Ornament Review: Chutes and Ladders - Family Game Night #5 - 2018 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Perfectly captures the game from the 1980's

Cons: All cons down the chute

The Bottom Line:

Game of ups and downs

All ups for this ornament

One more fun entry

Climb a Ladder by Buying This Ornament

I have been a fan of the Family Game Night series since the first ornament came out.  Each year, the ornament perfectly captures a fun game that I've played in the past.  At some point, I'm sure they will hit one I don't have fond memories of, but that hasn't happened yet.  This year, they are featuring Chutes and Ladders, and I love it again.

I must admit, I don't know if this game has gone through any design changes to the board or box.  I'm sure it has, I just haven't paid much attention.  But this ornament captures the game just as I had it in the 1980's.  (In fact, my parents still have this copy of this game at their house.)  As usual, a corner of the game board is sticking out of the box cover.  In this case, it is the start corner.  Two pieces are on the board as if someone is not too far into a game.  And, if you have the same version I did, you'll recognize the look immediately.  There’s a picture of kids climbing up a ladder and then sliding down a chute, although in this case the chute comes out of the box lid and it almost looks like one of the game pieces has just slid down the chute and landed on the board.

And recognizing the look is what makes this ornament so much fun for me.  It's that nostalgia factor that makes me love this ornament so much.  I can picture hours spent playing this game as a kid.  And I've even played it a few times with my niece and nephew.

Because the base of this ornament is half of the game board, it has a very nice, solid base, so you could set this out to be displayed year-round.  With past ornaments in the series, I've had to point out that the ornament tips forward slightly.  That isn't the case here because they've moved the loop to the front of the box cover.  Just that little adjustment appears to be all they needed, and it is still up high enough that it really doesn't interfere with the look of the ornament.  We are up to the fifth ornament in this fun series, and you'll find the series marker on the back of the ornament.

The ornaments in this series really are a lot of fun.  It's just great to see well-loved pieces of my childhood populating my tree.  I can't wait to do that with Chutes and Ladders this year.

Check out the rest of the Family Game Night ornaments.

Original Price: $15.99