December 15, 2023
Trim Your Tree with These Real Housewives-Inspired Ornaments
Christopher Ehlers READ TIME: 14 MIN.
This coming March, Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise will turn 18 years old, an astonishing feat when you consider how no one took the show seriously when it first premiered.
But following that 2006 debut of the OG "Real Housewives of Orange County," a pop cultural firestorm was ignited, lighting a flame that would ultimately lead to 10 U.S. cities with their own hometown housewives, in addition to an astounding 29 international cities with their own franchises, cities like Athens, Budapest, Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Dubai. In short, "The Real Housewives" were a low-brow bet that paid off big time, all the while forever changing the landscape – and bankability – of reality TV.
At this point, the reach of the housewives extends far beyond the confines of just television, and both current and former cast members have gone on write bestselling books, star on Broadway, do time in federal prison, and become successful businesswomen hawking all sorts of things, from liquor and jewelry to food, clothing, and skincare.
In all the years that all the franchises have been on television, we've been blessed with enough iconic scenes and delectable quotables to last us a lifetime. Of course, some of these moments have happened around the holidays, such as when Teresa Giudice felt personally victimized by the fact that sister-in-law Melissa Gorga brought sprinkle cookies to her house over the holidays, complaining: "I said to her, 'Melissa, nobody touched the cookies you brought. I threw them in the garbage!' " And who can forget a stressed, drunk Dorinda Medley at her Berkshires home, screaming at her ungrateful cast mates: "I cooked! I decorated! I made it nice!"
For some of the most outrageous holiday moments, check out this montage:
Holidays aside, there are enough "Real Housewives" one-liners to fill an entire museum, which means that, thanks to some very creative crafters, there are enough Bravo-themed ornaments to fill the entire 80-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Whether you're looking to bring a little fabulousness to your own tree this year or to give your favorite Bravoholic a gift they won't forget, there are a slew of options to consider.
Click through to see some of our favorite "Real Housewives"-themed ornaments.
Name 'Em!
From this season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Sutton Stracke's bizarre "name 'em" episode has had the gays in a chokehold since it first aired. $15, Etsy.
Denise, Your Jacket is Upside Down
Another viral moment from the current season of "Beverly Hills," this one came when a very inebriated Denise Richards was walking around Kyle Richards' house with her jacket on upside down, despite Dorit's best attempts to make her aware of the issue. "Don't do this," Richards clapped back. "I know what you're doing." The jury is still out on what exactly Richards was accusing Dorit of. $24, Etsy.
RHONY 3-Pack
What's better than one "Real Housewives" ornament? Three of them. This set features three of the franchise's most-loved moments: A hungover Countess Luanne bristling at her cast mates accusing her of a bringing a man home, Sonja Morgan laying in bed watching television wearing reading glasses and a tiara, and Dorinda Medley's infamous "I made it nice!" rant. What more could you want? $32, Etsy.
A Tumble in the Grass
What Christmas tree would be complete without a blackout-drunk Countess Luanne falling into the bushes while in Mexico? And to all a good night, indeed. $12, Etsy.
Toothless, not Homeless
One of Kathy Hilton's most memorable scenes on "Beverly Hills" is when she struggled to pronounce the name of Dorinda's charity, Toothless Not Homeless. "Honey, I'm so sorry," Hilton replied, "I've worked for the homeless. I've worked for the toothless." You do you, legend. $27, Etsy.
Oh, No! Sprinkle Cookies!
The nerve of Melissa Gorga to bring Teresa festive sprinkle cookies! But not to worry, the table-flipping New Jersey housewife threw them right in the trash, then spent several episodes complaining about the ill-advised gift. $27, Etsy.
Mary Cosby being Mary Cosby
This season on "Salt Lake City," Heather sat down with the prickly Mary Cosby to address some bad blood between the two of them – bad blood that included Cosby claiming that Heather looked inbred. "Do you think I look inbred," Heather sincerely asked Mary. "I do," she responded simply. Hey, at least she's honest. $13, Etsy.
It Snows in Pasadena?
When Erika Jayne's world was unraveling on "...Beverly Hills," the season was filled with bizarre asides and hard-to-fathom stories about her life at the time. One such moment was when she claimed it was snowing in Pasadena the day her son got into a car accident. The ladies were dubious, but a year later, it actually snowed in Pasadena, prompting the internet to declare Erika vindicated. $27, Etsy.
Keep Eating
Back in 2017, Shannon Beador and Kelly Dodd were at each other's throats on "...Orange County." Their relationship came to a head at a restaurant one night when Beador called Dodd a bitch and told her to get away from her table. Dodd complied, but not before taking a crack at Beador's 40-lb weight gain, screaming: "You know what, keep eating." "This isn't my plate, you stupid fucking bitch," Beador screamed as she tossed the plate across the table. "That's not my fucking plate!" $13, Etsy.
Dorit's Drink Order
At this point, most "...Beverly Hills" fans can rattle off Dorit's cocktail order from memory: A Belvedere soda, three lemons squeezed, carcass out. $27, Etsy.
Hot Mic Moment
One of the most talked about scenes of last year's "...Salt Lake City" season is when Lisa Barlow was caught ranting about her longtime bestie Meredith Marks with her microphone still on. "Meredith can go fuck herself," she was recorded saying. "I'm not a fucking whore and I don't cheat on my husband. Her and her dumb family that poses... Meredith is a piece of shit... that fucking piece of shit garbage whore. She fucked half of New York, she can go fuck herself!" Never forget. $19.99, Etsy.