas ornaments in the country. Tim and Beth Merck reintroduced these figurative designs to the U.S. in 1979. As a couple who shared a special love for Christmas, the Mercks revitalized the art of mouth-blown fine glass ornaments.

Today, Old World Christmas offers the most extensive and best-loved collection with over 1,400 proprietary designs. Their vast selection of finely crafted and affordable ornaments offers many choices to fit any personality or style.

"We really have something for everybody," said Applefeld. "Our ornaments range from classical styles to more whimsical designs, so if you're looking for a Santa or snowman or a bowl of mac and cheese, we have a little something for everybody."

Visit www.oldworldchristmas.com to learn more.

"I wish Taylor good luck," Applefeld said. "What she shared was really just tremendous."