Monthly Archives: October 2018

The Great Debate….

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I have found over the years that when to put up your Christmas tree is a big debate. Some people start decorating in early fall (like the stores do these days) and others wait until after Thanksgiving or later.

The early decorators…

I have found it interesting what people have been posting online about putting trees up already. It’s amazing to see the Christmas spirit in this group! Some of the early decorators get a head start on decorating because it takes them a long time to decorate and they have a lot to put up and out. I have several friends who have a holiday party early in December so they want to be decorated for the party so they start early.

The Wait to Decorators….

On the other hand there are people who like to wait until after a certain date or just decorate close to Christmas. It is interesting to hear why people what to decorate.

Let’s be real, there is no right or wrong answer to this great debate. It is whatever you feel is best for you. Some people would like to see the Christmas season longer and some would like it shorter. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Outside Decorating…

For outside decorating it is easier to get lights and decorations out when the weather is nicer. Just because it is up does not mean that you have to turn it on if you do not want to.

The Good News for everyone!

This good news is for everyone, the ones who want their trees up now and the ones who like to hold off. You can always order your Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments from The Ornament Factory! You can always help a friend of loved one out and order an ornament or two for them too.

I like to decorate early because I love Christmas! It is always fun to hear if other decorate early like me or not.

 

Back to work for now!

Little Daniel the Elf

 

A Classic Christmas Movie….

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The movie Christmas Vacation has turned into a holiday classic over the years. In 2009 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments started their series based on the movie.

How the Series Started….

In 2009 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments released Cousin Eddies RV.

2009cousineddiesrv.jpg In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, devoted but hapless family man Clark Griswold resolves to celebrate a “good-old-fashioned family Christmas.” Not in the plan: the unannounced arrival of freeloading Cousin Eddie and family in their ramshackle RV. Still, when Eddie’s kids fear that Santa will pass them by, the goodhearted Clark steps up to make a happy holiday for all!  Press the button on the ornament to hear some of Cousin Eddie’s most memorable lines from this hilarious holiday comedy!

As the Years go on more Ornaments are added…..

A Star-Spangled Spectacular is another one of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments for this special series.

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Press the button on the ornament to see the lights illuminate and hear memorable moments from this hilarious holiday comedy!

2018….

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments gave us a treat this year and released Two ornaments for the Christmas Vacation series. The first one is A Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Christmas. 

1999QXI3113_thumbnail.jpgPress the button on the ornament to see the scene illuminate and hear a memorable moment from this hilarious holiday comedy!

The second for this year is A Quest for Fun.

1799QXI3083_thumbnail.jpgPress the button on the ornament to hear music from the “Walley World National Anthem.”

 

Looking at these ornaments makes me want to watch the movie. It is a family tradition to watch Nation Lampoons Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve in our home. We still all laugh like the first time we saw it. Back to work I go! Have a great day!

Jackson the Elf

 

Peanuts Ornaments for all Holidays

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The Peanuts characters have been a long standing tradition with Hallmark Ornaments. Over the years there are been more than just ornaments too. There have been miniature figurines you can collect to help decorate a table or something that was not a tree. There have been Hallmark Ornaments for other holidays too! We have already talked about the Halloween Hallmark Ornaments for your Halloween tree here are some other holidays that the Peanuts Gang can help you celebrate.

Thanksgiving…..

Have you ever thought about putting up a Thanksgiving tree? There are Hallmark Keepsake ornaments for that. Here are two of them.

First is from 2012, A Thanksgiving Feast helps to celebrate the holiday. Snoopy and Woodstock are dressed for the occasion ready to eat their Thanksgiving dinner.

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Another is from 2013, Giving Thanks Hallmark Keepsake Ornament, that has Snoopy and Woodstock dressed as a pilgrim with a delicious pie.

 

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This 2013, Its the Easter Beagle, Hallmark Ornament has Snoopy ready to give the Easter Bunny a hand with all the Easter eggs. An Easter tree makes a nice way to decorate and show off more Hallmark Ornaments.

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July 4th….

How beautiful it would be to have a 4th of July tree decorated in the red, white, and blue! These 2 Hallmark Ornaments would help to make it look even more patriotic.

2012 Beagle Scout Salute is an ornament to help celebrate the holiday.

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2012 Patriotic Pals #12

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New Years…

Why not just keep the Christmas tree up and add a few more Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments to decorate for New Years! The 2013 New Year’s Celebration would help to decorate any tree for New Year’s.

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Valentines Day…..

A beautiful red or pink tree would be so romantic with hearts and lights to show iff your Hallmark ornaments for Valentines Day. One or more of these 2013 Linus’s Big Heart would look great on a Valentines Day tree! Linus is holding a large red heart that says Be Mine.

