Did you know? Tom Best has not one, not two, but THREE Beer Stein ornaments in this year’s Keepsake Ornament line.

  1. Beer Stein – the next ornament in his ‘unofficial’ series
  2. Hoppy Halloween – a stein ornament in Halloween styling
  3. Mini Beer Stein – a miniature ornament in stein styling
Tom Best

Hallmark sat down with Tom Best to discuss his Beer Stein ornaments! Starting with his unofficial series Beer Stein ornament, Hallmark asked.

Tom: “Nutcrackers are already a perfect subject for beer steins. They are commonly styled after soldiers of roughly the 17th and 18th Centuries. My idea came from questions I asked myself, what might Nutcrackers do when not at their post, standing stiffly at attention on guard duty? What might they do when ‘at ease’ in the officers’ club perhaps? I figured they are likely enjoying beer and regaling stories of derring-do!” And that is how this year’s Beer Stein ornament came to be!

Next up, Hallmark chatted with Tom about his Hoppy Halloween, Halloween Beer Stein ornament.

Tom: “Due to the success of my unofficial series of beer steins, it was suggested by my art directors Jim Tronoski and Kurt Gaulke that I submit a few ideas for a possible Halloween Stein! Now, when you’re used to a steady diet of Christmas, doing scary stuff is a frighteningly desirable diversion. This year, I chose a witch theme to start it off, with other ideas to follow in the future…”  Did you catch that? If you’re a fan of Tom’s Hoppy Halloween ornament this year, get excited for another addition to his Halloween steins next year too!

Lastly, Hallmark chatted with Tom about his Mini Beer Stein ornament.

Tom: “working on so many Beer Stein ornaments has had me researching beer steins extensively for years. In my research, I found there is a subgenre of steins in which the entire stein and lid make up a single character. The most common seem to be a plump Monk or Friar, as their monasteries were often breweries, and known for their quality. I’d previously passed on doing any ‘character’ stein in my unofficial series.”

Tom: “I was reluctant to give up all the potential rich detail, scenes and storytelling of my usual steins for that of just one simple figural idea.”

Thankfully, Tom had a change of heart. Tom went on to say: “that said, I submitted an idea for a Santa stein to our miniature ornament line. Because miniature ornaments are so small, they have to be kept pretty simple and the detail kept minimal…perfect guidelines for a tiny character figure!”

We hope you enjoy the Hoppy Halloween and Mini Beer Stein ornaments available for purchase NOW, and the Beer Stein ornament available for purchase at Ornament Debut in October!

Beer Steins

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. “Behind the scenes with Tom Best and his Beer Stein ornaments!” Keepsake Ornament Club Facebook Page, August 25, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/KOCMembers/posts/3213458958894106/