Can I buy 'Christmas Tree in a Box' ornament sets?

[Jewel]

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but...my name is Jewel and I own crappy Christmas tree ornaments! :eek:

When DH and I started buying tree ornaments six years ago we didn't have much of a theme in mind, just bought cheap things to put on the tree. Plastic angels, acrylic snowmen, and for some odd reason, we have a blown-glass head of broccoli. :confused: For the past few years we didn't put up a tree because we weren't going to be home. Last year we bought a gorgeous slim artificial pre-lit tree and broke out the ornament box...and I was horrified to see what I was bringing out of the box! I can't even say that most of them have memories attached to them, they're simply cheap plastic things! There are a few of our 'dog angel' ornaments to respect our pups that we've lost over the years, but other than that, well..they're crap. :o

I'd really love to find a box that has an entire Christmas tree full of ornaments inside. Not just ornaments but matching ribbons and all! I know I should just head out and buy the ribbons and the ornaments separately, but sometimes buying them in 'sets' is much cheaper and I trust someone else's creativity more than my own! Besides, I love the more coordinated classy look, like Ivory and Gold (favorite) or Purple and Gold. Something more themed and put together than simply a hodgepodge of colors and lights.

My prelit tree is done in clear lights and it's a gorgeous dark fir tree that looks so real! We just couldn't have a real tree anymore with Sasha around, for some reason that husky loved chewing on the needles and trying to pull it down and it was too dangerous, so we opted for a good quality artificial tree.

Does anyone have any idea where I could purchase a sort of "Christmas Tree In A Box" type ornament/deocration set in a choice of themes or colors? :confused: I've searched online but maybe I'm not using the right sources. I just know that if I buy 50 new ornaments this year at $5 each I'm going to go broke, and I might be able to find a set much cheaper. Any thoughts would be appreciated! :)

[Cookin4Love]

Can't help with the "Christmas Tree in a Box" thing, but just thought I'd add my two cents anyway. When our kids grew up and moved away a few years ago (taking all the ornaments I'd given them over the years with them), we were also left with a bunch of yukky-looking ornaments. We decided to start collecting with a theme, and now have a complete Nativity tree. The first year, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Oriental Trading Company (cheap--and some of it pretty cool), and had LOTS of big, puffy bows made with wired ribbon from Costco and some plain glass balls to fill in space. Since then, we've continued to add whatever fits the nativity theme--camels, wise men, actual mini-nativities, stars, angels, trumpets (herald angels), sheep, etc. Each year, we have fewer bows and more ornaments; in fact, last year there were no bows at all. I really, really love my tree, as it reflects what is most important about the Christmas season to me, and I love sitting with my granddaughter and explaining the meaning of all the ornaments.

All this to say that, if you can't find a set anywhere, there is hope to put together something you love based on whatever theme is meaningful to you without breaking the bank. It won't take long before you can't WAIT to get the ornaments out and put up the tree. Whatever you do, you'll have to post a picture of it!

[Violanan]

There are Christmas tree in a box sets, or at least one set, available on hsn.com for $135.00 plus shipping in gold and burgundy.
This would at least give you an idea of what's available.
just go to the hsn.com URL and click on the Trim-a-tree shop on the upper left side, the kit is shown on the page that comes up..click on it for further description. I didn't look further..they may have other kits.

Good luck...sounds like a neat idea.
30 years ago my DH started a collection of Wallace Silver Ball Bells for me, and so we have a silver and gold tree now with those and other ornaments added over the years.
Nancy

[JHolcomb]

If you're not opposed to K-Mart and/or Martha Stewart, they have some great stuff. Not in a tidy box, but MS's Christmas collection is organized by a color scheme theme, and she makes it totally easy and pretty cheap to pick up some very nice looking stuff that all matches. I've got the Woodland Collection stuff (dark reds and purples, golds, coppers and shimmery browns) for my tree. Oh, you can even get matching tree skirts (natch) and you can even match your wrapping paper to the scheme of the tree.

OK, you have to go there. Just saw that you like Ivory and Gold. She calls it the "Golden Memories" line or something like that. It would be perfect.

[Little Bit]

Do you have one of the year-round "Christmas stores" where you live?? We've got several, or used to, guess I haven't looked lately. They tend to have stuff in sets that looks good together.

I needed to replenish Dad's supply of doodads for the tree, and over the course of a few Christmas seasons, managed to revive his set.

One thing we do that helps make the tree look more 'dressed' is to use glass beads, garlands of tinsel, and other strands of shiny stuff (among other things we have some old 'gold' plastic chains) to wrap around the tree before we put on the ornaments. Having all that shimmer on the tree sort of masked the relative lack of ornaments.

