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Putting Christmas ornaments on a real or artificial tree is one of the most popular ways to decorate your home for the holiday season. Whether they’re funny, sentimental, nostalgic, or just decorative, ornaments can help put you in the Christmas spirit. To help you select the ornament that’s right for you, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best Christmas ornaments on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
Top 5 Christmas Ornaments
- Best Yearly Ornament: SWAROVSKI Christmas Ornament
- Best Handcrafted Ornament: Funoasis Christmas Tree Hanging Gnomes Ornaments
- Best For Kids: Enesco “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Stone Resin Ornament
- Best Subtle Ornament: Kurt Adler Clear Glass Icicle Ornament Set
- Best Ball Ornament: KI Store Christmas Ball Ornaments
Best Yearly Ornament: SWAROVSKI Christmas Ornament
This collection ornaments from SWAROVSKI is shaped into a snowflake using crystal glass. It comes in a box to keep it safe during the off-season, and it features a metal tag to indicate the year.
Key Features
- One ornament
- Snowflake design
- Made of crystal
- Available in multiple colors, sizes, and years
What Customers Are Saying
Customers who were pleased with this product said it was highly collectible, had an elegant design, and made for a great gift. However, customers who didn’t like this product said that it arrived poorly packaged and looked cheaper than previous versions of the annual SWAROVSKI ornaments.
Best Handcrafted Ornament: Funoasis Christmas Tree Hanging Gnomes Ornaments
These gnome ornaments are handcrafted from soft and environmentally friendly fabrics. Their different-colored hats are fun and festive, and their lightweight nature allows them to hang on your tree without weighing down the branches.
Key Features
- Ten ornaments
- Gnome design
- Made of fabric
What Customers Are Saying
Those satisfied with this product said these ornaments were well-crafted, had a cute design, and were lightweight. Customers who were not happy with this product claimed that they were bigger than anticipated.
Best For Kids: Enesco “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Stone Resin Ornament
This beautifully crafted ornament captures Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus in accurate, hand-painted detail. It’s the perfect option for households with children fans of Rudolph and still get gifts from Santa Claus.
Key Features
- One ornament
- Santa and Rudolph design
- Made of stone resin
What Customers Are Saying
Customers who left positive reviews of this ornament said that it was sturdy, had accurate details, and was made from quality materials. However, customers who left negative reviews said that Rudolph’s nose didn’t always light properly. They also noted that it was heavy, making it difficult to hang.
Best Subtle Ornament: Kurt Adler Clear Glass Icicle Ornament Set
These slim icicle ornaments will add a subtle but classy look to your Christmas tree. They come in both 3.5- and 5.5-inch sizes and are made of clear glass. The glass is shaped into a spiral to make the icicles look like they’re dripping.
Key Features
- 24 ornaments
- Icicle design
- Made of glass
- Available in multiple quantities
What Customers Are Saying
Customers liked that these ornaments were lightweight and sparkly and came in different sizes. However, dissatisfied customers said that some of them were broken upon arrival and didn’t sparkle as much as anticipated.
Best Ball Ornament: KI Store Christmas Ball Ornaments
These ball ornaments come in a large 34-count pack to make it easy to fill your entire tree. They’re made from plastic instead of glass, meaning you can hang them anywhere on your tree without worrying about them falling and shattering.
Key Features
- 34 ornaments
- Ball design
- Made of plastic
- Available in multiple colors and sizes
What Customers Are Saying
Customers were pleased that these ornaments were shatterproof and came in different color choices. However, some customers said that they were made from cheap material that dented easily.
Buyer’s Guide
When deciding which Christmas ornament is best for you, consider some of the following factors.
Type
Christmas ornaments typically come in one of the following types.
Balls
Ball or bulb ornaments are one of the most common types of Christmas ornaments. They are usually made of glass, plastic, or metal and come in various sizes and colors.
Shaped
Shaped ornaments, such as the icicle ones in this review, are another common type of ornament. These are usually made from glass, plastic, wood, or metal.
Keepsake
Keepsake ornaments are designed to build tradition. Some manufacturers release a new ornament every year that complements ornaments from previous years. This allows you to build onto your collection as the years pass.
Novelty
Novelty ornaments can be anything from a Christmas-themed ornament that’s shaped like Santa Claus or another Christmas character to a commemorative ornament that’s bought on vacation or after an important life event, such as a wedding or birth. There are an infinite number of novelty ornaments, and adding one to your collection each year can be a fun activity for your family.
DIY
Another option for ornaments is making them yourself. Children often make ornaments in school or at church, but you can also craft your own ornaments at home.
Fragility
Depending on the household, it may be more important to avoid fragile ornaments. If you have small children or curious pets who will be near the tree, buying glass ornaments may be a risky move. Instead, look for plastic or other shatterproof ornaments that won’t get damaged if they fall to the floor.
Size and Quantity
The type of Christmas tree you pick can influence how many ornaments you buy for it. For example, if you have a large tree, you will want lots of ornaments to fill its branches. Additionally, the size of your tree may also determine the size of your ornaments. For instance, smaller trees may not have big enough branches to support large, heavy ornaments made from metal or glass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Christmas ornaments have to be hung on a Christmas tree?
While the primary purpose of ornaments is to hang from Christmas trees, you’re free to do whatever you’d like with them. Some people want to put ornaments on fireplace mantels or other shelves for decoration. You could also put ornaments on the branches of other indoor plants if you don’t have a Christmas tree.
How do you hang Christmas ornaments?
Most ornaments come with either a built-in hook or string that you can hang on a branch or a small hole that you can slide a plastic or metal hook through.
Where should heavy ornaments be hung?
Heavy ornaments should be placed at the bottom of the tree because the larger branches at the bottom can support more weight. Delicate ornaments should be hung toward the top of the tree, as they’re less likely to be bumped.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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