Christmas decorations have changed a lot since the first nut-shaped glass pieces hung on trees in the late 1840s. These days bestselling baubles include miniaturised versions of their owners’ favourite things to eat, drink and do.
“This year our quirky baubles have been flying off the shelves,” says Lisa Cherry, John Lewis’s head of Christmas. “How we decorate our Christmas tree – and what we decorate it with – can say a lot about a person … from the food lovers who opt for our fish and chip bauble and the cooks who choose our cake mixer one – to the green-fingered friends who opt for our wheelbarrow.”
With so many new ornament options on the market, what might your choice of Christmas bauble say about you?
Food and drink
Last year, Selfridges sold out of its food-themed decorations by early November, with a champagne glass No 1 on the list. Elsewhere you can buy pizza slices, gherkins, chicken buckets and hot chocolate baubles.
Dobbies’ Christmas buyer, Anna Service, says: “Someone with a lot of foodie-themed decorations likely … doesn’t take festive aesthetics too seriously, and wants to create a fun and unique display.”
Deck your tree with a carton of oat milk and the professional Christmas decorator Anya Banks suggests you are probably conscious of your health and the planet. “The person to pick this one is likely to be a younger adult,” she says.
Choose an aubergine, however, and it might not be your foodie nature you are trying to convey.
Everyday items
Other top picks this year include mini recreations of sewing machines and other household items. “Hobby inspired baubles like knitting needles, gardening tools or barbecue decorations help customers add personality to their trees and make for wonderful talking points over the festive period,” says Service.
Such choices allows decorators to reflect their hobbies and interests, Banks suggests. Someone choosing a tiny trainer could be demonstrating their love of health and wellbeing, for example.
Or maybe you’ve been given an air fryer bauble by a friend – in which case, maybe you need to stop talking about how cheaply you can now cook oven chips.
Political slogans and figures
Greta Thunberg is available in various forms, the Conservative party shop sells Margaret Thatcher baubles, and rainbows are all the rage. “This one is self explanatory really,” says Banks – it’s someone “nodding to their beliefs” through their tree trimming.
Banks says that many customers ask for decorations that are sustainable. However, she says it would be unusual to have a tree that was entirely political or making a very strong statement with its baubles.
You could also be accused of sending mixed messages if the tree that you dangle your Greta Thunberg ornament from isn’t a live one that you plan to replant in the garden.
Traditional
Banks finds “people who plump for a traditional bauble usually have children in their household” and often take comfort in choosing decorations similar to those they knew as a youngster. According to Service, traditional baubles “will always be popular with those looking to achieve a timeless festive look”.
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Helen Joseph, an interior designer at British housebuilders Redrow, says: “People using these types of ornaments may have a sentimental attachment to the familiar and comforting aspects of Christmas, as it’s an easy way to evoke a warm and inviting atmosphere.”
Brands
From Primark to Harrods via Quality Street and Marmite, these days you can fill your tree with brand names from the high street or supermarket shelves. Banks says people can pick branded baubles for various reasons. “If they pick “Quality Street, Selfridges or Harrods” then people are likely to “appreciate timeless classics and reliability”. Others might be hung more ironically, or because they mean something to you or a family member.
Homemade decorations
Service suggests people who adorn their trees with homemade decorations typically do so for “sentimental reasons”, adding: “These trees tell a story of fun Christmases past and are full of festive cheer.
“The popular two-trees trend for 2023 means a lot of families are putting smaller trees in kids’ bedrooms, and that’s where we’re seeing a lot of these handmade baubles being used as children are given the opportunity to make their own personalised decorations.”
Joseph says: “Choosing handmade decorations suggests a mindful and intentional approach to Christmas preparations. It shows resourcefulness too – consumers who enjoy finding creative ways to adorn their space without relying on commercial products. For example, recycling pine cones for an organic look is something that’s very on-trend this year.”
Family hand-me-downs
Maybe it’s little drummer boy that your auntie bought you when you were young, or a star that you can remember hanging on your grandma’s tree every year before you inherited it, it’s unlikely that you’re bringing out ancient decorations because you’re cheap.
As Service says, hand-me-down baubles “bring back wonderful memories throughout the festive season”. Amid all of the rushing around looking for new things to put under the tree, you feel there’s something special about hanging something old on it.
