Hallmark Ornament Premiere

I went to the Hallmark ornament premiere on Saturday and they had some amazing new ornaments. I have been collecting Hallmark ornaments for about 20 years now, and probably have far too many, but I love how creative they are and how they always bring back memories of special events in my life.

This year, I have decided to keep it simple and only buy a few ornaments to start. I have been collecting the Snow Buddies series for 16 years, so I definitely had to buy the new one. It's so cute with the snowman holding hands with a polar bear! My favorite ornaments are often the Disney ornaments. (I have several from previous years, although I must admit that I often buy them after Christmas at the half-price sale, or even the ultra clearance in February where they are $1-$2.) This year, I selected the Kermit the Frog ornament. It can hang or sit on a table, which is what I plan to do with it. (As it isn't very Christmassy, I think I'll keep it out all the time.) In addition to being a great depiction of Kermit playing his banjo, it plays music. And not just any music, but my favorite Muppet song: the Rainbow Connection. This ornament actually plays a rather long section of the song, all the way through the first verse. It is a little expensive at $19.95, but definitely worth it.

Some of my other favorites this year include the two Ewoks, Wicket and Teebo, the Pirates of the Caribbean skull that plays the theme music, and a fantastic new Mickey's the Band Concert ornament that plays music from the William Tell Overture and "Turkey in the Straw." In addition to music, the wheel rotates, demonstrating an old animation technique and you can watch Mickey conducting on the mirrors inside. To see these ornaments, and more, such as a special limited release of Cinderella's mice friends Gus and Jacques, be sure to stop in your local Hallmark or Hallmark.com.