Can You Bring Christmas Ornaments on a Plane?

Yes. Most Christmas ornaments can go in your carry-on or your checked bag. The TSA’s holiday advice says most ornaments and decorations are fine in a carry-on, and that fragile ornaments travel better there than in checked luggage. The one item with a real limit is a snow globe, or any ornament with liquid inside it. And as every TSA “What Can I Bring?” page says, the final decision rests with the TSA officer at the checkpoint.

What the TSA says about ornaments

The TSA’s travel tip Fly Like Rudolph for the Holiday Season says that ornaments, shimmering decorations and snow globes are “what holidays are made of” and that “most of these whimsical objects are fine to bring in your carry-on.” The one rule of thumb it gives is for snow globes.

The AskTSA team’s post Your Holiday Travel Questions Answered adds that strings of holiday lights, wreaths, mistletoe and even small trees are allowed in carry-on and checked bags, and that “fragile ornaments and other holiday keepsakes travel better in your carry-on luggage.” The TSA’s Christmas lights entry lists them as allowed in both carry-on and checked bags.

So an ordinary ornament, whether glass, ceramic, wood, acrylic, felt or crochet, is not a banned item. The rules that matter are about liquids and about anything the officer needs to inspect more closely.

Can you bring a snow globe on a plane?

Only a small one in your carry-on. The TSA’s snow globes page says a snow globe that appears to hold less than 3.4 ounces of liquid (about the size of a tennis ball) can go in your carry-on only if the entire globe, base included, fits inside your one quart-sized resealable plastic bag. Each passenger gets one of those bags, and it also has to hold your other travel-size liquids. Larger snow globes must go in checked baggage, where they are allowed.

An ornament with water, glitter liquid or gel sealed inside raises the same question in a different shape. The TSA’s snow-globe rule is the closest guide, and the officer makes the call. If it would not fit in your quart bag with room to spare, pack it in your checked bag or ship it.

Can you bring glass ornaments on a plane?

Yes. Glass is not the issue; breakage is. A glass ball packed loosely in a suitcase can crack against the frame or the wheels, and checked bags get stacked and dropped. That is why the TSA suggests keeping fragile ornaments in your carry-on, where they stay with you and stay upright.

If your carry-on gets pulled for a bag check, the officer may need to unpack it. Ornaments packed in a small box with tissue are quicker to look at and easier to put back than ornaments wrapped in a ball of tape.

Can you bring wrapped ornaments or gifts?

You can, but the TSA would rather you did not. Its holiday tips say wrapped presents are not prohibited, but it encourages travelers to keep presents unwrapped in case an officer needs to inspect them. A simple fix is to pack the ornament in its box, bring the paper and ribbon, and wrap it when you arrive. Our guide to wrapping a Christmas ornament as a gift needs only a small box, tissue and paper.

How to pack ornaments for a flight

1. Give each ornament its own nest. Wrap it loosely in tissue and set it in a small box or a section of an egg carton or ornament tray, so it cannot touch its neighbors.
2. Fill the gaps. Add soft folds of tissue until the box does not rattle when you tilt it. Do not press hard on painted or printed surfaces.
3. Pack the box in the middle of the bag, surrounded by soft clothes, away from the wheels, handle and outer walls.
4. Keep hooks and wire hangers separate. Slip them into a small bag so they cannot scratch the ornaments or poke through the tissue.
5. Put any small snow globe in your quart-sized liquids bag, and keep that bag where you can take it out quickly at screening.

The same rule that keeps ornaments safe in storage keeps them safe in a suitcase: one piece per space, nothing pressing on the decorated side. Our guide on how to store Christmas ornaments shows that layout for flat hoops and raised crochet pieces.

Carry-on or checked: which is better?

For anything fragile or sentimental, carry-on. You control how it is handled, it does not go through baggage belts, and it cannot get lost with a delayed bag. Checked bags make sense for large snow globes, a big box of sturdy ornaments that will not fit in the cabin, or shatterproof pieces you would not mind losing for a day or two. If you do check them, use a rigid box rather than a soft bag, and pack it in the center of the suitcase.

Can you take ornaments in hand luggage in the UK?

The UK government’s hand luggage restrictions page does not mention ornaments or snow globes. Its liquids page says that at most airports you cannot take liquids in containers larger than 100ml through security, that some airports allow containers up to 2 litres, and that the rules depend on the airport. Where a separate bag is asked for, it must be a single transparent resealable bag that holds no more than a litre and measures about 20cm by 20cm. Check the rules for the airport you leave from and any airport you change planes in, on the way out and on the way back. The page also notes that security staff will not let through anything they consider dangerous. For flights elsewhere, check the departure airport’s own security page.

Quick answers

• Can you bring Christmas ornaments on a plane? Yes, in carry-on or checked bags. Fragile ones are better in your carry-on.
• Can you bring a snow globe in a carry-on? Only if it holds less than 3.4 ounces and the whole globe fits in your one quart-sized bag. Larger ones go in checked baggage.
• Can you bring Christmas lights? Yes, the TSA lists them for both carry-on and checked bags.
• Should you wrap ornaments before flying? The TSA suggests leaving gifts unwrapped in case they need to be inspected.
• Who decides at the checkpoint? The TSA officer. Their decision is final.

From the shop

A flat ornament is the easiest kind to pack. The personalized snowman ornament is clear acrylic about 3 mm thick, and the Growing Old Together ornament is 3 mm ash plywood with printed artwork. Both slip into a small box between layers of clothes.