Ornament Review: Light of Love - Windows of Faith #2 - 2011 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Classic looking stained glass window...

Cons: ...that doesn't fully light up (like rest of series).

The Bottom Line:

Stained glass window of

Mary and baby Jesus

Wish it lit better

All is Bright Round Mother and Child at Least

Last year, Hallmark started an ornament series that recreates the look of stained glass.  Since I love stained glass, I started it despite a fundamental flaw with the ornament.  Sadly, the second in the series, Light of Love, has the same issue.

The subject of this year's window is Mary and Jesus.  The picture is a classic Madonna and baby pose that features Mary cuddling the baby to her body.  I'm not sure if it is based on any particular painting of not, but it feels like a classic painting to me.  Above their heads a star is shining brightly while at Mary's feet a lamp is burning.  In the background, we get glimpses of hills.

This year, the pane of the window is broken into six sections.  The left and right sections are quite small, while the middle section is easily two thirds of the window area.  The plastic framing the window reminds me of a cathedral this year with small towers on the sides and the roof coming to a point.  Once again, the back is enclosed and it has a Bible verse on it - Luke 2:11, "For unto you is born this day...a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

The idea behind this series is that you can attach the window to a Christmas tree light and make the stained glass window glow.  Unfortunately, they have a plastic clip at the top that keeps you from putting the light very far into the cavity of the ornament.  I have found that the modern LED lights are softer and light up the pane better, but even so the section with Mary and Jesus' faces lights up well with the rest sort of lighting up.  If the entire window lit up, I'd be thrilled with this ornament.  As it is, this is the only flaw I can find.

The base is flat enough that the ornament will stand on its own, but the enclosed backing doesn't touch the ground, so it's not very stable.  My guess is you'll want to hang it from the hook at the top.  When you hang it, the top of the ornament actually tips back a little bit.  Of course, if you attach it to a string of lights, those lights will have more to say than anything about how the ornament hangs.

Since this is the second entry in the series, there is a 2 in a Christmas tree raised on the base of this ornament along with the copyright information.

If the entire part of the window lit up from a light bulb, it would be perfect.  While I find the fact that it doesn't disappointing, I still enjoy Light of Love.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Windows of Faith.

Original Price: $12.95