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Thank you for reading! Be sure to look at The Ornament Factory website for these Hallmark ornaments and many more for all special occasions. I’ll  have more on the Peanuts collection in the near future. That is all for now from me!

Brandon the Elf

Peanuts Hallmark Ornaments

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The Peanuts movies are classic holiday movies that are enjoyed every year by those young and old. The characters are recognized by many. Scenes from the Christmas movie are cherished and repeated often.

The Beginning of the Peanuts as Hallmark Ornaments…..

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments started making ornaments of the Peanuts character back in 1977. The first ornament was a bulb showing a classic scene from the holiday classic where Lucy is listening to Schroeder play the piano and she is saying Merry Christmas.

The second Hallmark ornament that was released the same year is also a bulb. This one has the year, 1977, on it and Snoopy, Woodstock, and Linus admiring the beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

There are two other Peanuts Hallmark Ornaments that were released that year that are also bulbs. These also have classic scenes from the holiday movie classic.

As the Years Went On….

As the years went on the Hallmark ornaments showing the Peanuts characters continued to be bulbs with classic scenes from the movies. It was not until 1985 that the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament for the Peanuts characters was not a bulb. It was a Snoopy figurine. The Peanuts Hallmark Ornament bulbs continued for some years after but Hallmark also continued making the ornament figurines of the iconic characters. The 1989 Snoopy and Woodstock ornament shows Snoopy and Woodstock have fun stepping out, ‘Cause dancing for joy’s what the season’s about!

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There are several series within the Peanuts Hallmark Keepsake Series like The Peanuts Gang series. This series has all of the Peanuts Gang in individual Ornaments.

The series started off with dear sweet Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown, Peanuts Gang #1 has Charlie Brown with the snowman he built of himself.

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Here is Lucy, Peanuts Gang #2.

1994_peanuts_gang_2_lucy.jpgWill Lucy play a merry trick on good ole’ Charlie Brown?
Is Christmas in December? Will Santa come to town?

Classic Scenes from the Movies….

As the ornament continued to come from Hallmark they showed different iconic scenes from the holiday classic. One of my favorites is Lucy and her stand. The Holiday Advice Booth is a great addition to your Christmas tree and Peanuts Tree.

2003_holiday_advice_booth.jpgAre you suffering from Baking Burnout? Gift List Confusion? Mistletoe Phobia? Never fear. Lucy van Pelt is here. And she knows the answer to every questionâ??just ask her friends in the PEANUTS gang! Lucy loves giving advice almost as much as she loves hearing those “clinking nickels.” You’re in luck today, because “The Doctor is IN.”

Look for a continuation of this blog about the Hallmark Peanuts Characters later. For now, I’m off and back to work I go at The Ornament Factory!

Brandon the Elf

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A Timeless Classic…..

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Gone With the Wind is treasured classic movie that Hallmark Ornaments has made into a long standing series of collectible ornaments. Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments has turned parts of this classic movie into ornaments to collect and enjoy!

The beginning of the Gone With the Wind Series…

In 1996 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments debuted the first Gone With the Wind ornament, Gone with the Wind, a 3 piece miniature set. The set features the famous “Tara” plantation from the classic movie Gone with the Wind. This set includes southern belle Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler in great detail. This beautiful set can be displayed on a table or on your tree.

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Scarlett O’Hara….

One of the main characters  of the movie is Scarlett O’Hara has been portrayed several times since the Gone With the Wind Series started. The first is from 1997, Scarlett O’Hara #1. This 1997 Hallmark keepsake ornament features the beautiful Scarlett O’Hara from the classic movie Gone with the Wind. This ornament is the very first in the Scarlett O’Hara series and it features Scarlett in a exquisite burgundy gown that she wore to Melanie’s birthday party. This ornament will be sure to add elegance to any tree!

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Another Scarlett O’Hara ornament is the 2008 Scarlet O’Hara.
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The unforgettable Scarlett O’Hara debuts her charm at the picnic at Twelve Oaks. The Southern coquette captivated audiences in Margeret Mitchell’s classic romance, Gone with the Wind. Pretty as a picture in her ruffled dress, Miss Scarlett steals the attention of every man in the room. But there is only one beau for this belle. Dearest Ashley. Though Ashley is already engaged to another, Scarlett is determined to win his love. Meanwhile, she catches the eye of Rhett Butler, a mysterious rogue who has plans of his own.

 

A Famous Scene….

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Almost A Kiss, the 2011 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament from the Gone With the Wind Series, “I’m the only man over 16 and under 60 that’s around to show you a good time …” Press the button on Scarlett’s dress to hear Scarlett and Rhett in one of their most memorable moments from Gone With the Wind.

