Holiday ornaments decorate life all year long in this Belgian shop

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Getting ready for the holiday season has never been stressful for Christel Dauwe — after all, her holiday period lasts all year long in her Christmas ornament shop in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

Her collecting began in her teenage years, and she now has more than 64,000 ornaments in her personal collection and another 18,000 displayed in her shop, the Christel Dauwe Collection.

“My personal wish is to have a Christmas museum, where ornaments and the idea of Christmas can be on permanent display,” she told The Associated Press. But until that day comes, her small shop uses every corner to display its vast inventory.

Its wares include birds of every feather, fruit arrangements, cars, angels, snowmen and other figurines, ranging from a few euros for a wood laser-cut Cathedral of Antwerp to more than 500 euros ($580) for a special ornament of Alexander the Great on horseback.

The store began 35 years ago as an antiques shop, selling a few ornaments on the side, but Dauwe wanted to try selling more.

On the suggestion of a Polish au pair, Dauwe and her husband traveled to Poland and found a factory that could produce exactly the ornaments she wanted. The only catch was that 200 pieces of each design had to be ordered at a time.

They returned home deflated.

“After second thoughts though, we decided to order 20 shapes of 200 each, and one day they arrived -- all 4,000 of them. We gave some away and the rest we put in the shop and, well … That’s the story from there,” she said.

The original Polish factory still supplies many of the shop’s ornaments, in addition to 32 other European companies.

“There is an ornament here for everyone. We’ve had people come in who say they have a new pet or even a new car and we try to match an ornament to them. In the end the goal is not to have some kind of posh tree decorated all with the same colors and Christmas balls. The goal of ornaments is to make you smile,″ she said.

Some ornaments are more personal. And one year there was an ornament of Christel herself, designed by her husband as a surprise.

She’s been asked to provide ornaments for weddings and other events as well.

As far as having Christmas all year round, Dauwe says she is never bored with it. Twice a year she goes around the shop and dusts each ornament individually. She has met people from all over the world, and entertains die-hard locals who stop into the store just for a morning chat.

“There are two ways to go with Christmas. It’s either the nostalgia of the past or the hope for the future,″ she said. ″Hope is what is the most important to me. It’s what keeps you going.”

Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, shows an ornament of the Horse Bayard, a folkloric Belgian event, at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, takes a holiday ornament out of a display case at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A holiday ornament of a British phone cabin hangs on a shelf in the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Holiday ornaments are seen through the window of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, wraps boxes of holiday ornaments at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

JENBACH, Austria--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2025--

INNIO Group has been awarded the German Sustainability Award for Companies 2026. At the 18th annual ceremony in Düsseldorf, INNIO was named winner in the “Engines and Turbines” category within the “Machines and Installations” sector. Recognized as one of Europe’s most respected distinctions for corporate responsibility, the German Sustainability Award reflects the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and thus on the key areas of transformation such as climate, biodiversity, resources, supply chain, and society.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251205520809/en/

“This award is a tremendous recognition for our entire team and validates our 360-degree approach to sustainable innovation throughout the value chain,” said Marcin Kawa, VP Sustainability at INNIO Group. “We are committed to actively shaping the energy transition and delivering solutions that make sense for both the environment and our customers’ businesses.”

INNIO Group is a leading provider of advanced solutions for data center energy infrastructure, distributed power generation, and compression applications. INNIO helps customers around the world meet rising energy demand, driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and increasing industrial electrification—as sustainably as possible. Through innovative technologies that enable the use of biogas, hydrogen, and e-fuels, as well as a circular economy approach with the potential to noticeably extend product lifespans, INNIO supports efficient, sustainable energy solutions across the entire product life cycle.

This recognition highlights INNIO’s leadership in developing sustainable energy solutions and transforming the industry.

INNIO has been recognized multiple times in the past for its commitment to sustainability. The company has received the EcoVadis Platinum Medal for the fourth consecutive year, placing it among the top 1% of all rated companies. In addition, INNIO has been named “ESG Industry Top Rated” by Sustainalytics Morningstar and has been awarded the “H2 Readiness” certificate by TÜV SÜD.

About INNIO Group

INNIO Group is a leading energy solution and service provider that empowers industries and communities to make sustainable energy work today. With its Jenbacher and Waukesha product brands and its AI-powered myplant digital platform, INNIO Group offers innovative solutions for data center power infrastructure, distributed power generation, and compression applications. With its flexible, scalable, and resilient energy solutions and services, INNIO Group enables its customers to drive the energy transition across the energy value chain and ensures reliable energy supply even where the grid is not available.

For more information, visit INNIO Group’s website at innio.com. Follow INNIO Group on X and LinkedIn.

INNIO wins prestigious German Sustainability Award 2026 (c) Frank Fendler