Ornament Spotlight: Stocking Stuffers
Stocking Stuffers
Created by Nina Aubé
Available at Ornament Premiere
“All of the critters in this stocking are pets I’ve personally known and loved. The bird is my beloved cockatiel Opie, who lived to the ripe old age of 25. The hamster is Wiley, a friendly little hammie I had in college. The dog was inspired by my sister’s feisty schnauzer, Russell. The kitten has the same sweet face as my niece’s cat, Nala. And as a child, I had a bunny named Thumper that looked just like the bunny in the stocking!”
Nina Aubé’s family didn’t have a fireplace mantel when she was growing up but that didn’t stop them from hanging Christmas stockings. They simply improvised and hung them on their buffet drawer handles! So, creating this first in the Stocking Stuffers series brought back great memories for Nina.
“Upon awakening at the crack of dawn, it was tradition for my two sisters and me to make a beeline for our stockings. We’d immediately start gobbling up the candy inside. There was always a small gift in each stocking, in my case usually a small animal figurine or doll. I adored tiny toys and objects and still do, so perhaps that inspired me to put cute little animals in this ornament. Plus, I love animals, of course!”
Nina hopes the personal connections that inspired her design of this ornament will bring you fond memories of your own traditions that you’ll share those memories with loved ones.
2022 SNEAK PEEK
You can look forward to a different Keepsake artist creating a new Stocking Stuffers ornament for this series every year, adding to the meaning and memories behind each design. Anita Marra Rogers will bring you the second in the series in 2022.
“Stocking Stuffers.” Behind the Designs. 4-5
Ornament Spotlight: Gnome for Christmas
Gnome for Christmas
Created by Gregor Benedetti
Available at Ornament Debut
Introducing Gregor Benedetti’s new series, Gnome for Christmas! Featuring playful pals good Gnaughty and Gnice, the series highlights their mischievous antics and festive fun.
“My initial inspiration was to come up with my own unique brand of good storytelling with a little humor sprinkled in. These two characters celebrate Christmas in different but complementary ways. And although all their future festive misadventures, at the end of the day they’ll always know how to sit back, relax and have a good laugh just like all the best, odd couples.”
Gregor also credits members of the Keepsake Ornament Club for inspiring him. “I had my first opportunity to meet the amazing Keepsake fans at the 2019 KOC Convention. Chatting with them and seeing their passion for ornaments influenced me greatly!”
2022 SNEAK PEEK
Here’s a little sneak peek at Gregor’s second ornament in the series, available in 2022.
“It’s my love letter to the fans and club members that I met at the Keepsake event. And keep a look out because coming up with new ideas for this series will be mostly inspired by you in years to come!”
“Gnome for Christmas.” Behind the Designs. 10-11
Ornament Spotlight: Holiday Parade
Holiday Parade
Created by Tammy Haddix
Available at Ornament Premiere
Tammy Haddix loves to put as much storytelling as she can into her ornaments, and her Holiday Parade series is a great example of how she brings those stories to life. Each vehicle in the parade tells a mini-story about a fellow Keepsake artist!
The third ornament in the series joins the parade this year, featuring Robert’s snow removal truck. “This design is inspired by Robert Hurlburt and the fact that he lives in the country, over an hour away from Hallmark headquarters. Several times he has gotten trapped and was unable to make it into work because of flooding or snowstorms. I thought Robert definitely needed his own snow plow, so he can clear his own path!”
As she began this series, Tammy found inspiration in the quaint, small-town feel of North Kansas City. “My husband and I love taking our boys to the Snake Saturday Parade in North Kansas City. I also love how the town decorates for Christmas, so I thought a parade in a cute little Christmas Town would be a fun idea, using trucks as a way to tie it all together.
Tammy hopes having a glimpse into the stories of each artist she features will be a fun way of getting to know them all.
2022 SNEAK PEEK
Here’s a sneak peek of the next ornament in the parade, inspired by Kristina Gaughran!
“The Christmas tree is a fairy house, and there are lots of little touches to tell Kristina’s story that you’ll hear later!”
“Holiday Parade #3.” Behind the Designs. 12-13
Ornament Spotlight: Beer Stein
Beer Stein
Created by Tom Best
Available at Ornament Debut
Believe it or not, Tom Best says he “floundered” a bit when beginning the design for his 2021 Bear Stein ornament. But he explains “it was only because I had so many things I wanted to include on it! I had piles of research and ideas and truly struggled to edit them down to what would actually fit on an ornament.”
That research is something Tom considers a personal pleasure. “I love history, and beer steins by their very nature are old-world, and harken back to centuries gone by.”
“For this American-themed ornament. I started with the iconic Lady Liberty and James Montgomery Flagg’s famous illustration of Uncle Sam as the hinge character. I put the purple mountain majesty on the back side with amber waves of grain as the handle and design elements. And I used noble North American mammals, an eagle, stars and bars to cover the rest.
The unofficial series has gained a lot of popularity through the years, and Tom says he views it as “one for the fellas.” He also explains, I’m of mostly German heritage and I’m a beer lover, so I come by this series honestly.”
Tom also comes by his love of Christmas honestly and shares his favorite part of it all.
“I love the last week that leads up to Christmas with all its excitement. That said, it’s the quiet, wee hours of Christmas Eve that come to mind. It’s me who ‘lets Santa in’ once everyone is asleep, including the dog. I quietly gather the gifts from their hiding places and arrange them under the heavily ornamented tree. That done, I sit with a glass of spirits with only the tree lights on and Christmas music on low. Cheers and Merry Christmas to all!”
2022 SNEAK PEEK
Cheers to a sneak peek of Tom’s 2022 ornament!
