Ornament Review: Christmas Window #4 - Toy Shop - 2006 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Cute toys in a fun toy shop

Cons: Narrow so hard to see in; tip

The Bottom Line:

Christmas of toy dreams

In a narrow ornament

Blocks some of the fun

Enjoying the Toy Store's Christmas Window from 2006

Honestly, if you are going to do a Christmas Window series featuring kids looking into store windows, it just seems like a Toy Shop would be a logical choice.  That's why, in a way, I'm surprised it took them until the fourth entry to release an ornament like that.  However, this window is another winner.

This ornament feels a bit narrower than the earlier entries in the series, and the window looks more like a bay window.  As a result, it is a bit hard to see inside since the girl looking in is blocking much of the display.  He's wearing a red coat and holding a teddy bear in her right arm.  Also on the outside is a small Christmas tree in a pot with red garland wrapped around it and a light dusting of white snow on parts of it.  There's also a small red bird on the ground.  The ground itself is covered in snow with some foot prints in it.  There are two patches of snow hanging onto the roof as well.

What about the store itself?  In the window, we've got a teddy bear, a jack in the box, and some blocks.  But my favorite detail of the window is the remote control airplane.  It's hanging from the ceiling and actually moves around as you move the ornament.  There are shelves underneath the window display that you can see when you turn the ornament around.  These shelves include a doll, a toy car, and a red wagon filled with wood blocks.

I mentioned earlier that the window display is a little hard to see.  That's the case with many of the ornaments in this series, but the narrower window seems to make it especially the case here.  The jack in the box is blocking the girl completely, and the tree sticks up just enough to be in front of the teddy bear.  Don't get me wrong, this is still a wonderful ornament to look at, it just isn't quite as easy as some of the others.

I like to make a village out of this series and display it under one of my trees.  As a result, I'm really glad the series continues to have nice wide, flat bases.  Since this is a series (and a Keepsake Ornament Club exclusive series at that), you'll find a 4 in a Christmas tree on the bottom of the ornament.

Yes, there is still a loop for hanging the ornament up on the roof of the shop.  This one actually tips toward the outside quite noticeably.

Between the narrow window and the tip, this isn't the best window in the series.  Still, the Toy Shop is a cute addition to a charming ornament series.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Christmas Windows series.

Original Price: $20.00