What makes a Christmas decoration?

The precursors of Christmas trees were probably evergreen branches used in pre-Christian rituals, and the first Christmas tree decorations were most likely nuts, fruits, sweetmeats and the like. Glass baubles originated in Germany, perhaps in the sixteenth century.
 
I remember my mother making a Christmas tree from fir branches, and decorating it with mandarins. She may have been following a pagan ritual, but I think it had more to do with being inventive when there wasn’t much money around.
 
Looking at our tree decorations it struck me that some of them seem to have little if any connection with Christmas. For example, Marks and Spencers, a handbag, Inveraray Castle, a beagle in her kennel.
 
These are but tame examples. A quick scan of the web reveals that there is absolutely nothing that you can’t make into a Christmas tree decoration. The traditional ones are still my favourites though.
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