Any ornament that has sound/motion/lights are all tested to see if they work. If the ornament requires batteries and if they are included (unless otherwise stated) they will NOT be in the ornament when you receive it. It is not wise to store the batteries in the ornament because it will ruin your ornament. The batteries can and will leak over time thus damaging the ornament. These ornaments were a part of my moms personal ornament collection which is quite massive.