Ornament Review: Five Golden Ring - 12 Days of Christmas #5 - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Gorgeous colors with rings working into the details

Cons: Not the usual take on this day

The Bottom Line:

Unique idea

Used for stunning ornament

Once you accept bird

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me…Wait, What?????

The big question on everyone’s mind when Hallmark started the 12 Days of Christmas series was how artist Edyth Kegrize was going to handle the fifth day.  We actually got a sneak peak of it last year, and it set off a bunch of talk on the Hallmark ornament message board I’m part of.  It’s a different take on Five Golden Rings to be sure, but it also is a beautiful ornament.

You see, Edyth went with a bird.  Yes, that’s right, a bird is representing the rings.  It’s not just any bird, it is a ring-necked pheasant, and apparently it was a traditional dish at the Twelfth Night feasts.  According to some sources, it is what was meant by the golden rings of the fifth verse.  I haven’t done my own research, so I’m trusting Hallmark and Edyth here.  While I still grates a little to see a bird, I really do love this ornament.

Our pheasant is mostly reds and oranges.  His coloring is very much in line with the colors of Three French Hens two years ago, only darker and richer in hue.  The wings are blue and green.  The back wings have a few notes on them, and the front wings have words.  When the head is facing to the right, you see Five Golden Rings written in fancy calligraphy.  On the other side, the wings have the fifth verse in smaller calligraphy.  And the tail on this bird is very long.  Look on the underside of the tail to find the series marker.

In a nod to what we normally associate with this verse, the crest attaching the wings to the body is made up of five interlocking rings.  The same is true of the dangle hanging from the bottom of the bird.

The colors are bright and really stand out more than anything we’ve seen in this series before, and I love them.  This series continues to be so artistic and beautiful.  It’s definitely one of the ornaments I can stare at for hours.  What won me over to this take on the verse was that fact that the rings we in America associate with this verse are hidden on the ornament.  It’s a nice nod to today while also using some long forgotten tradition for the main part of the ornament.

Like the previous ornaments in this series, you can’t set it out.  It’s a bird and has something dangling from it, after all.  When you do slip a hook through the loop near his neck, you’ll find that he hangs straight.

It’s taken me some time to warm up to this take on Five Golden Rings, but the result is another ornament I love.  The colors and artistry continue to be breathtaking.  Give the idea behind the ornament a chance, and I think you’ll love it, too.

Of course, you'll need to get all of the 12 Days of Christmas series.

Original Price: $12.95