Ornament Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 20th Anniversary - 2018 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun take on the first Harry Potter book cover

Cons: Sculpt looks just a bit off

The Bottom Line:

Harry's first cover

Is milestone ornament

Mostly magical

Celebrating 20 Years of Magic with the Cover that Started it All

This year marks 20 years since the first Harry Potter book appeared in the world.  Since then, Harry and his adventures have captured our imaginations.  But Hallmark is going back and honoring the book that started it all with the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone book ornament.

Yes, this ornament is a book.  And yes, it's thinner than the real book is, even when you remember that the ornament has been done in scale.  However, as a reader, I love the idea of having a book on my tree at all.

And yes, this ornament recreates the cover of that first book, or at least the cover of the book as released here in the states complete with the American title.  That means Harry is chasing down the Golden Snitch during a match of Quidditch.  But here's where the ornament gets even more magical, it is in limited 3D.  What do I mean by that?  The snitch is actually in front of the cover, and Harry is partially coming off the cover as he chases it down.

As cool as that is, the effect isn't quite as good as it should be.  It is easy enough to recognize what the cover is, but it looks just a little off to me.  Maybe I'm expecting too much, although I do think the other Harry Potter ornaments they've done over the years have been better.  It’s mainly Harry himself that looks off.  There’s just no other word for it.

Or maybe it's just me.

Either way, I still got the ornament, and I am glad to have it.  Like so many others, I love this series, and I thrilled to have it on my tree.  In fact, I would love to see them do ornaments just like this for the rest of the books.  Granted, I would hope the sculpts get a little better, but that's a minor complaint.

As a book, you can't really set this ornament out to be displayed.  It just isn't quite wide enough to stand up steadily on its own.  But then again, any reader wouldn't be surprised by this.  It's why we have bookends for partially filled shelves.  (Partially filled shelves?  What are those?)

The loop for hanging this ornament is located right in the middle top of the ornament.  No surprise that this means the ornaments hangs straight.

I do wish the ornament looked a little better, but that's my only real complaint.  I am finding the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 20th Anniversary ornament to be a fun addition to my tree this year.

Original Price: $17.99