“Beer Stein.” Behind the Designs. 14-17
Ornament Spotlight: Cookie Cutter Christmas
Cookie Cutter Christmas
Created by Nina Aubé
Available at Ornament Premiere
Nina Aubé’s Cookie Cutter Christmas series turns 10 this year, and she has warm memories of what started at all.
“I’ve always loved baking and decorating Christmas cookies for the holidays. I have all of my grandmother’s aluminum cookie cutters that I used as a child, and I still use them. Their nostalgic look and shapes were my inspiration for the series.
As for the little skier in this year’s ornament, Nina says, “I thought it would be fun to have the mouse using skis that look like taffy, which was another childhood favorite of mine. In fact, most of the candy that the mouse uses as everyday objects is inspired by my childhood faves, especially the ‘penny candy’ I loved as a kid. I also have fond memories of learning how to ski in Wisconsin as a child and taking subsequent trips to Colorado as an adult.”
Sweets always figure prominently as props in the series and Nina enjoys researching and buying candy and cookie-shaped treats. And the best part of all that planning?
“Well,” smiles Nina, “I get to eat my research when I’m finished!”
“The snowman silhouette, with it’s vertical shape, worked well as a vehicle to contain the ski scene. Sometimes it’s challenging coming up with a shape that will fit all the design elements I want to include in a particular story, but this one worked really well!”
2022 SNEAK PEEK
Nina’s excited about what’s coming next in this series, too.
“For the 2022 ornament, the cookie cutter will be in the shape of a present, and the inside scene will show the little mouse opening gifts on Christmas morning.”
“Cookie Cutter Christmas.” Behind the Designs. 22-23
2021 Collection: Baby
Precious Firsts
Sweet moments become beautiful memories with ornaments that capture this amazing time in your family’s life.
2021 Collection: Family
Celebrate your story
Show them your greatest joy is sharing a family tree.
2021 Collection: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
STAR TREK™
Add to your Star Trek Storytellers collection
The magic of the Star Trek™ Mirror, Mirror Collection continues this year with two new ornaments, and if you haven’t started your set yet, now’s the perfect time to get them all. “I was really honored to work on the U.S.S. Enterprise Tree Topper,” says keepsake artists Jake Angell, “and it was fun working with other passionate fans of the show from the Keepsake Studio. The original Star Trek was in reruns when I was a kid, so it’s cool to see how the lights and sound turned out on the ship I used to watch on TV.”
Star Wars™
An interactive Death Star is born
Keepsake artists are always focused on innovation, so Orville Wilson was excited to work on this Death Star tree topper with new capabilities. “I put a Star Wars tree up every year,” he says, “and I always wished my tree topper could play with the other Storytellers ornaments.” This year, Orville’s wish comes true. “It has a much bigger presence and a lot more detail than the original,” he shares, “It lights up really well and interacts with the new 2021 storytellers ornaments.” Orville gives credit to everyone who collaborated to bring the technology together. “It took a team to make it happen, and I can’t wait to add it to my tree.”
DOCTOR WHO
“We are extremely excited to bring Doctor Who to Keepsake Ornaments, from the British program adored by science fiction fans around the globe. Our TARDIS magic Ornament plays a clip from the theme music, as well as its iconic TARDIS song, while white lights, pulse in the window and the rooftop light illuminates!”
– Kurt Gaulke, Art Director.
Press Release: PopMinded by Hallmark plans to sell 2020 Star Wars event exclusives
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments and itty bittys® among items planned
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (October 27, 2020) — In time for the upcoming holiday season, PopMinded by Hallmark will be making two Star Wars Celebration Anaheim event exclusives available for purchase for fans, November 12, 11AM CST.
The Star Wars-themed Hallmark Keepsake Ornament 2-pack, an itty bittys® plush character with sound, and a popular PXL8 enamel pin design will be sold in limited quantities while supplies last.
Ahsoka Tano™, Star Wars: The Clone Wars™ – Keepsake Ornament features the final season version of fan-favorite Jedi, Ahsoka Tano, paired with an armored Clone Trooper helmet of the 332nd Company styled with Togruta facial markings. Available for $40 with a total original production run of 2,000, which was increased in a second run for a total run quantity of 3,500. The quantities listed on the back will reflect this change between runs.
K-2SO™, Star Wars: Rogue One™ – itty bittys® (with sound) features the itty bittys plush styling of Casian Andor’s™ reprogrammed security droid with some of his bluntly honest quips from the film. Available for $15 with a total production run of 2,500.
The Child™, Star Wars: The Mandalorian™ – PXL8 Enamel Pin features a stylized rendition of the lovable, mysterious bounty from the Lucasfilm series The Mandalorian streaming on Disney+. First offered at ComicCon@home in July, then Metaverse in October, we held a limited amount for Star Wars Celebration fans. Available for $8 with a total production run increased from the originally quoted 2,500 to 4,000.
PURCHASING INFORMATION
Click on the links below to purchase the exclusives on November 12, starting at 11AM CST.
- Ahsoka Tano™, Star Wars: The Clone Wars™, Set of 2 ornaments
- K-2SO™, Star Wars: Rogue One™ itty bittys® with sound
- The Child, Star Wars: The Mandalorian™ PXL8 Enamel Pin
If you plan on purchasing two or all three of the exclusive designs, click here to add them to your cart. Limited to one of each design per customer, per transaction.
PopMinded, which debuted in 2016, is Hallmark’s way to celebrate fandom with gifts and collectibles created and curated with all fans in mind. PopMinded continues and expands on Hallmark’s decade-long tradition of providing event attendees access to Hallmark’s ever popular event exclusive products available only through convention pop-up stores.
For more information about PopMinded by Hallmark and the products offered, visit PopMinded.com/events or follow @popminded on Instagram.