Ornament Review: Christmas Window #14 - Dance Shop - 2016 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Cute Dance Shop

Cons: Nothing Christmas related at all

The Bottom Line:

This cute dance shop scene

Forgot that it was Christmas

Makes it bah humbug

This Ornament Forgot Half of the Title

I’ve been a fan of the Christmas Window series for several years now.  Hallmark releases this series only to members of their Keepsake Ornament Club, and I actually started joining so I could get it each year.  The way Christmas decorations are woven into the theme of each store is always very cute, and I look forward to that creativity.  That’s why I am so disappointed with Dance Shop, 2016’s entry in the series.

This year’s shop is a Dance Shop.  Since this is Nina Aube’s year to sculpt the ornament, we get a little girl outside in a bluish green (more blue, however) coat and dress.  Her hand is up in the air as if she were about to twirl around.  She’s got a dog with her, and the dog is up on his back legs looking like he is her dance partner.  The display shows a couple of pink ballet dresses, one on a hanger and one on a rabbit display piece.  There are also pink ballet slippers and a silver tiara.  When you turn the ornament around, you can see more ballet slippers and a purse on the shelves under the window.

No please do not misunderstand my complaint when it comes to this ornament.  While I’m not interested in ballet, I do think a Dance Shop is a great idea for the series.  And I absolutely find what is here cute.  The girl alone is adorable, and may people love this ornament for that reason.

However….

The name of this series is Christmas Window.  Go back and look at my description of the ornament.  Where’s the Christmas?  We’ve got pink and blue, not red and green.  There’s nothing in the display that could remotely be Christmas.  This display could be out at any point of the year.  Heck, with the bunny, I could easily see this as a spring window display.  About the only thing that gives away the season is the snow on the eves and sidewalk.

What really makes this disappointing is the missed opportunity.  One of the most famous ballets of all time is The Nutcracker.  That would have been a perfect tie in to this ornament.  Maybe instead of reds and greens and a Christmas tree made out of ballet slippers, have the window be themed to The Nutcracker.  If they’d done that, I would have loved this ornament.  As it is, I am highly disappointed with the lack of Christmas anything.

Since this is a scene featuring a building, it has a nice flat bottom, so you can add it to a village display with the rest of the series.  That’s what I like to do.  You’ll also find the 14 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom.

The loop for hanging the ornament is on the roof of the shop.  You’ll find the ornament tips forward a little, but it’s not enough to be a problem.

I kept hoping there was something related to Christmas in this ornament that I was missing from the early pictures, but when I got the ornament, I saw that wasn’t the case.  The Dance Shop is cute, and girls of all ages who adore ballet will love this ornament.  I just wish it had incorporated Christmas in some way into this Window.

Enjoy Christmas themed windows with the rest of the Christmas Windows series.

Original Price: $20 as part of KOC Membership