Any of the Hallmark Keepsake Gone With the Wind Ornaments would make a great addition to your Hallmark Christmas tree.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday! Back to work I go!

Aiden the Elf

Ornament Series Feature: Frosty Fun Decade

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The Frosty Fun Decade Series started in 2010 with the Frosty Fun Decade #1. There was also a special Hallmark Keepsake ornament of Frosty Fun Decade #1 that was a repaint and is a Limited Edition.

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2018 Frosty Fun Decade Ornament…

The 2018 Frosty Fun Decade Ornament was apart of the July ornament release. This Hallmark Keepsake Ornament has the adorable Frosty putting the 2 on top to finish off 2018. Frosty Fun Decade #9 is currently in stock and ready to be ordered.

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A Perfect Gift!

The Frosty Fun Decade series would make a special gift for someone in your life that collects snowmen. This is also a series that would be able to stay up  past Christmas through the winter months. The thoughtful gift of a Hallmark Ornament of several is a gift that someone can enjoy for years to come.

A Special Frosty Fun Decade Ornament….

2016 had a special ornament to ass to the Frosty Fun Decade series. A Little Frosty Fun is a miniature ornament. If you have a collection for the miniature ornaments, this would be a great addition.

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The Perfect Pairing….

It’s always fun to mix and match Hallmark Ornaments on your trees. The Frosty Fun Decade series would pair perfectly with the Frosty Friends Series with Hallmark Ornaments. These two series would compliment each other with the snow themes. Plus, they both would be able to stay up past Christmas.

I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday! Be sure to check out all of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments and series talked about in this blog at The Ornament Factory.

Brandon the Elf

How Does the Weekend Go By So Quick…..

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Hey everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend! Mine went by way too quick. I feel like it was just Friday and now we are back to Monday morning. I demand a redue! I know , I know…..I’m funny. Seriously though, if you know how to make it not go as fast let me know.

I was so busy at the end of last week that by the time evening came around I was ready to go to bed early. Friday night I was in bed by 8 pm. I am usually the night owl so this was a something out of the ordinary.

Saturday…..

Saturday was a fun day. We got to get dressed up in our Halloween costumes and go to an indoor trick or treat event. They read a story, had some dancing, and games too. We trick or treated through some halls of the school that they had decorated. There was a room where you could get a snack and decorate a pumpkin. You should have seen everything they had for snacks. Everything from donuts, hot dogs, pizza, and cotton candy. It was nice for my brother, Jackson the Elf, and I to be able to spend time with our cousins, Ben and Nathan the elves. After we were done there we all tried a new Italian restaurant. I had the cheese ravioli, it was delicious! With all that excitement and fun, Jack and I both took good naps.

Sunday…..

We used Sunday to get caught up on cleaning and getting ready for the week ahead at The Ornament Factory.  Going to the grocery store is always a necessity on the weekend. Halloween candy was on sale plus I had a coupon. Now we are all ready for trick or treat next weekend in our neighborhood. We know we have a busy week ahead at work. After we were done it was nice to be able to sit and enjoy our Halloween tree filled with Hallmark Halloween ornaments.

Monday morning….

After a good nights sleep it is time to start the week.  I cannot wait to see all of the other elves and hear about what they did this weekend! I was thinking as I came to work today about putting up my Christmas tree with all  of the new 2018 Hallmark Ornaments. It will probably go up on November 1st after the Halloween tree gets taken down.

Guess I better get to work. Hope you all  have a Magnificent Monday!

Little Daniel the Elf

 

Toymaker Santa

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The man of Christmas, the one who brings joy to all the little girls and boys. That, of course, is the big man himself, Santa! Every year Santa and his elves make all of the toys.

Toymaker Santa….

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments has a series called, Toymaker Santa. These ornaments show Santa making and playing with the toys he and the elves have made for all of the children. Many collectors have this series on their Santa themed Hallmark Ornament tree.

How it this series began….

In 1990 the very first Toymaker Santa was released. Toy Maker Santa #1 showed dear old Santa sitting on a toy train holding a train whistle and bell.

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A Rare and hard to find Hallmark Keepsake Ornament….

Many Hallmark Keepsake Ornament series will  have rare or and hard to find ornaments in them. For the Toymaker Santa series Toy Maker #3 is a rare ornament.

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This rare Hallmark Ornament has Santa happily riding a bike and holding a bike horn.

Another rare Hallmark Ornament in this series is the 2011 Toymaker Santa Colorway. Here Santa is riding a little red tricycle.  These two Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments are rare but we have them in stock here at The Ornament Factory!

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The current year….

The 2018 Toymaker Santa #19 had Santa playing many sports. He is still wearing his work apron and has a hammer ready to build or fix any toy in need.

