It’s true what they say, everything old is new again! When it comes to interior design and decoration, trends that tend to come back in style do so because they are timeless classics. One of these such classics are Scandinavian Christmas tree ornaments. For many, this distinct style has always been a part of their seasonal décor, but with the growing trend in minimalistic Mid-Century Modern and Scandi influenced interiors—Scandi ornaments are making a big come back.
Whether your ideal tree is tall and full, an environmentally-friendly potted tree, a mini-tree for your tight space, or a minimalistic and artistic Charlie Brown-esq. tree—you want your ornaments to set the tone for your festivities. Scandinavian influenced ornaments are ideal, because they are intricate works of art. Each has personality and whimsy, and will be with your family for generations to come. And don’t forget that many of the ornaments at Betsy Benn can be personalised, making them ideal gifts for your loved ones.
The 14 Best Wooden Christmas Ornaments
We have carefully selected a timeless selection of our 14 best Scandi ornaments that can blend in well with your eclectic tree, minimalist tree, similarly themed tree, Scandinavian tree, or unthemed yet festive tree. If not for your tree, give as gifts, stocking stuffers, gift toppers, and more!
There is something so magical about the silvery moon in all it's phases, shining brightly above us in the cold dark night. As a species we've gazed at it and recreated it's form since we first picked up a chalk to draw with. We took the crescent moon as our inspiration for this baby's first Christmas ornament along with the mystical legend of the man in the moon and the wonderful stories of William Joyce and his Guardians of Childhood. (If you've never read the books, then we strongly recommend picking a copy up. The illustrations are as wonderful and moving as the storyline - just perfect for a Christmas read.)
This precious wooden ornament, teamed with silvery metallics, will be personalised to have your new arrivals name and the year of their first Christmas. It will be a cherished childhood memento, that when your kids are old enough—they can pick a perfect spot on the tree to hang. It's guaranteed to be the ornament they keep throughout adulthood and will want to take with them when they leave home. We took inspiration from NASA and used one of their photographs of the surface of the Moon to create our silvery man in the moon. Order in either cedar or American walnut wood.
The natural companion of our friend the Man in the Moon, stars of course. Christmas and the symbol of the star are inextricably linked. From the star of Bethlehem, to the star at the top of your tree, to the constellations that are visible for longer and longer in each darker night until the winter solstice, to the sparks of magic you can almost see when loved ones get together. Yes, the stars have it. What better inspiration could we have asked for to create this simple beauty. One large star, featuring several smaller stars within, creating a constellation of our own design. Have this ornament custom engraved with the name of the shining star in your life. If you want we can even add the year, making this a perfect annual ornament gift—or simplistic baby’s first Christmas ornament. Have several shining stars in your life? Order one for every member of your family! This ornament comes in our beautiful and fragrant cedar veneer.
If you're looking for the perfect alternative to the traditional baby’s first Christmas ornament, this North Pole Telegram is just the ticket! Still totally in love with that celestial body, the moon, we reference the Man in the Moon again here - as the bringer of good news about your new baby's arrival - making sure that Father Christmas knows there is a new child in the world to bring joy and wonder to. Designed in the style of a telegram, this message from Santa includes his official North Pole telegram office header, and a post mark that bears the date 25th December 2017 - baby's first Christmas of course. While the message reads the same on each ornament, encouraging your child to write to Santa when they get older, you can add your baby’s name—and send either from Father Christmas or Santa Claus. As baby gets old enough to understand who Santa is, this will be a coveted keepsake. Available in Cherry Wood, Teak Bamboo, or Natural Bamboo.
Add a bit of whimsy to your tree, with this magical Cetus the Whale constellation ornament. If you or someone on your gift list has a love of whales, the sea, or of the constellations this ornament is ideal. This lovely whale is available in cherry wood, but is also available with a silvery or bronze metallic finish. Cetus the Whale is part of a whole collection of animal shapes and the constellations that we have identified with them. You could hang a whole night sky on your Christmas tree.
Christmas is full of traditions that centre around the family, whether it's shopping for and decorating the Christmas tree together, or gathering on the day itself for a succulent roast dinner with all the trimmings and the exchanging of gifts, or hunting out the perfect snowy field to hurl a sled down and build the grandaddy of all snowmen! These and many other traditions unite us and keep us close, much like the ties between the stars of our recognised stellar constellations; loose but undeniably there and permanent.
