Ornament Review: Christmas Windows #1 - Cozy Living Room - 2003 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute and detailed ornament to start this series

Cons: Slight tip if you hang it

The Bottom Line:

Dreaming by the tree

Pulls up Christmas memories

Cute series debut

Uniqueness, and Cuteness, of the First Christmas Window

In Hallmark's history of Christmas ornaments, they have only released one series this is exclusive for the members of their Keepsake Ornament Collector (KOC) club.  That series is the Christmas Window series.  It started in 2003, and that debut is unique in a couple of ways that make it stand out in great ways.

First of all, this was the only ornament in the series to be sculpted by Ken Crow.  The others have alternated between two different artists - Nina Aube and Tammy Haddix.  But that's the superficial difference.

The big different in this ornament is that it is the only one as of 2014 to feature a home.  And it is such a cute ornament, too.  This is an ornament (and series) where you really want to see all sides since there is no real front or back.

On the outside of this window, you have snow on the sill.  There is a garland with some lights and a few cones hanging over the top of the main window.  Two birds and a squirrel are peaking inside.  And at the very top is a half circle window with a bit of a sun design to it.  It's very beautiful.

And on the inside portion of this ornament?  You've got a child (I've always assumed it's a little girl) asleep stretched out in a red chair.  And yes, the chair is covered in felt, which is a nice touch.  Next to this chair is a Christmas tree with a few packages underneath it.

Ultimately, this ornament does look slightly better when you are looking through the window like the animals are.  Otherwise, you see the back of the chair.  However, if you take the time to turn it around, you can find all kinds of great detail from every angle.

That's why, even though I've had this ornament for several years now, I have yet to hang it on my tree.  I like to display it and the rest of my series under one of my Christmas trees.  It makes a wonderful display having this village of shops and one house all laid out.  And that way, if I want to look at the detail more, I can just pick it up.

This works because the base of the ornament is perfectly flat.  You can set it wherever you want without fear of it tipping.  And yes, you'll find the 1 in a Christmas tree on the base of the ornament.

If you do decide to hang the ornament on your tree, you'll use the loop on the top of the inside divider of the window.  It does tip slightly to one of the outside corners, but you should be able to disguise that with a tree branch no problem.

And did I mention just how cute this ornament is?  Every time I look at it, I find a new detail, like the footprints from the animals in the snow on the window sill.  Seeing it easily conjures up images of warm fires (even though one isn't to be found) and pleasant dreams while waiting for Santa to arrive on Christmas Eve.

It would be nice if Hallmark included a few more houses in this series, but it would be hard to top Christmas Window 2003.  Even though Ken Crow hasn't done any more, he started things off with a bang.

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

Original Price: $19.95