Do you think it's weird or not that christmas tree baubles literally come in every possible variation these days?

[Jippers]

I was looking earlier. I wonder who buys the bag-of-chips bauble or the wrench-tool bauble or the head-of-broccoli bauble? Do you like weird & wacky xmas decs?

I love random baubles! My Christmas tree mantra sticks two fingers up at Mies van der Rohe - more is more. In amongst the regular spherical baubles we have the Eiffel tower, mid-Europe nutcracker dolls, parrots, a gherkin, an acorn, a decorative knot rope (Scouts), a manta ray, a prawn, peacocks, lots of toadstools, Mexican floral skulls, and my absolute favourite, a hermit crab. We will be going to buy this year's random addition soon!

I've always wondered who bought the odd decorations, and I am laughing at the frying pan one - although.... we always have a cooked breakfast on Christmas day! I love the story behind the sprout decoration - that is lovely! I want to have a huge tree with maybe 150 individual decorations? i have been building my tree decoration collection for maybe 10 years and so far have 96 individual decorations (some cost £1, some cost up to £30). Anyway going on this trajectory, I will get there in 5 years (although this year I only have one new decoration - a little glass handmade robin! - cost of living indeed!)

All my decorations are traditionally christmas ones though, in red, gold or green.... I love the kids picking one each year! I used to do that! But not anymore.... I feel a bit mean but having a dalek on the tree was never going to last!

I am that person since I started having two Xmas trees. sorry!

The living room is the "tastefull" navy and silver one.

My kitchen tree is a carcrash of insanity. The past few years it's been a tradition to take the kids to tk maxx to let them buy one or 2 of the "tat-mass" decorations. We've got a Mexican sombrero wearing Cactus, a fried egg and bacon, a dancing Elvis moose, a bottle of soy sauce, a robot. I love it and never know what they are going to pick when we go the shop

I buy one or two every year, mostly to reflect something that has happened or something about a family member eg last year I bought a peapod for DS who loves peas, this year a mini piano for DD who has started learning, so we have a pretty random collection of baubles but the shaped ones are all meaningful.

See, this is what makes my heart happy. I too love the tk max tatters and got some of my best decorations from there.

I went to John Lewis with my DD yesterday and we picked a few new baubles for the tree.

I like traditional so picked a couple of lovely sparkly numbers, and DD(8) who is autistic, went for…. a tin of anchovies bauble. I kid you not.

It is not to my taste, but it is nicely made, and will bring joy to her bonkers little heart, so why not!

I'm itching to have a splurge but A. I'm skint and B. Our tree already looks like captain caveman , I'm not sure it could cope with more.
I wonder if there is a bauble exchange somewhere...

I love them. Our tree is always full of homemade and crazy bought random decorations. I much prefer that to a 'tasteful' tree.

I let DD pick a bauble every year which she loves doing. She is currently obsessed with eating watermelon so we have a watermelon slice decoration this year.

@MaybeNotThisYear where did you get a dalek Christmas bauble, if you don't mind saying, my DD would love that!

My 4yo would love these - thanks for the tip . . .

I may have picked up this beauty this morning in Asda

Perfection in chaos.

This is how I feel. My tree has all colours, all styles. It's a big fat riot of good cheer. I get so much pleasure from putting it up.

@MonkeyPuddle glorious!!

I got this one from Paperchase.

Each to their own.
I was agog at an American woman on social media, she must have been in her 40s with a small son. She went through all of her Barbie baubles, I had not seen anything like this before from a grown woman with a Barbie tree in her study, only little girls.

I love them (and they're hardly a new thing) but my Christmas tree is a tacky mish-mash, as all home Christmas trees should be imo. I can't understand the trend for people having a soulless, colour-themed tree. Who wants their living room to look like a shop window?

Well people like all sorts of decor!

I remember wandering around John Lewis and there was a Miami theme to one tree including flamingoes! I thought Yeah! (though I also love traditional.

About 10 years ago my mum and I went to paperchase and were in hysterics at a Christmas hippo in a tutu and a monkey with a sequinned jacket on. Obviously we didn't buy them. Now they're everywhere! Personally I think they're hideous and much prefer the normal star/reindeer/bell/father Christmas. But someone must be buying them as there seem to be more every year!

Um, yes, I do believe I have a broccoli bauble! And an onion and pomegranate. Also a barbecue and one of my favourites is a foldable miniature deck chair with stripey fabric!
A friend is a purist and thinks of it isn't directly Christmas related it doesn't belong on the tree. But I disagree.
I have a glass chilli I bought in New Mexico. I have a pottery delft windmill I bought in Holland. I have a felt/embroidered Van Gogh figure I bought at a museum. I got a chef a glass pig with the cuts of meat drawn on it. I have a felt clown that has survived since childhood (I'm 60). And mice playing the drums. I have dozens of birds and other than a robin or partridge, goose or turkey none are connected to Christmas. It all looks splendid.

Yep love a random Christmas bauble and buy them whenever I get the chance. Recents additions are a cactus bauble, and a pink Cadillac car.
Each one means something special, a reminder of a holiday, weekend away, and is so much more fun than a tree decorated with all matching sets of baubles.

I have an apple bauble. It was given to me by my Aunt's DP when I lived with them for a few months 30+ years ago. I still have it as a reminder of the lovely gentle soul he was.

Pomegranate represents the Virgin Mary and Jesus in art, and it is his birthday. The things people think are traditional are strange, we should probably be eating lamb, pomegranate and flat bread if you are a pure traditional lover as pomegranate is far more traditional than a Penguin. Penguins live in the Antarctic, yet St Nicholas has been transported from Greece to the Artic renamed Santa to live with elves and polar bears, the Penguins have no business being there and I assume the film happy feet is why they made an appearance 😂.

I have just started buying these types over the past few years since my kids turned 21. I try and find ones that are things they like in real life for eg chillis, sushi, cacti, avocado amongst other things. The idea is they will take them with them when they have their own home and own tree.
If anyone knows where I can get a platypus ornament, from the uk, I'd be most grateful 😬

@longtompot I had a quick look and there a platypus one on Amazon.
(More on various Australian sites it seems...)

I'm holding my hands up as well as I buy this sort of tat 😂. Our tree is a complete random assortment.....no two baubles are the same as we buy a new one each year that has some meaning for us but would look completely mental to anyone looking at our tree.

We actually have a full English breakfast one as we always have a fry up on Christmas Day!

We have a T-rex wearing a Santa hat as DD1 used to be obsessed with dinosaurs.

A pelican as DD2's favourite story is "The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me."

A glittery monkey that reminds DH and I of our trip to India.

A hammer decoration that is a reminder of renovating our first home.

Etc etc.