Pink, ivory and turquoise Christmas shell ornaments on pale sand

A Christmas by the Sea: Shells, Sailboats & Other Treasures

Jewelled shell and starfish Christmas ornaments in pink, cream and turquoise arranged on pale sand
Seaside treasures, dressed for Christmas: shells, starfish, pearly colour and a little extravagance.

A BON TON Christmas · The coastal collection

Shell pink, winter blue, a glint of gold. This Christmas, the tree becomes a cabinet of seaside curiosities.

It begins with a handful of shells. Their familiar curves catch the light; pale pink sits beside ivory, turquoise beside a warm sandy ground. Look closer and the details become deliciously improbable: a starfish jewelled like an evening brooch, a scallop shell threaded with glitter, the smooth curve of a shell translated into glass.

These are the beginnings of our nautical Christmas. Around them gathers a world of sailboats and anchors, whales and narwhals, mermaids, sea kings and creatures that seem to have wandered in from a maritime fairy tale. It is a collection to arrange with the same curiosity one brings to a beach walk: looking for colour, texture and the pleasure of an unexpected find.

At BON TON goods, a Christmas tree has room for both tradition and imagination. Maritime ornaments can sit among inherited baubles, take over a small tree of their own, or appear as a single treasured object tied to a gift. The sea supplies a language of forms; how you bring them home is entirely personal.

A little of the sea, a little of the storybook—and all the pleasure of Christmas collecting.

Christmas has a maritime side

In Greece, decorated boats known as karavakia are part of the Christmas season. Small vessels illuminated for the holidays offer a maritime companion to the Christmas tree, and the custom is associated with Saint Nicholas and the country’s seafaring life.

Our coastal tree is a different expression of that enduring relationship between the sea and celebration. A little ship in the branches, an anchor catching the light or a sea creature chosen for a child can make the Christmas display feel connected to places and people we love. A seaside holiday, a family boat, a favourite harbour: each can find a small place among the ornaments.

The nautical Christmas collection

The shell collector’s Christmas

A scallop shell has a natural sense of ceremony: a fan opening outwards, ribs catching the light, a pale interior that seems to hold its own glow. On the Christmas tree, that familiar seaside shape becomes wonderfully extravagant. Pearly pinks, turquoise lines, beads and sequins give it the appearance of something discovered in an imaginary tide pool.

Begin with the Beachcomber glass shells, offered in eight styles and sold individually. Add the larger scalloped shell, a jewelled starfish and the softer texture of tinsel or Kantha. A repeated shell shape brings coherence even when the materials and finishes differ. Against deep green branches, cream and coral pink look especially rich.

The nautical Christmas collection

A little voyage among the branches

Sailboats give the tree a direction of travel. Set a small one near the tips of the branches, with an anchor a little further in, and an ordinary gap in the foliage begins to suggest open water. The Nostalgie Christbaumschmuck sailboats bring traditional German glass ornament making into this maritime company.

There is room for humour aboard, too. Cody Foster’s sailor dogs arrive with rope, a pipe and a lifesaver, as though each has stepped out of a slightly improbable sea story. Give these characters an open branch where their expressions and accessories can be seen.

The nautical Christmas collection

Whales, narwhals and a winter sea

A long, horizontal silhouette creates a lovely interruption among round baubles. Whales seem to swim between the branches; narwhals draw the eye along the elegant line of a tusk. In blue, teal, mint, pearl and gold, they establish the deeper register of a coastal Christmas palette.

Gather the colours into small conversations: a pearl whale beside an ivory shell, a blue narwhal near turquoise glass, a spotted gold creature tucked further inside the tree. The Vintage by Crystal speckled narwhal adds a contrasting handmade character to this glimmering company.

The nautical Christmas collection

Treasures from the deeper water

Below the familiar surface is a more curious Christmas menagerie. Pink, purple and orange octopuses offer curling silhouettes; a tinsel jellyfish introduces a drifting, trailing shape. These are ornaments to hang where there is room beneath them, allowing the outline to remain clear.

