Christmas Ornaments

Plan on about 10 to 20 ornaments per foot of tree, so a 6-foot tree takes roughly 60 to 120 and a 7.5-foot tree takes closer to 100 to 150. Mix three types as you go: glass ball ornaments for shine, novelty and themed designs for personality, and a few keepsake pieces that mean something. Start with the largest ornaments deep in the branches, then layer smaller ones toward the tips so the tree reads full rather than crowded.

Wrap each glass ornament in tissue or acid-free paper and store it in a divided box, never loose in a bin where pieces can knock together. Keep the box somewhere cool, dry, and out of direct sun, since attics and garages swing hot enough to craze paint and loosen caps. Stored that way, hand-painted glass ornaments hold their finish for decades and become the pieces a family unpacks first every year.

A good ornament exchange gift is instantly readable across a room and specific enough to feel chosen, which is why food, drink, hobby, and travel designs win these parties every year. Sets of three are the safe play when you do not know who is drawing your name, and a glass keepsake in the $15 to $30 range hits the usual price ceiling without looking like a filler gift. Bonjour Fête buys these one design at a time from makers like Cody Foster and Old World Christmas, which is why the assortment skews toward the odd, funny, and specific rather than the boxed sets you have already seen.