The most covetable Christmas decorations for 2023, from the artisanal to the delightfully naff
Christmas trees covered with hand-tied bows have emerged as the festive trend of the year, but for those reluctant to dump their entire bauble collection – or wary of ribbon-induced RSI – a couple of shiny new decorations will do the job.
Try festive trinkets with a foodie twist. Delicate oysters bring shimmer with a wink, and once-ubiquitous croissants have been one-upped by sticks of butter, cans of sardines and artisanal salad leaves. It's only a matter of time before someone adds a hook to a tin of Perello olives.
The other end of the scale marks a move towards tactile, organic shapes in papier mache, wood pulp and even mycelium – House of Hackney claim to have produced the first set of Christmas decorations spun from the silky fungi fibre with a little help from mushroom farmers Caley Bros.
Here are seven schemes to get you started.
Oysters and pearls
Pretty iridescent shells are the decoration du jour. Go gold for extra glamour
1. Set of 4 Oyster Christmas Tree Decorations, The Conran Shop, £58
2. Oyster Christmas Ornament, Choosing Keeping, £20
3. Oyster Christmas Bauble, Flying Tiger, £3
4. Oyster glass Christmas Decoration, Selfridges, £10
5. Glass Christmas Tree Decoration, H&M, £9.99
Delicatessen
Croissants are passé – the more obscure these pantry goodies, the better
1. Minnie-Mae Studio Radicchio Leaf Decorations, Maison Flaneur, £26.50
2. French Baguette Decoration, Graham and Green, £8.95
3. Metal Tin of Sardines, Angela Reed, £6.95
4. Stick of Butter Holiday Ornament, The Oblist, approx £19
Earthly pleasures
Tactile woodland motifs made from pulp, papier mache and silky mycelium
1. Madam Stolz Recycled Cotton Pulp Hanging Tree, Trouva, £9.40 each
2. Broste Copenhagen Christmas Pulp Deco Pendant, Connox, £5.03
3. Mycelium Tree Decoration Set, House of Hackney, £30
4. Papier Mache Three Cap Mushroom Ornament, Ferm Living, £15
5. Set of Three Squiggle Papier Mache Decorations, Habitat, £4.50
In the abstract
Hand-painted squiggles and sculptural forms for art school kudos
1. Firle Hand-Painted Bauble, Toast, £9.50 each
2. Qué Rico Luis Vase Christmas Decoration, The Hepworth Wakefield, £13
3. Amanita Labs Teth Hanging Decor Set, Glasette, £15
4. Set of 4 Hanging Decorations, Collagerie x KS Creative Pottery, £50
5. Thie Face Bauble, The Conscious, £12
Suitably festive space invaders include astronauts, planets and contemporary stars
1. Set of 2 Silver Star Baubles, Abigail Ahern, £6.50
2. Santa in a Spitfire Decoration, Imperial War Museum, £10
3. Spaceman Sam Wool Christmas Decoration, Selfridges, £14
4. Saturn Christmas Ornament, Choosing Keeping, £38
5. Moon Christmas Bauble, Royal Museums Greenwich, £8
Home comforts
Crafted in felt, these domestic designs have a wonderfully irreverent twist
1. Felt Christmas Cottage Tree Decoration, John Lewis, £7
2. Vegetable Allotment Felt Decoration, Sass and Belle, £18.50
3. Cosy Greyhound Felt Decoration, not just a shop, £9.50
4. Blue Christmas Jumper Felt Tree Decoration, Caroline Gardner, £12.50
5. Felt Bottle of Fizz Decoration, Liberty, £11.95
Ultra luxe
Money-is-no-object tree trimmings with heirloom potential
1. Set of Four Christmas Ornaments, Dior, £500
2. Set of Three Porcelain Tree Decorations, Cartier, £730
3. Carved Christmas Bauble, Harrods, £160
4. Ippolita Bauble, Loveaball, approx £85
5. Rêve Cosmique Sun Christmas Decoration, Christofle, £220
