Ornament Review: Christmas Windows #2 - Sweet Shoppe - 2004 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Details are lovely to look at

Cons: None to be found in this display

The Bottom Line:

A sweet ornament

The details bring it to life

It's fun to display

Sweets from the Sweet Shoppe

In 2004, Hallmark's Christmas Window series started what would become the pattern.  Yes, this was the first window done by Nina Aube, but she has now down half the series.  The series also now features nothing but stores, and the Sweet Shoppe is a mouth watering start to the tradition.

This is a truly 360 degree series with something to look at on all sides.  Looking through the window is a little girl with yellow pigtails down her back.  Next to her is a dog in a red sweater.  Having from the roof in a lantern, although it is unlit at the moment.  Above the window is 2004, the year the ornament was released.

And what are the girl and the dog looking at so intently?  In the window is a gingerbread house.  It's small (although to scale for the ornament) and looks delicious with lots of peppermint and other candies plus glittery powdered sugar snow on the roof.  Next to the house is a small Christmas tree on one side and a snowman on the other.  And in front of the house?  A tiny snowman.

You can see the back of this display when you turn the ornament around.  Additionally, there are some candies on the shelves that can only be seen when you turn it around.  You can see a jar of licorice or some kind of stick candy that is red white and green sticking out of a jar.  Then there is a tray of peppermint candies and some other kind of candy I don't recognize, but I'd be more than willing to try a piece.

The detail on this ornament is superb.  There are tiles on the roof and rocks on the front of the building.  Even with how small the gingerbread man or snowman are, they have faces and decorations.  It's fun to look at this one for hours.

You can hang this one from your tree and get it perfectly balanced no problem.  That's not a surprise since the hook is pretty much in the center of the roof, which is centered in the ornament.

However, I like displaying this ornament along with the other series on a flat surface, kind of like a village.  The nice, flat base helps make that possible, and you don't have to worry about the ornament tipping over at all.  The bottom is also where you'll find the 2 in a Christmas tree, indicating the ornament's place in the series.

Since I just started collecting in the last few years, I had to track this series of ornaments down.  I'm glad I did because they are such fun, and Christmas Window 2004 is no exception.

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

Original Price: $19.95