If Your Family Kept These 12 Christmas Decor Items, You Could Be Sitting On A Small Fortune

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From unique and whimsical ornaments to trees and holiday lighting, you might have some Christmas decorations tucked away from days gone by that are worth a bit of money — if you're willing to part with them. The best way to determine what Christmas decor is worth a small fortune is to take a look at how much people are willing to pay for it, which is exactly what we did. We found vintage ornaments galore that people want in their homes, yard decorations like blow molds that show even passersby your passion for the holiday season, and so much more.

While you're decorating for the holidays this year, take a good look at what you're hanging inside and outside your home. You could sell some of those more sought-after pieces, or you could hold onto them as heirlooms for your family. You might think differently about putting a $900 composite Santa Claus out where your pets or grandkids might get their hands on it! 

Glass Christmas ornaments can be worth some pretty decent money, depending on what people are looking for. On eBay, we've found these German-named bauble ornaments priced from $12 for a lot of small ones to $40 for a single ornament. Traditional Christmas colors, like red, green, silver, and gold, seem to be the most popular when it comes to what has sold, but purple and blue ornaments also fetch a decent price, which are on trend for this Christmas season.

Highly replicated these days, those ceramic light-up Christmas trees of days of old are worth a little bit of money if you have one that isn't a replica. In fact, while some of them are going for only $20 on eBay, others have brought in a few hundred dollars. One lava-style designed ceramic tree sold for over $300, while one from the 1950s sold for $271 on eBay. Not sure if yours is vintage? The original tree had individually lit ornaments made by the Atlantic Mold Company. Later notable mold companies to look for include Dogwood Ceramic Supply and Holland Mold.

Vintage blow molds are the predecessors to the inflatable Christmas decor we have now. They were solid plastic pieces of varying sizes that often had a light at the bottom so that you could plug them in, and they could be seen all night in your festive yard. Nowadays, these vintage collectibles sell for around $40 or more. One of our favorites is the 31-inch-long Santa with sleigh and reindeer that recently sold on eBay for $125.

Even replacement parts for these festive silver-colored trees are worth a pretty chunk of change. In the 1950s, these trees were created as an alternative to real trees, advertised as less messy and easier to store for future use. In the last ten years or so, they've seen a resurgence in popularity, and the sold listings on eBay are proof that these old trees are worth having around. From around $26 for some replacement branches to hundreds and even thousands for a whole tree, these silver beauties are worth holding onto.

Whether you're a parent with Elf on the Shelf trauma or not, vintage elves are where it's at. They're creepy, they're cute, and some of them are worth a small fortune. While some vintage elves are pretty affordable, we found a few on eBay that sold for $35 for one and just over $40 for a trio. Knee hugger elves are the ones you want to look for when it comes to value, and they're the ones that look like the ancestors of today's Elf on a Shelf.

If you find some vintage Christmas lights packed up in the basement and they're still working, they could be worth some money. Even light-up wall hangings and sculptures, like Santa's train, if they're from Sylvania, are worth a few hundred dollars. Basic round bulbs from Sylvania can bring in over $100, and even more if they still have the original box. If you're looking for more sustainable lighting trends for Christmas, sell your old Sylvania bulbs and invest in some more modern lights (and you'll probably have a few bucks left over).

This one may be a bit surprising, but those vintage sleigh bells on leather straps you might remember your parents or grandparents hanging from the door during the holidays could bring in $100 or more. In fact, a set of 31 bells on a strap recently sold for $225 on eBay. Even if all you have is a collection of loose brass bells, they can also bring in $10 each, and up to $70 or more for multiples.

Here's another cute and creepy addition to the list — vintage papier-mache composition Belsnickel Santa figurines. Various versions and sizes of these guys have sold recently on eBay for anywhere from around $20 to over $900. The folk art Santas may seem nightmare-worthy to some, but on online auctions, they become the stuff of bidding wars. There are other vintage Santa figurines you shouldn't pass up if you have them in your collection, but we think these composition ones are the best.

German ornaments and figurines seem to bring in a decent amount of money in sales online, and these spun cotton Christmas decor pieces are no exception. From $50 to almost $400, you can rake in some dough with these on eBay — even a cute pig ornament sold for $100. If you want to be part of the Christmas decor trend that is all about nostalgia, pieces like this will definitely make your home feel like something you might have seen when you were little.

While not all Holt Howard pieces seem to be as popular in price as others, they are highly collectible. To tell if you have an authentic Holt Howard, look for the HH stamp and the year. Single figures can bring in $25 or more, but if you have one of the NOEL sets (there are a few different ones), they can sell on eBay for more than $300 a set. Another collection from Holt Howard worth looking for is the winking Santa pitcher and mug set, which can also be worth hundreds.

From Santa to a hot air balloon, many of the Christopher Radko ornaments sell for around the $60 mark on eBay. While these ornaments aren't genuine antiques, they do count as vintage — as Radko's first ornaments came out in the mid-1980s. Some rare and unique Radko ornaments can fetch $100 to $200, including the Santa in his chair with his list and the domed candy cottage ornament. Because of their heirloom style, these ornaments are Christmas decor pieces that dominate the holidays.

Another artist to look for when it comes to collectible ornaments worth a little money is Gladys Boalt. From $20 to $280, if you have a Boalt ornament in your collection, you could sell it on eBay for a reasonably high price for such a diminutive item. One Santa ornament recently sold for that $280 high mark, while a set of three wisemen went for $259, and Beauty & the Beast sold for almost $190. These are the perfect ornaments if you're looking for a touch of whimsy in your holiday decor.