The best places to shop for Christmas tree ornaments

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The best places to shop for Christmas tree ornaments

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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.

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Here are the best places to buy ornaments for your tree:

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks. Also, if you're doing holiday gift shopping, you can check out all of our 2018 gift guides on Insider Picks.

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The best ornaments overall

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

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

Buy ornaments at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $2.99 to $251.99
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The best ornaments if you’re just starting out

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

Buy ornaments at Target for $3 to $20

The best handmade ornaments

The best handmade ornaments
Why you'll love it: The many gifted artisans at Etsy are happy to supply all the handmade beauty your Christmas tree deserves with original ornaments.

Etsy: It’s the ultimate crafts fair that you can visit without even getting out of your pajamas. Endless handmade goodies await you here, and you can trim your entire tree with unique ornaments that are far from the mass-produced items you’ll find most other places.

From pottery hearts adorned with leaf prints and glass ornaments containing a vintage map of your favorite world city, to felt woodland critters, Etsy has just about anything you might desire for your tree.

Keep in mind that each “shop” on Etsy is a different artisan, so when shopping on this crafts-fair-super-site, pay attention to shipping costs, the time it will take before the item ships, and accepted methods of payment because those things can vary from seller to seller.

Nor is Etsy the cheapest place to stock up on Christmas goodies, but if you want something special, it’s hard to beat the ornaments here. So whether your style is vintage, traditional, boho, quirky, or all about llamas, you’re sure to find the perfect touch for your holiday tree.

Pros: Enormous selection of handmade ornaments in just about every style and material imaginable

Cons: Many sellers only stock one or two of each selection, shipping can be slow

Buy handmade ornaments on Etsy from $7 to $100 or more
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The best funny or themed ornaments

The best funny or themed ornaments
Why you'll love it: Whether you need a gift for the office white elephant exchange, a present for “quirky” Uncle Bobby, or you simply enjoy trimming your tree with fun ornaments, Amazon has the ornaments you’ve been searching for.

Ah, Amazon. What can’t you find here? From live cockroaches to living room furniture, the internet superstore has it all. And of course, when it comes to gag, bizarre, or just plain silly Christmas ornaments, this is the place to shop.

Need a unicorn wearing lederhosen for your tree? How about a blown-glass rubber chicken or squirrel wearing underpants ornament? Or perhaps you need a gift for the plumber in your life. In that case, delight him or her with a set of glass-blown toilet and plunger ornaments.

Of course, Amazon doesn’t only carry tasteless, funny, or quirky ornaments. It’s also one of the best places to shop for theme designs. Buying for a Star Wars fan? Then get them a set of Chewbacca and Han Solo for their tree. Can’t get enough Disney? Why not give props to the creator himself with a Walt Disney and Mickey ornament? Love Charlie Brown? There's a cute ornament of him and his Christmas tree.

Or maybe you trim a cat-themed, tropical-island themed, or even a mythical-creature-themed tree. No worries — You’ll find plenty of options on Amazon.

Of course, you can also buy traditional ornaments such as balls, stars, and snowmen on Amazon, but those aren’t quite as much fun.

Pros: Huge selection of ornaments you won’t find anywhere else, low prices, free shipping with Prime

Cons: None to speak of

Buy ornaments on Amazon for $4 to $32

Check out our other great Christmas decorating buying guides

Check out our other great Christmas decorating buying guides
The best Christmas decorations you can buy

A beautifully decorated home is part of the wonder of the holiday season. We've rounded up the best decorating essentials for your home to make it easier for you.

That's why we've gathered up the top suggestions for a wide range of Christmas décor. Whether you go all-out decorating for the holidays, or just stick with a tree covered with a few glass balls, we've got the best of the best for your holiday home.

Here are the best Christmas decorations you can buy:

The best Christmas lights you can buy

Holiday decorations bring feelings of warmth and cheer even in the darkest and coldest days of the year. Testing, setting up, and connecting Christmas lights can be anything but a joyful experience, though.

To that end, this year I've worked to assemble a buying guide filled primarily with holiday lights that not only look great, but that also make your life easier.

Here are the best Christmas lights you can buy:

The best artificial Christmas trees you can buy

Artificial Christmas trees have come a long way since the '80s, and now they look much more realistic and festive during the holiday season.

After researching scores of artificial trees that are available from $15 to $1,500 and assessing them for issues like cost, convenience, beauty, and realism, we've whittled it down to the five best artificial Christmas trees you can buy this holiday season.

Here are the best artificial Christmas trees you can buy:

The best tree skirts you can buy on Amazon

Tree skirts add a dash of color and style to your holiday decor while hiding away that unsightly tree stand and all the Christmas light cords.

Here are the best tree skirts you can buy:

The best Christmas tree stands you can buy

The best Christmas tree stands are designed to last for many decades, have a stable base that holds plenty of water, are easy to set up, and store easily after the holidays are over. The Krinner Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand is the best one you can buy, thanks to its innovative design.

You should also consider the Jack-Post Welded Steel Christmas Tree Stand, the National Tree Folding Tree Stand, the Good Tidings Cinco Tabletop Christmas Tree Stand, and the Cinco C Express Tree Stand.

Also, if you're doing holiday gift shopping, you can check out all of our 2018 gift guides on Insider Picks.
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