Ornamentation

Commercial ornamentation is not the same product as retail ornaments in a larger box. These are shatterproof and UV protected, sold in sets, and built to be hung by a crew, taken down, boxed and used again the following season.

Sizes run from 2 inches up to 24 inches. The small end is for filling a decorated tree at close range. The large end is for pieces that have to read from across a lobby or a plaza, where a standard ornament simply vanishes. Styles include shiny, matte, pearlized, candy apple, glitter, mercury, ribbed, woven, beaded and wave finishes, along with finials and designer shapes.

Scaling to the tree. The usual mistake is buying one size. A commercial tree decorated entirely in 6 inch ornaments looks flat from a distance, because nothing creates depth. Mixing two or three sizes, with the largest placed lower and toward the outside of the branches, is what gives a tree dimension when seen from across a room.

Viewing distance decides the size. For a tree people walk past within a few metres, 4 to 8 inch ornaments do the work. For an atrium tree seen from an upper floor or an outdoor tree seen from across a square, the 12 inch and larger sizes are the ones that register.

Buying in sets. Most ranges here are sold in sets rather than singly, which is how commercial quantities are specified and how a district keeps its colours consistent across several sites. Keeping a written record of the exact set and finish makes reordering in a later season a simple repeat rather than a colour matching exercise.

If you are weighing commercial against retail ornaments more generally, we cover the differences in commercial versus residential Christmas decorations.

Shatterproof construction matters more than it sounds. Ornaments on a public tree get knocked, and on an outdoor tree they get weather. Neither should end the season for a display.