Ornament Review: Kringle's Confections - Kringleville #2 - 2011 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun idea well executed

Cons: Light effect doesn't really add anything to the ornament

The Bottom Line:
Santa gives candy

Makes for a sweet ornament

Sold me the series




Free Candy at Kringle's Confections!  Pass the Word!

In 2010, Hallmark started another village of ornaments when they introduced Kringleville, a series that features Santa in various buildings in a fictitious town.  2011 brings the first shop to this town, and Kringle's Confections is a sweet addition.

As the name implies, this is a candy shop.  There are all kinds of small treats in the window and on the shelves at the back of the room.  Unfortunately, they are small enough that it's hard to tell exactly what they are.  The building itself it tall and slinder and made up almost completely of windows in the front with a brick all in the back.  A red and white awning in front reads Kringle's Confections.  Written in small white up at the very top is 2011.

The ornaments in this series feature motion done by moving a lever in front back and forth.  This time the motion involves Santa and a little boy looking in through the window.  While the lever is all the way to the left, Santa is standing behind the cash register with a candy cane in his hand, and the boy is standing outside looking in with longing.  When you slide it to the right, the door opens and Santa comes out to offer the candy cane to the boy who turns to look at him.  The boy still looks like he wants something he knows he can't have.  Since you can't see his face when he's looking in the window, seems like they could have made his expression happy since the only time you can see him is when he's about to get some candy.  But to me that's a minor complaint.

This ornament also features optional lighting.  There is a hole in the back top to stick a bulb from a Christmas tree light string.  It lights up the attic and the shop.  It looks nice that way, but it doesn't make anything really pop out.

The nice flat base is perfect if you want to display the ornament on a table or shelf.  It's also perfect for putting the copyright and series information, which is exactly what Hallmark has done.

The hook for hanging the ornament is right in the middle, so it's not surprising to say that the ornament hangs straight.

I love the idea of Santa giving free candy to kids who want some.  That's perfectly in his spirit.  Of course, I wonder how long he'd stay in business doing that, but since he's been giving away toys for years, I'm not going to worry too much about it.  It would be nice to be able to tell what the rest of the candy inside the store is, but that would make the ornament much bigger, and it's really the perfect size.

So minor complaints aside, Kringle's Confections is a fun entry in a series that has potential to enchant for a long time.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Kringleville series.

Original Price: $17.95