SPHERE Curates: The Best Kitsch Christmas Baubles 2022

Words by
Sphere Editors

5th December 2022

Stuck for a fabulous cost-of-living friendly Christmas or Secret Santa gift? Camp and kitsch Christmas Baubles are officially a thing for 2022, and this year the shiny hand-painted glass ranks of Lagerfeld, Bowie and Wintour, (what you don't have one yet?) are joined by Elton John and a Jeff Koons inspired balloon dog. And that's just the start. SPHERE explores 2022's crop of Christmas baubles from the sublime, to the truly ridiculous.

If ever there was a time to bring humour and fabulousness into our homes, it is now. At SPHERE we are dedicated fans of Cody Foster & Co, a family run business in Nebraska whose annual festive offerings include bauble shaped icons from Madonna and Karl Lagerfeld to Prince and Anna Wintour, as well as kitschy hamburgers, and bottles of hot sauce. Sir Elton John received the Cody Foster & Co treatment this year, we’re sure he's thrilled.  

Cody Foster’s hugely popular baubles are well stocked across the UK, from The Conran Shop and Trouva to Rockett St. George, but get in there quick, they are often the first to sell out.  

We also adore this year’s kitsch offerings from the stationer Choosing Keeping, whose baubles are hand-made in Germany using century old moulds. Liberty London’s Christmas store is brimming with exclusive offerings, and for traditional with a modern twist we love Fortnum & Mason and Wedgwood’s baubles for 2022.

Use our guide to support independent makers, refugees, charity, or artisanship, but above all to spark joyful giving.

For your Campest Friend
Elton John
Elton John in feathery fabulousness, £25, at Rockett St George

Put the likeness of the Rocket Man on your tree, this Christmas. 

Elton John inspired bauble, £25, by Cody Foster & Co at Rockett St. George

 

For the Vegan in Your Life
Plant-Based
Vegetable box glittered glass Christmas decoration, 8cm

Get your veggie box loving friend or family member this for their tree.

Veggie Box Bauble, £22, from Selfridges

For Lovers of Afternoon Tea
Fortnum & Mason
Cake Stand Bauble, £22, Fortnum & Mason

Fortnum & Mason have a selection of baubles nodding to their heritage,

Cake Stand Decoration, £25, Fortnum & Mason

For Sneaker Aficionados
Foe Sneaker Lovers
Glass Sneaker, £22, Liberty

This playful hand-painted ornament will take pride of place in any sneaker aficionado’s bauble collection.

Sneaker bauble, £15.95, Liberty London

Send Christmas Kisses 
Seal it with a kiss
Lips, £10.40 by Vondel at Fenwick

Dutch makers Vondel's hand paint their mouth blown glass baubles, making them a truly hand-made decoration. 

Red opal lips glass bauble, £10.40, Fenwicks

For Art Lovers & Collectors
Inspired by Jeff Koons
Balloon dog bauble, £3.19, Fenwick

Jeff Koons estate may not be pleased about this homage to his work, but we find it impossible to resist the kitsch-value of this little balloon dog.

Balloon dog, £3.19, from Fenwick

For English Breakfast Lovers 
Breakfast Bauble
Egg on Toast Bauble, £10.95, Graham & Green

A perfect way to start Christmas morning, but on your tree? Why not?

Fried egg on toast bauble, £10.95, Graham & Green

To Support Refugees
Charity Baubles
Designed by Refugees 'Colour, Happiness, Family & Purity of Light' Set of 4 baubles, £45, from Red Cross

Support the work of The Red Cross with this set of four unique hand-painted baubles, designed by refugees who have been helped by The Red Cross, and hand-painted in the Cotswolds at the Cotswold Bauble Company.

Set of four ceramic baubles, £45, from The Red Cross

For Bird Lovers
Bird Baubles
Glass bird baubles, £14, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Adorable bird baubles to chirp from a festive tree, featuring one each of a blue tit, robin, blackbird, great tit, goldfinch and bullfinch, all presented in plastic-free packaging.

Set of six bird baubles, £14, from the RSPB

For Liberty London Lovers
Exclusive to Liberty
Miffy glass bauble, in a Liberty print dress, £19.95, Liberty London

It doesn't get cuter than this Miffy glass bauble from Liberty London, dressed in a Liberty print dress, no less. 

Miffy bauble, £19.95, Liberty London

For Christmas Traditionalists 
Peace Bauble
Porcelain Wedgwood 'Peace' bauble, £50, from Wedgewood

Wedgwood's delicate but decadent porcelain bauble spelling out 'Peace' with festive foilage, is a reminder to stop, appreciate and feel gratitude, wrapped in striking Wedgwood blue. Give 'Peace' as a gift, or perhaps collect for yourself and cherish for years to come. 

Porcelain 'Peace' bauble, £50, Wedgwood

For The Christmas Maximalist
Gold-plated tree
Glass Christmas tree bauble, with gold leaf, £68, Fortnum & Mason

This bauble, created for the Christmas maximalist is crafted using time-honoured traditions dating back to the 1800s and is adorned with 24k gold detailing.

Gold-plated tree bauble, £68, Fortnum & Mason



 

The Eccentric Artisan-Made Bauble 
Artisan Made
Hand-made Harlequin bauble, £45, Choosing Keeping

When you select a Choosing Keeping ornament, you are buying into a bauble that supports a traditional cottage industry historically involved in the production of Christmas items.

The quirk when you buy from Choosing, is that each bauble bears the human signature, and distinct - often unusual - style and humour of its maker, making the item you end up with full of eccentric personality and totally unique.  

Harlequin bauble, £45, Choosing Keeping