Collectable Christmas music boxes offer thematic decorations for any area of the home paired with a holiday melody that can be played any time. Just that simple, short sample of music could be enough to put you in the mindset of the season. Whether you want to add to your collection or offer a simple gift of music, discover the best Christmas music boxes to enhance your holiday celebration.
Not only is this Christmas-themed carousel very detailed with Santa and his reindeer, it also comes packed with tunes. You choose between a set of 25 Christmas carols or 25 all-time classics, all of which are subject to an included volume control. LED spotlights round out this high-end and robust Christmas music box.
Starting small and simple, this little music box will put you in mind of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with this Victorian scene. In the center of the town is a mirrored skating rink upon which two figures skate while “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” plays. This piece measures 6.5 inches square and is made of hand-painted resin. I personally love the intimate space created by the three shops nestled together.
Originally debuting in 1892, but not finding widespread popularity until the late 60s, The Nutcracker now enjoys a permanent place in the collective holiday imagination. This elegant piece honors that status, being made from hand-painted porcelain and trimmed with 22k gold. The 40 simulated crystals add sparkle to the outside, while Clara and the Nutcracker dance around the inside to the tune of “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”. This music box measures 4.25 by 4.125.
Speaking of The San Fransisco Music Box Company, with a name like that, it would be shame to pass them over for consideration. They offer this heavily decorated Christmas tree music figuring, done up in all the classic colors. When you wind this up, you set the tree to slowly rotating while it plays “O Christmas Tree”. The tree measures 9.5 inches tall by 6.3 inches wide, making this a good-sized decoration.
Admittedly, this might make a better fit among your already-established Christmas village rather than in your standard music box collection, styled as it is like a Department 56 piece. Nevertheless, we think it’s worthy of inclusion because it plays a number of songs and would look excellent as a centerpiece.
This is a nicely detailed scene which features a train that moves through the front of the village. The highest point on this snowy holiday scene is a clock tower, while shoppers go about their business on the levels below.
This plays eight songs: “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, “O Christmas Tree”, “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the Halls”, “The First Noel”, “Joy to the World”, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”, and “Silent Night”.
This music box doubles as both its intended purpose and as an extension to your nutcracker collection. There are three colorways to choose from and each move their mouth and drum along to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. Even if you never use the music part, they make quite handsome nutcrackers for the mantel.
This particular option goes for the more appropriately Biblical interpretation of a Christmas music box. Contained within is actual gold, frankincense, and myrrh much like The Magi bestowed upon Jesus. It fittingly plays “We Three Kings” and “Joy to the World”. Though it’s a bit off-beat for a music box, it’s perfectly on-theme for Christmas.
If you’ve wanted to display a nativity scene but haven’t yet decided on one, you might consider this music box to fill both needs. It’s certainly a rustic affair, but it’s quite striking and well-rendered. When wound up using the star, it plays “Silent Night”, which just adds to the loveliness.
It’s fair to wonder if this quite counts as a music box. This battery-operated figurine brings the magic of a piano player into your home. Using RFID, this talented little mouse can play 24 classic Christmas tunes simply by having the sheet music put in front of him. Among the songs available to be played are “Jingle Bells”, “Up on the House Top”, “Away in a Manger”, “Deck the Halls”, “The First Noel”, “Silent Night” and more. This will keep everyone entertained on Christmas Eve. It’s about six and a half inches long and made of plastic.
If you already have a Christmas village collection, you can add this other Mr. Christmas option to it. This deluxe treatment is definitely pushing the limits of what could be considered a music box, requiring wall power to move the six skating figures across the top of the ice as one of 25 Christmas songs (or 25 year-round classics) plays. This is 13 inches wide, which is fairly large compared to the average Christmas village buildings.
Here’s a simple hand-painted resin music box that puts Santa and his reindeer front and center. When wound up, this plays “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” while the carousel of figurines turns around the 3.5 inch base. It measures 5.5 inches tall and comes packed in a lovely gift box. If you wanted to gift more than one, they also make a The Nutcracker themed music box, too.
This option evokes a retro feeling with its combination of a mid-century trailer and placid rotating Christmas scene. It’s primarily made of resin and measures nine inches. It plays the following eight songs on a loop: “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Deck The Halls,” “Joy To The World,” “The First Noel,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “O Christmas Tree.”
To round out the larger, full scene “music box” options, it only makes sense to feature a nativity scene. This comes from The Bradford Exchange’s Hawthorne Village line and is inspired by the art of Thomas Kinkade. Handcrafted of hand-painted resin, this nine inch scene features 19 figures and 20 buildings, including, of course, the room with the manger. Songs available include “Silent Night”, “Joy to the World”, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, and “The First Noel”.
Undoubtedly, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is one of the best Christmas movies of all time. If you feel the same way, you can get a Christmas music box for your collection that celebrates your love of the stop-motion masterpiece.
Though this is a digitally-created rendering, what you’ll get when you open the lid is a 3D North Pole scene populated by the familiar characters from the film. Each is hand painted and the entire scene is encapsulated in a mahogany box befitting a higher end music box like this one.
Snow globes often play music just as a music box would and that makes them worthy of consideration as you search for a new one for Christmas. This one is especially nice because of the rustic art style of the base, which makes it a bit more timeless than some options.
The simple scene inside includes three carolers outside a small winter cottage in the trees. All of the scenery and the based are hand sculpted and hand painted and don’t make any overt references to the Christmas holiday in particular, so you can use this all winter long. It plays “Twelve Days of Christmas”.
Looking for something very simple in a Christmas music box, perhaps for a token gift or stocking stuffer? This might fit the bill.
The design is carved into the wooden surfaces, giving it a subtle two-tone look. When you wind it up, it will play a 15 second clip of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. Simple, but effective.
