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Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, where are the best places to buy ornaments to decorate you so beautifully?
It might not inspire you to burst into song, but if you want a great selection of holiday ornaments to suit just about any style, it’s hard to go wrong with Cost Plus World Market's selection of ornaments.
Whether you go all-out decorating for the holidays, prefer to keep things low key, or live somewhere in the middle, there’s always something magical about the sight of a Christmas tree loaded with twinkling lights and beautiful ornaments, a lovely tree skirt spread underneath, and a heaping of colorfully wrapped gifts arranged under the branches.
And while some of the most meaningful ornaments are those you or your children made by hand, it’s still undeniably true that the majority of tree décor in most people’s holiday stash is purchased.
Although you’ll find Christmas ornaments for sale just about everywhere within days of Halloween, that doesn’t mean those ornaments are, well, nice. That’s why we decided to do some of the heavy lifting for you this holiday season, and round up some of the very best places to buy Christmas ornaments.
Here are the best places to buy ornaments for your tree:
The best ornaments overall
Why you'll love it: Whether you’re looking to add some dazzle, tradition, or fun to your Christmas tree, Cost Plus World Market has you covered.
As you might expect, Cost Plus World Market has lots of ornaments that celebrate travel, from a passport to hang on your tree and the Union Jack, to felted Mexican Day of the Dead skulls. But that’s not all you’ll find. Cost Plus World Market offers a wide range of ornaments in lots of different styles.
Looking for a felted wool canine Christmas caroler? You found him. How about a glittery winter wonderland inside a glass cloche? They have that, too. Or maybe your tastes run more towards the culinary. In that case, you’ll love the set of a hand-blown glass hotdog and hamburger.
Of course, if you prefer something more traditional, there are plenty of pinecones, glass balls, gingerbread men, and snowmen ornaments to choose from.
Because the prices are quite reasonable, you could easily cover an entire tree with one trip to the store, but plan on taking your time deciding on your purchases. There are so many wonderful ornaments here, it’s going to be hard to choose.
Retro pinecone elves? Why not? Glass cloche with the Eiffel Tower inside? You got it. How about my personal favorite, felted wool hugging sloths? Whether you’re shopping for your own holiday tree or looking for gifts to give family, friends, or coworkers, it’s hard to beat Cost Plus World Market on the holiday front.
Pros: Huge selection of reasonably priced ornaments with many unusual themes as well as traditional and handmade designs
Cons: If you’re just looking for a big container of basic shatterproof ball ornaments, this isn’t your store
Buy ornaments at Cost Plus World Market for $4 to $50
The best personalized and collectible ornaments
Why you'll love it: Bed, Bath & Beyond is one of the best places to stock up on popular high-end collectible Christmas ornaments, as well as personalized ornaments.
If you’ve ever wondered what comes “beyond” the bed and the bath at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I’ve got your answer: Christmas ornaments. Because the popular destination for all things related to the home has a great selection.
You might think Bed, Bath & Beyond is just a great place to buy sheets and bath towels. And you mostly would be right, but remember the “beyond” in the name. That means all sorts of great stuff for the home, including a fantastic selection of Christmas ornaments.
One of the best things at the shop is the large selection of personalized-for-free offerings, including simple circles, hearts, and my favorite, bears. Personalized ornaments make it easy to commemorate all of the good things that happened during the year, and are always a popular gift, as well.
Or maybe you’re looking for an ornament to give your favorite graduate, doctor, or golfing enthusiast. You’ll find lots of other hobby or profession-specific ideas, and just about all of them can be personalized if you’d like.
But where Bed, Bath & Beyond really shines on the ornament front is in the great selection of high-end collectible ornaments from companies like Waterford, Lenox, Swarovski, and Spode. You’ll find the yearly collections of these popular brands, as well as old favorites, and all at reasonable prices.
Pros: Excellent selection of collectible and personalized ornaments
Cons: Not a huge selection of quirky, untraditional, or “fun” ornaments
The best ornaments if you’re just starting out
Why you'll love it: Target has a wide selection of affordable ornaments that will help you deck out your first tree if you're starting from scratch.
Maybe it’s your first Christmas in your very own place, or maybe you like changing up your ornament selection periodically. Whatever the reason, if you need to decorate your tree from scratch, head to Target. You can cover your entire tree with the great assortment of ornaments, and you’ll still have money left for your Christmas gift list.
You’ll find a nice assortment of individually sold ornaments at Target, but if you need to cover an entire tree on a fairly small budget — or you just want to fill in the gaps — skip the singles and head straight to the collections. Target carries quite a few wonderful four-packs.
You’ll find adorable rustic snowmen, knit cactus plants, and even a set of colorful reindeer and llamas — you can bet these are going to grace my tree this year. Mix-and-match your four-packs, and you’ll soon cover your tree with your favorite themes. Most of the four-packs are $12.
If you want to simplify things, you’ll find a rainbow of shatterproof balls and other shapes in packs of eight to 50. Go for a riot of color, stick with an elegant metallic theme, or mix your favorite two colors — The options are nearly endless. Prices range from $5 to $20 depending on the size of the collection.
Pros: Low prices for large collections of ornaments, lots of color choices
Cons: Some of the plastic ornaments are a bit cheap looking
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