Ornaments on a Christmas tree Holiday Postcard

Close-up of Christmas ornaments on a Christmas tree. Copyright: Glowimages Christmas ornaments are decorations (usually made of glass , metal , wood or ceramics ) that are used to festoon a Christmas tree . Ornaments take many different forms, from a simple round ball to highly artistic designs. Ornaments are almost always reused year after year, rather than purchased annually, and family collections often contain a combination of commercially produced ornaments and decorations created by family members. Such collections are often passed on and augmented from generation to generation. Santa Claus is a commonly used figure. Candy canes , fruit, animals, snowmen , angels and snowflake imagery are also popular choices. Lucretia P. Hale 's story "The Peterkins' Christmas-Tree" offers a short catalogue of the sorts of ornaments used in the 1870s: The modern-day mould-blown coloured glass Christmas ornament was originally invented in the small German town of Lauscha in the mid-19th century. This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.