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A few closing thoughts….

Using any or all of these ornaments in the series would make a thought gift for anyone in your life. Do  not forget, you do not always have to put Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments on a tree. You can also use a wreath or make a display with them. We also have miniature ornaments for smaller trees to be decorated from smaller rooms and spaces.

That’s all for now from me! Back to work I go! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to hearing all about it.

Little Daniel the Elf

 

An Elf’s Work is Never Done….Good Thing We Love What We Do!

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Being an elf is a very special job. Not everyone get to be an elf and have fun while working at the Ornament Factory. Life is not all about work for us though, we do know how to let loose and have a good time. Little Daniel the Elf here! I was hoping to share with you all about a typical day for me.

My morning…..

A typical morning for me and the other elves starts out with waking up and getting some exercise in. Exercise is a great way to start your day. Do you enjoy exercising or know someone who does. This Gym Dandy Hallmark Keepsake Ornament would be a great ornament to give someone who enjoys their time at the gym.

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After some exercise, which usually includes walking my my sweet dog, Charlie, I eat my breakfast. I’m not super picky about what I eat for breakfast so I usually have a bowl of cereal or some scrambled eggs.

This is an Hallmark Keepsake Ornament that reminds me of when my Charlie was just a puppy. It is Puppy Love #14. Look for a future blog about the Hallmark Ornament Puppy Love series.

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After all of that, it is time to head to The Ornament Factory to get to work. When we arrive there we have to check on the orders that have come in over night and start pulling those from the selves. Check out this cool 2018 Hallmark Ornament! It is Chutes and Ladders, Family Game Night #5.

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By Mid Day…….

By mid day we have lots of orders boxed and labeled ready to be picked up. Lunchtime is always enjoyable being able to hang out with the other elves. Elliott the Head Elf here at The Ornament Factory always makes sure that we aren’t taking too long of a lunch break. Most of the time, the elves have a sandwich and chips for lunch. All of the elves have different lunch boxes. We have matching Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments for our lunchboxes. Brandon the Elf has the Star Wars lunch box. He’s a big Star Wars fan!

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Little Daniel the Elf has the Mickey Mouse lunchbox. He has Mickey Mouse everything!

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It is always nice to chat with everyone else about what is going on in their lives and what they have coming up. I also really like that I can get dinner ideas from my friends. After a great lunch with the other elves it is back to work we go.

Ending Our Work Day…..

Lots of boxes have been packed and labeled, ready to be shipped out tomorrow. Lots of Hallmark Ornaments have been pulled from the shelves while many have been restocked to the shelves after they were inventoried. The floors have been swept and the counters have been wiped down. Our day has come to an end. After a great day working we like to make sure we clean up around the workshop so we can start the next day easier.

I hope you have enjoyed this small incite into my day. Time to get back to it!

Elliott, the Head Elf

 

Frosty Friends

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The adorable collection, Frosty Friends, is the longest running and most popular collection from Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.

When it all began……

The Frosty Friends series started back in the 1980 with the release of “A Cool Yule” Frosty Friends #1. This has Frosty, the Eskimo, and one of his pals sitting on top of an ice cube. The ice cube has Merry Christmas 1980 on it. This is a very rare and hard to find Hallmark Keepsake Ornament that is treasured by collectors.

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This collection features a friendly Eskimo and his friends on their adventures throughout the years. The first few years Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments for this series are difficult to find but treasured in any collection.

Some Years have Special Additions to the Series…..

In 1990 the Frosty Friends series added a special collectible group of miniature Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments and a decorative wreath to display them. Each item is sold separately.

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The miniature ornaments would also make a nice addition to any miniature Christmas tree that you have your other Miniature Hallmark Ornaments on.

You can look at our website to see the other special additions over the years.

 

To the Present Time…..

The 2018 Hallmark Ornaments did not disappoint for the Frosty Friends series! Frosty Friends #39 became available in the July 2018 release. This Hallmark Keepsake Ornament shows a happy Eskimo and cute penguin friend hanging their stockings by the ice fireplace.

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The other Frosty Friend ornament is the 2018 Let’s Build a Snowman that is a club ornament. This 2018 Member Exclusive Hallmark Ornament was originally available as part of the 2018 Keepsake Club Membership Box. This limited edition Keepsake Ornament is the first of its kind, featuring many different Hallmark Keepsake characters, including Frosty Friends, Snow Buddies, Snowball and Tuxedo, and Cookie Cutter Christmas.

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Thank you for reading about this beautiful Hallmark Keepsake Ornament series. If you have any questions about these Hallmark Ornaments or any others that you see on the site, please let us know!

Have a great day!

Brandon the Elf