Christmas Tree Ornaments - Ball Ornaments and Hand Painted Metal Santa

Also: Christmas Ball Ornaments, Tree Topper Ornament

Decorating a Christmas Tree with ornaments was always something of a big event for me as a child. I have a strong feeling I am not alone. Once that Christmas tree was set up in the lounge, it would never be long before that first ornament was hung. After all, it would look very bare when it first made its appearance.

As a young child in the 1950's, there seemed to be little in the way of Christmas decorations generally, let alone Christmas tree ornaments. I can recall hanging balls on the tree, even helping with the Christmas lights as I got older. Then it would be covered in tinsel, and some sort of cotton wool type material that was supposed to be snow. Or was it; maybe I was just utilizing my mother's cotton wool. There were also some small chocolate ornaments, wrapped in silver paper, which would be hung, but were always the first to come down again.

(Please click on any image for more details, to buy, or to see alternative Christmas tree ornaments.)

Then, on top of the xmas tree, was the prize ornament, a fairy, which I can recall looking rather the worse for wear after a few years. But, maybe my memory is not so clear now. That was a long time ago.

My mother would also wrap a few small gifts that were light enough to hang on the Christmas tree. These had the value of ornaments for a few days, but were the first to come down as Christmas Eve arrived and the children were allowed to open them in the evening.

The Christmas tree also became the focal point for piling up gifts in the floor around. This was usually done on Christmas Eve, and the rest of the evening was spent guessing what was inside. It was not just me; the adults were just as bad! And there was the cat joining in, climbing on the gifts to pat the Christmas tree ornaments dangling close enough to reach, where before they had been beyond paw range.

Christmas tree ornaments have come a long way since then and there are so many more to choose from. They come in all shapes and sizes, quality and materials. The hand painted Santa's helper on the left, for example, is made of metal. (Please click on any image for more details, to buy, or to see alternative tree ornaments.)

Christmas ball ornaments have come a long way too. The one on the left is ceramic and one of a delightful range. Near the top of the page, a beautiful glass ornament with hand painted cats is a sheer delight.

The range of Christmas ball ornaments now is massive compared to 50 years ago, and if you really want to find something different and special, you will succeed in doing so. The balls pictured are up market a bit, but you can still get the more basic Christmas balls online or at your local store.