The posable squid by Vintage by Crystal invites a different kind of attention. Its expressive, handmade character sits beautifully among smoother glass pieces. Combine a few rather than hanging them as a single cluster: the eye should discover one creature, then another, as it moves around the tree.

The nautical Christmas collection

Mermaids, sea kings and other unlikely guests

A Christmas tree is a particularly hospitable place for folklore. Mermaids and mermen, a papier-mâché Poseidon, a mermaid Santa and a fishing cat can inhabit the same small world quite comfortably. Their differences are part of the pleasure.

Here, texture does much of the storytelling. Painted glass reflects the surrounding lights, felt and wool bring softness, and papier-mâché lends a more sculptural presence. Vintage by Crystal’s figures add the intimacy of work made by hand in upstate New York; Nostalgie’s mermaid offers another connection to the European glass ornament tradition.

For a thoughtful gift, choose the figure that recalls the recipient’s own stories: someone who sails, a devoted cat person, a collector of mermaids, or the person who can never resist the most eccentric object in the room.

The nautical Christmas collection

Christmas at the captain’s table

A nautical Christmas need not end at the shoreline. Oysters on ice, a lobster, a seafood tower and a shrimp cocktail carry the theme into the pleasures of the table. These small, celebratory subjects bring wit to a tree assembled with entertaining in mind.

Let the red of a lobster provide a traditional Christmas accent among the cooler blues and greens. An oyster supplies a quieter pearly note. The pink Palm Royale brunch ornament takes the story somewhere sunnier—a small holiday escape in the middle of winter.

Three palettes for a coastal Christmas

The pearl cabinet

Begin with ivory, shell pink and antique gold. Repeat scalloped shapes and pearly finishes, then add one or two glass creatures in a pale tone. A narrow velvet ribbon gives the arrangement a soft, finished edge.

The winter harbour

Gather midnight blue, teal, silver and cream. Sailboats, anchors, whales and narwhals establish the maritime story, while traditional round baubles give the tree a steady rhythm. Leave small pockets of open space around the more intricate shapes.

The enchanted reef

Let pink, coral, turquoise and violet meet among the branches. Jewelled starfish, colourful octopuses and extravagant shells provide the characters. Repeat each colour in several places so the scheme feels deliberate even at its most playful.

The art of hanging a little sea

Put the lights in place first, then hang the ornaments you most want to see. Longer creatures look particularly graceful along a generous branch; small sailboats and shells can occupy the lighter tips. Balance the visual weight around the tree, stepping back occasionally to see how the silhouettes read together.

Vary the materials as well as the subjects. A soft felt figure next to polished glass, or a beaded shell near papier-mâché, makes the collection more interesting at close quarters. It is this mix of surfaces that allows a small tree to reward repeated looking.

For a table or mantel, gather a few ornaments in a shallow decorative bowl or set them on a cloth-lined tray, keeping their surfaces from rubbing together. A single well-chosen shell can be as effective as a generous cluster. Display fragile pieces where they can be admired without being knocked.

Gifts for people who belong by the sea

A Christmas ornament is a small gift with a long life in the household. The sailor may find a tiny boat especially touching; the beachcomber will understand a shell; the friend who loves to entertain may prefer the oyster platter. Choose by association, then wrap the ornament carefully with a handwritten note explaining the connection.

Many designs are offered individually, with variations available on their product pages. The Beachcomber shells, for example, are eight selectable styles, each sold separately. Follow the photographs for the current options, materials and availability.

Keep the treasures for another December

After Christmas, give each fragile ornament its own space in a divided box, with soft support around projecting fins, tusks, sails and trailing details. Keep fabric and paper pieces dry and avoid pressure on beading or tinsel. A collection stored with care is a pleasure to rediscover, piece by piece, the following year.

And next Christmas, there may be one more shell, a new little ship, or a creature you had not expected to love. That is how the most personal trees are made.

Bring the sea to Christmas

Explore the nautical ornaments at BON TON goods, from traditional glass sailboats to shells, sea creatures and storybook characters.

Discover nautical Christmas ornaments

On the Christmas boat tradition: Visit Greece: Christmas Holidays in Greece and Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Customs. Product and maker details follow the individual BON TON goods listings.

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