Dinosaur Ornaments for Your Christmas Tree: Every Design, Shape and Order-By Date

Somebody in your house has decided the tree needs a T-Rex this year. Good. The question is which one — and whether it will arrive before the tree goes up. This guide walks through every dinosaur ornament we make: what they're made of, the shapes and designs, what they cost, the mugs and wrapping paper that match them, and the latest date to order for Christmas.

Everything below is read off the live product listings.

The short version

• Eight wooden designs, each offered in six shapes — bell, heart, oval, star, stocking and tree. All $17.99.
• One ceramic ornament, Watercolor Dino, in three smaller shapes and three baby-dino designs. Also $17.99.
• Six of the wooden designs have matching mugs and wrapping paper; two more have a matching mug.
• For Christmas, order the wooden ornaments by about December 9. For the tree-trimming weekend after Thanksgiving, order by about November 11.

You can see all nine side by side in our dinosaur Christmas ornaments collection.

What our wooden dinosaur ornaments are like

Most of what we sell in this category is a wooden ornament, and it's worth knowing what that means before you picture a glass bauble.

They're cut from solid Hinoki wood — a light, pale cypress — and they're 9 mm thick (0.37″), so they feel substantial in the hand without dragging a branch down. The design is printed on both sides, which matters more than it sounds: an ornament turns on its ribbon, and a blank back is what you'd otherwise see half the time. Each one comes with a red paper ribbon threaded through a hole at the top.

The detail people don't expect: they have a magnetic back. When the tree comes down, the T-Rex can go on the fridge instead of into a box in the attic.

The six shapes, and how big they are

Every wooden design is sold in all six shapes, so pick the design first and the shape second.

At four to five inches, these are larger than a standard ball ornament. On a smaller tabletop tree, one or two will be plenty.

The eight wooden dinosaur ornament designs

Each design is an all-over pattern, so whichever shape you choose, the dinosaurs fill it edge to edge.

• Gingerbread Skeleton — gingerbread-cookie dinosaur skeletons, iced in white, some wearing Santa hats and holly, on a white background with little brown stars. The one for people who like their dinosaurs as fossils.
• Gingerbread Dinosaurs — whole gingerbread dinos, Christmas trees and stockings scattered over a deep navy background. The darkest of the set, and it stands out against green branches.
• Pink Christmas — soft green dinosaurs, palm trees and presents on pale pink. The pick for a pink-and-pastel tree.
• Jolly Dinosaurs — green dinos in red sweaters and Santa hats on a cream background, in a loose, sketched style.
• Snow Globe Dinosaur — little dinosaurs inside snow globes, among Christmas trees and sparkles, on a warm cream background.
• Dino Holiday Cheer — watercolor-style stegosaurs and T-Rexes in Santa hats and sweaters, with bunting and candy canes, on white. The gentlest look of the eight.
• Festive Dino Wonderland — the busiest pattern: red, green and blue dinosaurs with candy canes, presents and Santa in his sleigh, on cream. The most traditionally "Christmas" colours.
• Tree Rex — T-Rexes with the words TREE REX in bold green over red-and-green plaid. The loudest of the set and the only one with lettering.

If you're buying one for a T-Rex fan specifically, Tree Rex is the one built around it; Jolly Dinosaurs, Festive Dino Wonderland and Dino Holiday Cheer all include T-Rexes among a mix of species.

The ceramic option: Watercolor Dino

The ninth ornament is a different product. Watercolor Dino is white ceramic with a golden string, printed on one side, in a soft watercolor style. It comes in three shapes — circle (2.84″ across), heart and oval — and three designs: Butterfly Dino, Pink Princess Dino and Blue Prince Dino.

It's noticeably smaller than the wooden ornaments, at under 3½″ in every shape, and the baby dinosaur artwork makes it the natural choice for a young child's first ornament. Ceramic is more fragile than wood, so hang it a little higher if there's a toddler or a cat around.

Matching mugs and wrapping paper

This is the part most people don't realise: most of our ornament designs aren't one-offs. The same prints appear on a mug and on wrapping paper, so you can give a coordinated set — the gift wrapped in the same pattern as the ornament tied to the bow.

The matching mugs are white ceramic with a C-shaped handle, in 11 oz ($19.99), 15 oz ($21.99) and 20 oz ($23.99). You'll find them among our dinosaur mugs.

The wrapping paper is a set of three matte sheets, each 28.75″ × 19.75″, printed on one side with a white reverse, for $24.99. All six designs are in the dinosaur Christmas wrapping paper collection.

A complete set — ornament, 11 oz mug and a pack of wrap — comes to $62.97 before shipping.

When to order dinosaur ornaments for Christmas

Everything here is printed to order rather than pulled off a shelf, so the date you order matters. Each listing gives its own production and shipping estimates for standard US shipping:

Tracking is sent once an order moves from production into shipping, so a few quiet days after you order are normal.

Working back from the slow end of those estimates:

• To have wooden ornaments on the tree for Thanksgiving weekend (November 27–29), order by about November 11.
• For Christmas, order the wooden ornaments by about December 9. Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, and the slowest estimate puts a December 9 order at your door on the 23rd.
• Ordering a set? Go by the slowest item, which is the ornament. And remember the wrapping paper has to arrive before you can wrap anything.

Those dates are arithmetic on the store's own estimates, not a carrier guarantee, and December is when carriers run late. The first week of December is the comfortable window; earlier is better.

Outside the US? The wooden ornaments and the wrapping paper ship to the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand only. The listings give delivery estimates for the US only, so allow extra time elsewhere.

Which dinosaur ornament should you choose?

• For a child's first Christmas, or a very young dinosaur fan: the ceramic Watercolor Dino.
• For a T-Rex devotee: Tree Rex, in the tree shape.
• For a pink or pastel tree: Pink Christmas.
• For a traditional red-and-green tree: Festive Dino Wonderland or Jolly Dinosaurs.
• For someone who'd rather have fossils than cartoons: Gingerbread Skeleton.
• For a gift that looks put-together: any of the six designs with matching wrap, plus the mug.
• For a stocking stuffer: any wooden ornament in the star or bell shape — they're the smallest of the six.

If the stocking itself still needs sorting, we make those too, in our dinosaur Christmas stockings collection, and everything seasonal lives together under dinosaur Christmas. For a bigger present to go under the tree, our dinosaur hoodie buying guide covers the cosiest option.

Dinosaur ornament FAQ

What are the dinosaur ornaments made of? Eight of our nine are solid Hinoki wood, 9 mm thick, printed on both sides, with a red paper ribbon and a magnetic back. The ninth, Watercolor Dino, is white ceramic with a golden string, printed on one side.

Are the wooden ornaments printed on both sides? Yes. The ceramic Watercolor Dino is printed on the front only.

How big are they? The wooden shapes run from 4″ (star) to 5¼″ (tree) in length and 3⅜″ to 4″ wide. The ceramic ornament is under 3½″ in every shape.

Can I use them as fridge magnets? The wooden ones, yes — they have a magnetic back, so they work on the fridge once the tree comes down.

When should I order for Christmas? For the wooden ornaments, by about December 9 based on the listings' slowest estimates, and ideally in the first week of December. By about November 11 if you want them on the tree for Thanksgiving weekend.

Do you ship ornaments internationally? The wooden ornaments ship to the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The listed delivery estimates are for the US.

Can I get the same design on a mug or wrapping paper? Yes. Six designs have both a matching mug and matching wrapping paper; Tree Rex and Festive Dino Wonderland have a matching mug.

Ready to pick one? Start with the dinosaur Christmas ornaments collection — all nine are there, and each listing lets you choose the shape.