Ornament Review: A Pair of Aces - 2010 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute Christmas theme ornaments Peanuts fans will love.

Cons: Potential for breakage, tips slightly (although adds to feel of the ornament)

The Bottom Line: 

Look, up in the sky

Snoopy, Woodstock take Christmas

To a whole new height

The World War I Flying Ace Has His Sopwith Camel Decked Out for Christmas

Snoopy took on many characters over the years in the Peanuts comic strip, and one he returned to regularly was that of the World War I flying ace taking on the Red Baron.  Hallmark has returned to that character for 2010's A Pair Of Aces, and it's a great ornament.

The ornament features Snoopy and Woodstock on top of Snoopy's doghouse.  As you'd expect, they are both decked out with the flying helmets and goggles that Snoopy wears as the flying ace.  They also both have scarves on.  What's fun is that their outfits are mirrors of each other.  Where Snoopy is wearing red, Woodstock has green; where Woodstock has red, Snoopy has green.  Snoopy is looking over one shoulder, giving us a front to the ornament, but Woodstock is looking straight ahead.

The Christmas theme is carried over to the doghouse, which is decorated for Christmas.  There's a wreath over the door and a string of lights is wound near the top of the doghouse, just below Snoopy and Woodstock.

It's quite obvious that the Sopwith Camel is in motion.  And how do I know this?  First of all, the scarves that Snoopy and Woodstock are wearing are billowing out behind them in the wind.  But you can also look at the streaks of snow on the doghouse.  There are three distinct lines, all of them horizontal.  There's a tiny bit of snow sticking out behind the doghouse just like it is sliding off and about to fall off the house.

As cool a touch as that snow is, it is also the weakest element of the ornament.  I hope I'm wrong, but the little tag of snow looks brittle like it could break off the ornament if you drop it right or pack it wrong.  So far, mine's in great shape; I hope it stays that way.  The rest of the plastic ornament looks fine, so I'm sure it will stand up to repeated use at Christmas for years to come.

The base of the ornament is the bottom of the doghouse, so it has a nice, flat surface and sits perfectly if you want to add it to a display.  Snoopy has a brass hook on the top of his head.  When you slip a hanger through it, you'll find that the ornament tips slightly to one of the back corners.  It's enough to notice, but not enough to ruin the ornament when you hang it on your tree.  In fact, if anything, it adds to the illusion that the doghouse really is flying.

This is a fun ornament for fans of Peanuts since it turns a popular theme from the strip into a Christmas moment. For that reason, I'm glad I added A Pair Of Aces to my ornament collection.

Original Price: $14.95