This family constellation ornament, inspired by the Big Dipper/Plough, can be personalised with the names of up to seven members of your family. While designed to be a unique family tree for your Christmas tree, you can certainly add other short words to the ornament instead—such as peace, joy, love, gratitude, or other festive and meaningful combinations. Made in our decorative cedar wood veneer with both cut and engraved stars in the constellation.
We have a deep love of Christmas movies here at Betsy Benn, and one of our more recent favourites is The Polar Express. Really, how can you not love anything with Tom Hanks in for a start, but that animation! The scene where the wolves are running alongside the train as the ticket flies through the wintery air, is just something else. It inspired another ornament in our constellation collection, our Lupus wolf, howling at the moon. Perfect for star lovers, animal lovers, or anyone designing a nature-themed tree. If wolves are your spirit animal, they represent guardianship, ritual, loyalty, and spirit. If you have your very own domesticated "wolf" at home, that likes to curl up on the sofa when no-one is looking, this could even be their special decoration. Order one or order many from our whole constellation collection!
Available in cherry wood and also silver or bronze metallics.
This wooden ornament is inspired by the timeless classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. That scene, where George offers to throw a lasso around the moon and bring it down to Earth, just for Mary, is one of my favourites! We wanted to create a Christmas ornament that captured that spirit of the impossible and doing anything for your loved one. Order with either a boy or girl, and if you want it personalised with a name on the reverse side of the moon—just choose that option. The beautiful full moon is made from poplar wood which has been coated at the front with a silvery metallic surface. We then engraved an actual photo of the moon from NASA's archives to achieve a realistic design.
Naturally, the person "lassooing" the moon is tethered to this Christmas ornament with some festive bakers twine, tied with a real lasso knot!
Looking for unicorn or constellation gifts? This charming unicorn is trotting its way across the sky, while looking for a lovely place to call home! Unicorn ornaments aren’t easy to come by, and this unicorn is perfect for all ages. This mythical creature represents purity, innocence, and youth. Made from our beautiful cherry wood, but also available in silver or bronze metallic finishes. Monocerus the Unicorn is a real constellation and can be found on the celestial equator. One of the deep-sky objects that can be found in Monocerus is the rather aptly named Christmas Tree Cluster.
Our top selling Christmas ornament from 2016, we've given the design an overhaul for this year, with a constellation inspired by Orion the Hunter. Orion is pretty much our first superhero, featuring in the oldest surviving examples of Greek literature.
Keen star spotters out there will recognise Orion's belt running across the middle. It's one of the easiest and brightest constellations to spot in our skies and a great one to get youngsters interested in star gazing.
Shaped like a standard gift tag, this wooden ornament can be personalized with the names of up to 8 members of your family. Each name gets it's own cut out star in or constellation. There's a boxed space at the top to put your family name too - or you could choose to put Christmas 2017 if you prefer.
If not the members of your family, then have this Christmas ornament engraved with up to 8 inspirational words for year-round or Scandinavian Christmas tree decoration. Or add the names of the grandkids for the perfect gift for granny. Made in our stunning cherry wood veneer.
Polar bears are one of the North Pole’s most beloved animals, making this charming ornament ideal for your seasonal décor. Engraved with a constellation of stars reminiscent of the Great Bear in the Northern skies, our polar bear Christmas tree decoration is the perfect personalised stocking stuffer or gift. Have the name of the recipient engraved in the middle of the pattern of stars, and you can even choose to add the year, making it a perfect ornament for baby's first Christmas, or to mark any important year in life.
In addition to our gorgeous polar bears, we have an equally beautiful reindeer version. Made from our cherry wood veneer.
Ten tiny fingers. It's always the first thing we check when that tiny bundle of joy is placed into our arms. And we can never believe how small and how perfect their little hands are, and yes your heart melts a tiny bit more when your baby closes that tiny hand around your finger for the first time.
Before you know it, those tiny hands will be grow bigger and be reaching out for big experiences; some pocket money, a phone, some car keys?? Capture the temporary smallness of their beautiful handprints on this unique Christmas ornament. A brilliant gift for any grandparents who will love to add an element like this to their Christmas tree. It also works as a gorgeous baby's first Christmas ornament - and why not add a year to the name?
Available in cedar or walnut wood.
Each of our Scandi Christmas ornaments comes with the ribbon featured in the photo, but you can further personalize it by swapping the ribbon out for another style or color. You could even add a bit of texture by using a decorative twine. Get creative when deciding where to place these timeless classics. From you tree, to tables centres, fireplaces, door knobs, kitchen cupboards, gift toppers, stocking stuffers, and hand-crafted holiday art!
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