Ornament Review: North Pole Tree Trimmers #1 Repaint - Light Tester - 2013 Hallmark Event Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute ornament with a different color scheme

Cons: Nothing really new for all but the most obsessive collector

The Bottom Line:

Testing all the lights

Now with different colors

Cute for collectors

Testing Lights in New Colors

Hallmark loves people like me.  Yes, the casual collector can go into a store and buy the ornaments they want.  However, there are repaints (also called colorways) that Hallmark will release of some ornaments.  Now really, do I need two versions of the same ornament?  Clearly, the answer was yes since I went out of my way to get the repaint of the first North Pole Tree Trimmers.

This ornament was originally released in 2013 at the Keepsake Ornament Club event held in Kansas City every two years.  It essentially looks like the first in the series.  Each entry in the series features an elf getting decorations ready for Christmas.  This time around, the elf is testing light bulbs.  He's about to hook one up to a battery pack, in fact, to make sure it lights.  We don't want any trees that won't light on one side, right?

Where this ornament differs is in the colors used to paint it.  The bulb that is being tested is green while the bulb in the elf's pack is red.  The elf himself is wearing red pants and shoes and has a red band on his otherwise green hat.  Meanwhile, his shirt is green.

It's a very subtle color change (unlike some that are pretty radical).  I was worried that the added green might make him blend in to the tree a bit more, but I found that wasn't the case.  He still was visible thanks to the added red on his clothes.

So, which do I like better?  That's a hard one.  Honestly, I find both the ornaments to be very cute.  The coloring makes no difference, and it's kind of fun to have twins like this to hang on different parts of the tree.

Since the mold is the same one used for the regular line ornament, it's no surprise that the ornament stands upright.  He's fairly stable, just like the original.  Also like the original, he tips forward ever so slightly when you hang him, but it's not enough to be noticeable when you have him in the branches of a tree.  And yes, the 1 in a Christmas tree is present as well, this time on the bottom of the battery.

No, you really don't need both, and if you just have the original, you'll be just fine.  But if you are a collector, you'll be pleased you tracked down the 2013 North Pole Tree Trimmers repaint.

Be sure to check out the rest of the North Pole Tree Trimmers series.

Original Price: $14.95