Ornament Review: Trimming the Tree - Making Memories #1 - 2008 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute snowmen capture a Christmas tradition

Cons: Where's the dog?

The Bottom Line: 

Snow family at work

Making Christmas memories

For them and for you

Make Some New Memories as You Trim the Tree with Trimming the Tree

Christmas for me is filled with warm memories of traditions and time spent with family.  Many people would say the same thing, and Hallmark has tapped into that for years.  They found a new way to do that with the Making Memories series that started in 2008 with Trimming the Tree.

All the ornaments in this series feature a parent and a child snowman participating in something Christmassy.  This first one finds the two of them putting the finishing touches on their Christmas tree.  The parent is holding up the child as he attempts to put the yellow star on the very top.  The parent has a red Santa hat on, while the child is wearing a blue hat.  The balls on the top of both of their hats are fuzzy.

The tree itself is pretty narrow, but if it weren't this ornament would be pretty large.  It's already mostly decorated with a few small snowflakes and snowballs strung together like popcorn balls.  There are even already two wrapped presents around the base of the tree.

Since the child is wearing a blue cap, you might be able to argue that it's a boy, but really, that's the only clue.  You could easily look at this and say it is a mother and daughter or any gender parent and child.  That's part of what makes this series so good, its gender neutral.

The snowmen and tree are sitting on a flat base, which means if you wanted to set these out to be displayed, it would sit level.  But you know what is so ingenious about the base?  It's shaped like a giant snowflake.  It even has glitter on it just like the snowmen do.  On the bottom of the base, you'll find the copyright information and the series marking that Hallmark likes to do.

But if you are going to trim your own tree with this ornament, you'll find the ring attached to the snowchild's head.  Because the parent and the child are in the back of the ornament, when you lift the ornament off the table, you'll find that it tips forward slightly.  It's not enough to be a serious problem, although it is noticeable.

This series has really captured my heart.  The child and parent look so cute together.  And the idea of snowmen decorating a tree with snow is just so much fun.  The others in the series have held up the tradition, making this a series that I think will only grow in popularity the longer it continues.

There is one thing odd about the ornament, however.  The rest of the series, including the companion piece also released in 2008, features a little snow dog as well.  He's no where to be found on this one.  I'm not sure if he was a latter idea or what, but I find that curious.

Even without the dog, Trimming the Tree got Making Memories off to a wonderful start.  With unlimited possibilities, I think this cute series will go on for a long time.

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

Original Price: $15.00