There are few things as merry and magical as a tree decked out with holiday ornaments, but the tree is only the beginning: knowing how to display Christmas tree ornaments beyond the branches is how a collection earns its keep all season. Whether yours features personalized, vintage-inspired, or movie and TV themed pieces, seeing them out and glowing is what gets you in the Christmas spirit.
So here is our list of favorite ways to get creative with the baubles that would otherwise wait in storage.
Creative Ways to Display Christmas Tree Ornaments
Looking for out-of-the-box (or should we say off-the-tree) display ideas? Try one of these instead of leaving the extras in their boxes this year. Each idea works on its own, but they also layer: a wreath on the door, jars on the mantel, and a garland up the staircase turn a whole house into the display, and every one of them draws from the same box of ornaments you already own.
Create an ornament wreath
Why not spruce up a Christmas wreath with a mix of ornaments and decorative elements? It puts a special spin on a standard wreath, and you can turn it into a wreath-decorating party with family or friends.
Here is how to make an ornament-decorated wreath:
- Start with a classic green artificial wreath. Faux greenery hangs year after year instead of retiring after one season; Colorado spruce, cedar, pine, and Sherwood styles are all great bases.
- Add light. Choose a pre-lit wreath for an effortless glow, or weave in a string of battery-operated fairy lights with a timer so the wreath lights itself at dusk.
- For bows, pick a festive ribbon and attach them with a hot glue gun wherever you like.
- The best step comes last: the ornaments. Simple colorful glass rounds give a timeless result, retro Shiny Brite style ornaments nod to holidays past, and a themed wreath built around a personality, hobby, or room makes a wonderful gift.
Glass jars filled with ornaments
Searching for Christmas centerpiece ideas, or a touch of sparkle for a mantel or entryway table? Basic glass vases filled with ornaments, lights, and other elements are a one-of-a-kind decoration you can completely customize.
Odds are you already own a few clear jars or vases, and various sizes and shapes all work. Fill them with mercury glass rounds in a rainbow of colors, build each jar around a theme, or use mini glass ball ornaments for smaller vessels. Battery fairy lights, faux snow, and greenery all play well inside the glass. This is decor you can recreate every year, and it makes a forgiving first project for kids: nothing needs to hang, nothing needs to balance, and the worst-case outcome is a jar that gets rearranged.
Decorate a garland
Garlands are a staple of seasonal decor, from simple greenery with berries and pinecones to pre-lit garlands ready to glow. Whatever the base, attaching ornaments creates a signature look.
Build a garland around a theme, like winter wonderland, holiday baking, or forest animals. Or thread vibrant glass rounds onto a long piece of tulle or ribbon for a statement garland that is all ornaments.
Hang ornaments from a dining room chandelier
A chandelier above the dining table (or in the entryway) dresses up beautifully with shiny ornaments. Thread each one on ribbon rather than a standard hook, since the ribbon will show, then hang them from the fixture’s arms at varied lengths. Glass ornaments, such as Old World Christmas glass, reflect the chandelier’s light to stunning effect. Keep it minimal or go all out; the fixture will tell you which it wants. Two practical notes: keep ornaments a safe distance from any bulb that runs warm, and count on losing a little headroom over the table, so hang the lowest pieces above centerpiece height.
Try a tabletop ornament tree
Between the jar and the feature tree sits the tabletop ornament tree: a small metal or wooden stand with arms made for hanging ornaments, no branches required. It shows each piece in silhouette, which suits collections of a dozen favorites, and it sets up in the time it takes to unbox them. A rotating cast works beautifully here; swap the lineup weekly through December and the display never goes stale.
Pretty up your windows
Many people place faux candles in their windows each Christmas for decor that both the household and passersby enjoy. Hanging ornaments inside a window, especially the ones facing the street, achieves a similarly festive glow.
All you need is invisible fishing line or colorful baker’s twine and the ornaments of your choice. String them at alternating heights, secure the tops to the window’s inside frame, and play with patterns of color and shape. A string of lights alongside makes the glass pieces glitter after dark. Use removable hooks or tape rated for the weight so January leaves no marks, and give hanging pieces clearance from the window itself; a cold pane and a warm room are a lot to ask of thin vintage glass.
