Ornament Review: Don't Worry, Be Happy - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Tropical feel in a fun way

Cons: I’m too happy to list any cons

The Bottom Line:

Tropical delight

Combined with fun upbeat song

Combine to bring smiles

Don’t Worry.  You’ll Be Happy You Bought This Ornament

While I freely admit that my Christmas tree theme is eclectic, usually I prefer classic Christmassy ornaments or ornaments that reflect places I’ve been or an interest of mine.  And yet, I couldn’t pass up Don't Worry, Be Happy, part of Hallmark’s 2015 ornament line.  It was just so much fun.

The ornament invites you to go tropical.  The main portion of the ornament is a coconut that has been hollowed out for drinks.  It’s also had a face carved in the front - a Santa face.  I guess that does give it a Christmas connection, but that's not necessarily the first think you think when you see this ornament.  Inside the coconut is a lime green drink, and sticking out of it is a green straw and a little purple umbrella.  Perched on the side of the coconut is a parrot.

While the coconut itself is brown and tan and a tad bland, the other parts of the ornament more than make up for it, especially the parrot.  The result actually looks fairly colorful and definitely gives you that tropical feeling.  It makes me want to be out on the beach, drink in hand, watching the waves on the shore between chapters in my book.  Ahhh, relaxation.

Of course, the title of the ornament is a reference to the 1988 song from Bobby McFerrin, and Hallmark didn’t miss this opportunity to include a sound clip.  Install the two button batteries in the back of the ornament and press the button on the side, and you’ll hear a 30 second clip of the song.  Don’t think this is a Christmas song?  Ask Pentatonix about that.

Yes, the ornament may be a coconut, but through the magic of Christmas, it does have a nice flat base.  That means you can easily set this ornament out year round because tropical happiness isn’t reserved just for Christmas.

If you want to hang this ornament on your tree, you’ll find the loop on the straw.  Not too surprising since the straw is at the back of the ornament, you’ll find that it does tip forward.  It’s not too bad, and you can probably disguise it with the branches on your tree.  Either that or put it up high enough that you don’t notice.  Either way, this is the only flaw I can find.

And it’s not worth dwelling on when an ornament makes you smile as much as this one does.  Don't Worry, Be Happy is a fun ornament that is a great addition to any collection.

Original Price: $17.95