Where To Get The Best Ceramic Photo Ornaments And This Tree I Won't Let Anyone Else Decorate
There’s a tree in our house that nobody else is allowed to decorate.
Not because I’m a control freak (though… listen, the evidence is mounting), but because what goes on this tree is mama's.
It's My Ceramic Ornament Tree
Metal, branchy, not technically a Christmas tree at all — but it holds my most treasured holiday keepsakes: tiny ceramic ornaments featuring my daughters’ faces, printed year after year since they were babies.
And I’m sorry, but no one is decorating that tree but me. I mean, I'm the one who remembered to make the ornament every year for the last 20 years... and I'm the one who melts with pure love every time I get to hang these. (To be fair, my husband will also sometimes hang them with me. He's allowed.)
A Decade of Cheeks, Captured in Porcelain
It started the way these things often do — with a coupon and a cute baby photo.
Some of these came from Staples? Or maybe Shutterfly? Snapfish? Honestly, I’ve used so many sites over the years. If they were offering a deal on ceramic photo ornaments, I was there with a JPEG and a credit card. (Keep scrolling though, I did some digging and found the links for you, they're below...)
And once I started… well. You know how this goes.
Sadie as a four-month-old, holding her head up like a star...
Annie peeking back at me from the Martha's Vineyard Flying Horses ride...
Sadie painting pottery at her eighth birthday party...
Annie's first smile in that cute little onesie with the fire crackling in the background...
Each year, I picked a new photo. Cropped it close. Often chose black and white (more on that in a second). And added it to the growing collection.
Now, we have at least a dozen ornaments for each of my girls — a visual timeline of childhood in ceramic form.
Why I Keep Them Separate
Yes, we also have a regular family tree. The kind with construction paper crafts, school-made glitter bombs, and whatever trendy garland I’m into that year.
But these?
These don’t go on the chaos tree.
They get their own tree. Also because any parent of small children and crazy pets knows that the ornaments on the regular tree sometimes come crashing to the ground. And these are too special for that... so I don't even let them go there.
I got a little metal tree, just for these ceramic memory discs. It used to be a smaller one — but after several years of overcrowded branches and ornaments crashing into each other like rush hour at Logan, I upgraded to a bigger version this year.
Thank you, Amazon. (and yes, I'm an affiliate so if you get a metal ornament tree like mine I'll get a small commission)
Now the girls’ cute little faces have space to breathe. The tree stands tall and proud behind my couch like a museum installation of my most prized possessions.
Which… I guess it is?
Wait, before we get into the different places to get ceramic ornaments and my recommendations, do you want some more fun photo gift ideas like these this season? 🎄
Download my free guide: Favorite and Fun Photo Gifts - Volume 1, Fall/Winter 2025 Edition — it’s packed with simple, sentimental ideas (like this one!) to help you turn the photos on your phone into gifts you’ll treasure.
OK, back to it. Black & White > Color (Trust Me)
Over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two about which photos hold up best on these ceramic ornaments.
Black and white wins.
Always.
The color ones? They’ve aged a little weird. Hair colors shifted, skin tones went a little peachy. Something about the ceramic glaze and the printing process just makes color a little… unpredictable over time. (Sadie never had hair even slightly red, but this makes it look like she did.)
But the black and white ones?
Crisp. Timeless. Zero regrets.
If you’re thinking of starting this tradition (or reviving it), I highly recommend converting your photos to black and white before uploading them to whichever vendor you choose.
Want to Make Your Own?
Here are a few places I’ve ordered ceramic ornaments from over the years (I usually go wherever there’s a sale - and yes, I get a percentage when you use my links for some of these):
Shutterfly is where I get the ceramic circle one with the holes around the edge
Staples has the porcelain round ornaments (dig a bit, use the dropdown under print products)
Walgreens has porcelain round ornaments (under gifts, ornaments)
Personalization Mall has 41 pages of porcelain ornaments
Mpix has metal ones, not ceramic, but they're cute
I just kind of love the whole thing a lot.
And as I hung the ornaments this year, I realized: this tradition snuck up on me.
I didn’t plan to make a photo ornament every year. But now?
I can’t imagine December without them.
They’re tiny. Simple. Easy to overlook on a busy day.
But together?
They’re the clearest timeline of my motherhood I have.
Ceramic snapshots of the years that are flying by — all hanging together, right where they belong.
On the tree nobody else is allowed to touch.
Like the vibe here?
Come hang out with me. I’m Jess, a longtime family photographer who writes like we’re chatting in the preschool pickup line.
Each week or so, I send a quick, thoughtful email — usually with a photo tip, a funny story, or a moment that made me pause.
Sometimes there’s a gentle nudge to take a picture of your own. Sometimes there’s a reminder that you’re doing a great job.
Always, there’s heart. If that sounds like your kind of inbox moment, you can sign up for emails here:
