Quick Tip on "extended ornamentation"

​Here are some simple but effective ways to ornament this old French noel "Ou s'en vont ces gays Bergers". Reminder, the notation is in French violin clef, which is like reading bass clef for us! 

For this music, "standard" ornaments like little trills are great to add, as Rippert has already indicated(+). Mordents are also useful, which I marked on the downbeat of bar 1. These bring a nice brilliance and spark to the music, which reflects the "cheerful shepherds" and also the immense expectation of seeing Jesus. But beyond these, we can also add in "real notes" which will be in the style of the "double", a sort of variation on the melody with more extended ornamentation.

​Look for neighboring notes and see how you can weave in and out of the melody notes with them. You may also look into 3rds and sometimes even 6ths, but in this case we don't want to get too complicated, as we do want to stay in the rustic character of this piece. Watch out for the harmony too.

Most importantly, 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰. Or whatever character the music is requiring. This will help guide you to ornament in a way that sounds effortless and natural, not drawing attention to itself but simply delightful to hear.
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Is it OK to write down the ornaments? Absolutely! The more you do it, the more you'd be developing your vocabulary, so why rob the chance for you to learn and have fun at the same time?