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Middlebury, Vermont - December 11, 2009

Judi Danforth has to tie a lot of ribbons on a lot of Christmas ornaments. It's her busiest time of year.

"Christmas is definitely the biggest," she said.

Her hands are the last to touch the ornaments Danforth Pewter produces each holiday. But her hands are also where the decorations start. Danforth sketches the company's annual Christmas ornament in the summer. Months later, the finished product takes shape starting with a molten mix of tin, copper, and antimony that's 500 degrees Fahrenheit. It goes into the mold and when the metal pieces cool, they're buffed, and then filled with colorful red enamel.

"Some pieces are very intricate, and you have to do it in the correct spot," explained Diane Adam, a decorator at Danforth Pewter.

Adam puts the finishing touches on many of the 30,000 plus ornaments the workshop molds.

"I give ornaments to all my friends and tell them I made them especially for them!" she laughed.

Company co-owner and designer Judi Danforth has more than 20 years of ornament shapes in her portfolio.

"People are saying they gave them to their children and now their children are giving them to their children!" she exclaimed.

But in 2009, to Danforth Pewter and other retailers, small gifts like these have a whole new meaning. When the economy collapsed, the company predicted its all-important fourth quarter sales would be bolstered by $10, $20 and $30 purchases instead of big ticket items.

"People are still buying. And they want good things," Danforth said. "They love Made in Vermont products and things of quality. But they aren't necessarily spending as much on each visit."

She's asking Santa for a boost in the retail sector that Danforth and other stores believe is coming in 2010.

So what's on her Christmas tree at home?

"We have a lot of Danforth ornaments, but others, too," Danforth said. "I collect ornaments."

Still in the Christmas spirit even after all this work and Judi Danforth is already planning the design for her Christmas 2010 Made in Vermont ornaments.

Those ornaments sell for $15 dollars. Danforth has four Vermont stores and sells wholesale to retailers in all 50 states.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont