Ornament Review: The Sweetest Gift - Making Memories #2 - 2009 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Another cute Snowfamily ornament

Cons: Not immediately obvious what is happening

The Bottom Line:
This one took some time

Before I understood the

Memories made here




Sometimes the Simplest Gifts Make the Sweetest Memories

For a guy, I'm pretty sentimental.  That's probably one reason why I like Hallmark's Making Memories series.  Even so, I wasn't sure about The Sweetest Gift and only got it because it is part of the series.  It's still not my favorite, but it has grown on me quite a bit.

Each ornament in this series features a parent and child snowman doing something to create Christmas memories.  In this one, it looks like it is present time.  The big snowman has just opened a box to find handprints from the small snowman inside.  Also on the paper with those hand prints is "Merry Christmas 2009," the year the ornament came out.  The two snowmen are hugging each other.  And the snowdog that is also in this series?  He's at the feet of the big snowman with a bone wrapped with a bow.

When I first looked at this ornament, I didn't get it.  A hug?  Big deal.  Part of my sentiment changed this last year when my young niece would go on a hugging spree.  Believe me, I treasured each one of those.  I had missed what was really happening, however.  It's the present from the snowchild that lead to the hug.  A gift of handprints is something that any parent would treasure.  So it's not so much the hug as the simple but sweet homemade gift that this ornament is celebrating.  That is something I can definitely get behind.  Maybe I'm just dense for not seeing that right away or maybe that's just because I'm not a parent.

Blues and greens are the predominant color in this series, and that's the case here.  The scarf the child is wearing is blue.  Both of the snowmen have mostly blue and green hats on.  There are hints of red here and there, most noticeably on the boots and scarf the snowparent is wearing.

Each ornament in this series sits on a flat base shaped like a snowflake.  I absolutely love this touch.  If you decide to display these on a shelf, the ornament sits perfectly flat.  The copyright information and the 2 in a Christmas tree that Hallmark uses for the second in a series are also embossed on the bottom of the snow flake.

There's a brass ring for hanging purposes.  It's located on the brim of the adult snowman's hat.  I thought it was fairly centrally located, but the balance of the ornament is still off since it tips to the front right corner.  It's not too bad and certainly doesn't ruin the enjoyment of the ornament, but it is noticeable.

The Sweetest Gift is a sweet addition to the Making Memories series.  It's not quite as universal as the others, or at least wasn't for me, but it will still invoke a smile from anyone who sees it.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Making Memories series.

Original Price: $15.00