Mini trees and feature trees
If you love the tradition of a holiday tree, bring in one or two extras. A small tree of five feet or under is ideal for children’s bedrooms, playrooms, sideboards, and kitchen counters, and a themed feature tree is a chance to use the ornaments that never fit the big tree’s look. Themed trees have become hugely popular, and the possibilities are endless; our guide to Christmas ornament ideas has themes worth borrowing.
Give the heirlooms a year-round home
Some ornaments are too special for eleven months in a box. Glass ornaments have been family keepsakes since the first ones were blown in 19th-century Germany, and the special pieces deserve better than storage. An ornament stand turns a single treasured piece, a first-Christmas ornament, a vintage Radko, a grandparent’s glass bauble, into year-round decor on a shelf or mantel, and a glass-front cabinet can hold a whole collection where dust cannot reach it. Displaying the special pieces this way also frees the tree for the everyday beauties.
Rotate the collection through the season
A collection larger than one tree can hold does not have to pick favorites once. Rotate: hang the first shift for the tree-trimming, then swap a handful of ornaments each week as the season deepens. Advent-minded households tie the rotation to the calendar, kids love choosing the weekly newcomers, and pieces that once spent whole Decembers boxed all get their evening in the lights. It also solves the quiet tragedy of the beautiful ornament nobody has seen in years.
Where to Find Unique Christmas Ornaments
Adding to an ornament collection is one of the highlights of the holidays, especially once it becomes a family tradition, and at St. Nick’s Christmas & Collectibles there is nothing we love more than helping spread that cheer.
Browse hundreds of ornament options online, including personalized styles, handblown glass, and eclectic finds for every milestone and taste. Our Denver-area Christmas store in Littleton, CO is world-famous for its year-round collection of holiday decor, trees, and ornaments, and visiting St. Nick’s is not just a shopping trip; it is a full-fledged experience.
Get your home ready for the holidays with Christmas decor, gifts, and more from St. Nick’s today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Wreaths, garlands, glass jars and vases, chandeliers, window strings, and ornament stands all show off a collection beautifully. The trick is grouping: a dozen ornaments in one jar or on one wreath reads as a designed display, while the same dozen scattered around a room disappears.
Start with a green artificial wreath, add light (pre-lit or battery fairy lights on a timer), glue on ribbon bows if you like, then attach ornaments with wire or hot glue. Glass rounds give a timeless look; a theme built around a hobby or room makes it personal.
Layer ornaments with battery-operated fairy lights, faux snow, or sprigs of greenery. Mini glass balls suit small jars, larger rounds fill vases, and a consistent color story across two or three jars turns them into a proper centerpiece set.
Thread each ornament on ribbon rather than a metal hook, since the hanger will be visible, and vary the lengths so the ornaments fall at different heights. Reflective glass pieces work best because they catch and return the fixture’s light. Check clearance over the table before dinner is served.
Use invisible fishing line or colorful baker’s twine, string ornaments at alternating heights, and secure the lines to the inside frame or trim with removable hooks or tape rated for the weight. Street-facing windows give the display two audiences at once.
For low placements and busy rooms, favor shatterproof, wood, and fabric ornaments, and keep glass pieces up high on the tree, the chandelier, or a mantel out of reach. Jar displays are a good compromise: the glass ornaments stay visible and contained at the same time.
A second, usually smaller tree decorated around a single theme: one color story, one hobby, one collection. Feature trees give the ornaments that never match the main tree a home of their own, and small trees of five feet and under fit bedrooms, counters, and sideboards.
An ornament stand gives a single treasured piece a year-round spot on a shelf or mantel, and a glass-front cabinet protects a whole collection from dust and elbows. Keep the original boxes stored flat; they matter for both protection and collector value.
Some of them are built for it. Jar displays swap to winter whites in January, ornament stands hold favorites year-round, and glass cabinets never close for the season. The tree comes down; the collection does not have to disappear with it.
St. Nick’s carries hundreds of ornament styles online and at the Littleton, Colorado store, from personalized pieces and handblown glass to retro, movie, and TV themes, and the store itself is a year-round ornament wonderland worth the trip for ideas alone.
Find It at St. Nick's
St. Nick’s Christmas and Collectibles has been Littleton, Colorado’s Christmas store since 1976. Shop online, visit us in person, or call 1-800-875-8865 with any questions.
