Inspiration_Decorating How-To

How Many Ornaments Should I Buy?

This question is a little tricky because every person has their own taste. For some people a well balanced combination of ornaments, garland, and florals are the goal. For others a full-on ornament explosion is key. Each of these decorating styles requires a different number of ornaments. 

There is no rule on how to decide on the number of ornaments, so the correct answer is however many ornaments you like. That's not helpful is it? So here are a few examples that you can use to decide what to do. Pick one, mix two together, or take it as advise and decide for yourself.

1. Simple math: Number of ornaments per foot  X  height of tree =  Ornaments needed

In this example 12 ornaments per foot is considered medium. The math would look like this: 12 ornaments x 7 foot tree = 84 ornaments. If your tree is taller than 8 feet tall then you have to add an additional 18 ornaments per foot to accommodate the wider width of a 9' or 10' tree and 24 ornaments per foot for 11' and 12' trees. Same example for a 10' tree is 12 x 10 = 120 + 18 +18 = 156 ornaments needed.

2. Ornament Calculators: Click here for a fun ornament calculator

There are plenty of ornament calculators on the internet, but most can only calculate using a single size ornament. Most people use a variety of ornament sizes, so these calculators should be considered  a suggestion only. Ornament calculators are simple to use by entering things like the height of your tree and clicking on a few choices.

3. Size and Interest

I personally use a process that concentrates on how I want to tree to look. I buy basics and interest. After I decide on themes and colors the first thing I look for are sets of ball ornaments in the colors I have chosen. When shopping for a 7' to 8' tree here is my shopping list for ball ornaments:

• Around 12 small ornaments
• 48 medium ornaments
• 24 large ornaments

Next I shop for ornaments that have some interest to them. These are the main ornaments that tell the theme or style of the tree. I make sure to pick up different sizes and shapes in this category. Some of these ornaments come in sets and some are individuals. For the same example tree, I will get another 48 ornaments or so. 

I generally like more ornaments than flowers, ribbon, or garland. So you can adjust this based on what you like. When I decorate I place all of the interest ornaments first, then I fill in the gaps and spaces with the ball ornaments.

So there you have it. Different ways to figure out how many ornaments to buy for your tree. Just remember, you can always add ornaments each year until you are happy.