Hallmark sat down (virtually!) with Tracy Larsen to discuss his 2021 North Pole Tree Trimmers #9. Enjoy!

Tracy: “It’s a Wonderful Life happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies, so whenever I see or hear a bell at Christmas time, I can’t help but think of Clarence telling George Bailey, ‘Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.’ (Zuzu also).”

Tracy went on to talk about his inspiration. “When I first proposed The North Pole Tree Trimmer Series many years ago (early 2000s), I did several small thumbnail sketches of possible situations involving a large-scale Christmas item coupled with a small elf. One of my favorites of the bunch was an elf holding a large jingle bell, almost like Atlas. I’m just glad that the series has continued on long enough for it to get produced. Hopefully, as the ornament is included in your Christmas collections, many angels will get their wings!”

Tracy: “I like the ‘Tree Trimmers Jingle Bell Co.’ line that’s embossed on the bell … I like to think that Santa’s elves not only produce toys but also have shops that create bells, ornaments, candy canes, ribbons, etc. – all of which have shown up in the series.”

As many of our collectors know, we work years in advance on our ornaments, so Tracy has already concepted his 2022 design! We will save that sneak peek for another time, but Tracy did say of his future plans for this series, “as I was concepting for the 2022 NPTT Series, I was able to sketch out several ideas for future scenarios involving the NPTT elves. As long as collectors continue to like the series, there should be plenty for the elves to do in the future!”

North Pole Tree Trimmers
9th in the series.

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. “Behind the Scenes with Tracy Larsen’s North Pole Tree Trimmers #9!.” Keepsake Ornament Club Facebook Page, January 22, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KOCMembers/permalink/2798201263753213