Originating in the folk art of the Erzgebirge, chip trees have long since spread throughout the wide world of Christmas, as a detail of candle arches or pyramids as well as a decorative solitaire. As established as chip trees are today, their original art has become rare: Only a few craftsmen in the Ore Mountains still master the traditional "chip tree carving". A good sense of proportion, dexterity and maximum precision are essential in order to cut the filigree curls from the trunk in wreath-shaped rows and align them evenly. A cut too shallow or too deep, a slight tilt or slip, a tiny bit of carelessness - and the chip tree would be ruined. So that you can keep the Erzgebirge tradition alive in your Christmas decorations, a workshop in Seiffen produces these chip trees from hand-turned lime wood, the highly prized wood for carvings. They may look the same, but each tree is unique: carved by master craftsmen using unique craftsmanship.

The fact that a famous wood art developed in the originally densely forested Erzgebirge is not only explained by the availability of the material. As a branch of industry, handicrafts became all the more important as the local mining industry rapidly lost resources and profitability. Folk art slipped into this gap, which mining - no less than Christmas - still shaped with numerous motifs. A center of wood art emerged around Seiffen, where one of the first specialized trade schools was founded in 1853 to promote handicrafts. In the so-called Toy Corner, small and large craft businesses still produce the classics of the folk art of the Erzgebirge: from hoop animals and smoking men to miner figures and nutcrackers to candle arches and wing pyramids.

Certain manufacturing steps are carried out by hand. Slight dimensional and color deviations may therefore occur.