We never use icicles, though, since there are enough strands of the stuff still lingering among the older ornaments, so there are always a few strands on the tree whether we plan it that way or not. :)

If you shop for a few ornaments each year, with a general color scheme or theme in mind, you can really build up a collection in a hurry, so go easy with the shopping. :)

[Beth]

Places like Target, Garden Ridge Pottery, and I'm sure most stores will have large boxes of usually plain globes -- either in one color or in an assortment of colors. I would start whatever you do with something like that and start collecting the unique ones. Add a garland to fill space and help set a theme or feel to your tree. Rolls or wire edged ribbon go on sale early as people are decorating and can make a garland -- even a bow for the top of the tree.

One of my early Christmas trees had curls or ribbon in bright pink, purple and silver, I bought some inexpensive pink and purple ornaments at Pier One and filled in with a bag of white feathers scattered over the tree. It was a bit Mardi Gras, but it all worked and looked like a really expensive tree without a huge price tag. (You can do a ton of ribbon curls with those spools they sell at Michaels for sometime $1-1.50 for each color.)

There are also a lot of ornaments you can make from bread, cookie or gingerbread dough, tin or heavy aluminum sheets you cut out and punch, even paper quilling. I made fans out of some lace trim I bought, folded and secured at the bottom with hot glue, then added a tiny bow and ribbon rose (bought the roses) and scattered themover the tree when I had a Victorian theme. I also cut out some of the individual flowers left over from the fabric I made my tree skirt out of and starched them to scatter on the tree. If you find something like that to fill space and set a theme, you need fewer special ornaments and you can take the time to add to them.

If you want a silly tree, you can make the dog bone reindeer ornaments my sons have come home from school with in years past and let the tree go to the dogs -- literally! :D

[sneezles]

As one who has a non-themed, hodge-podge tree, (and wouldn't have it any other way!) :p ...If you're just going for the ivory and gold look then you can buy boxes of inexpensive ball ornaments and then use lots of ribbons and bows to fill in gaps. Mirror ornaments are great for reflecting the light.

http://www.partybows.com/images/xmastree.jpg It's a bit difficult to tell but this tree is mostly ribbons, bows, lace oranments and lights.

I think if you use a lot of ribbons then you can slowly build your ornament collection each year...at after Christmas sales!

[RebeccaT]

Lillian Vernon has starter sets, which are exactly what you are talking about. Here is her Ivory/gold one:

http://mirror.lillianvernon.com/prodimages/FullImage/1000725_f.jpg

http://www.lillianvernon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&categoryId=10171&productId=38960&catTree=10068,10171&clearance=0

... or you might like her Peace Tree:

http://mirror.lillianvernon.com/prodimages/FullImage/1000744_f.jpg

http://www.lillianvernon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&categoryId=10171&productId=39651&catTree=10068,10171&clearance=0

... or the Old World Tree:

http://mirror.lillianvernon.com/prodimages/FullImage/1000748_f.jpg

http://www.lillianvernon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&categoryId=10171&productId=39656&catTree=10068,10171&clearance=0

[Jewel]

OMG, you guys are amazing!! I searched all over and couldn't find anything resembling a 'set'! Jen, is that KMart/MS thing online? The nearest KMart is about 20 miles!

I'm going to go shopping. Thanks everyone!! :D

[Robyncz]

Originally posted by sneezles
I think if you use a lot of ribbons then you can slowly build your ornament collection each year...at after Christmas sales!

This is exactly what we did. DH and I got married in early December and we hadn't yet started an ornament collection. My mother smartly suggested that we save our pew bows from the wedding. We used them to decorate our first Christmas tree. It was beautiful! I wish I had a picture online to share.

[Kay Henderson]

I can't help with the sets (and it sounds like there are some great ones!). Here is what I did.

I started with plain shiny glass balls. Even as I've collected the little toys (I like to buy them as souvenirs of trips), the first ornaments I put on near the trunk are my shiny glass balls. They brighten up the interior of the tree and nothing reflects the lights better. (These ornaments last from five to ten years. There was a period of time when they were so out of fashion as to be hard to buy, but fortunately, that is not the case at the moment.)

I now have so many ornaments that I select some for the tree each year. I also like to put greenery on the mantel, side tables etc. and strew some ornaments among them.

Happy decorating! I'm sure you'll find what pleases you.

[JHolcomb]

Originally posted by Jewel
OMG, you guys are amazing!! I searched all over and couldn't find anything resembling a 'set'! Jen, is that KMart/MS thing online? The nearest KMart is about 20 miles!

I'm going to go shopping. Thanks everyone!! :D

Unfortunatly, no, the ornaments aren't online.