Ornament Review: Douglas J. Spruce - Snowtop Lodge Companion Ornament - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Beautiful ornament that invokes a warm feeling

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Snuggle in for Eve

With this charming offering

Series compliment

Douglas Wishes Us a Warm Christmas Eve

When Hallmark knows they have a popular series of ornaments on their hands, they like to offer compliments to fans.  That’s why Douglas J. Spruce is the second ornament with obvious ties to the Snowtop Lodge series that started out as Keepsake Ornament Club originals.  If you weren’t a member of the club or weren’t collecting the series when it came out, it’s worth tracking down.

Like the ornaments in the official series, Douglas is a snowman.  More than any of the others in the series, he evokes a warm and snowy Christmas Eve for me.  He’s wearing a black top hat that says Merry Christmas on it.  His red and white striped scarf is tied around his neck, and he’s got a cardinal on one arm.  In his other hand?  A Christmas tree, or course.  I mean, how could he not have one based on his name?  His buttons have a snowflakes design.

All the ornaments in this series have a scene painted on them.  In this case, we have a village.  There’s snow on the ground and stars in the sky.  There are plenty of people out and about.  And what makes me think it is Christmas Eve?  If you look up in the sky, you can see Santa and his reindeer are flying in for a visit.

All told, this ornament is charming.  As I said earlier, it evokes the traditional feeling of cold snow outside with warmth inside as you wait for Santa to arrive.  Heck, I’ve never had a white Christmas (a privilege of living in California, and yes, this is me bragging), and I get the appeal.

But I’m not done yet.  There are two holes in the bottom of this ornament that you can use to insert Christmas tree lights into the bottom of the ornament.  The entire thing glows when you do that, although it really glows in the scene, further invoking that warm feeling.  It’s a delightful added touch.

Douglas is easily able to join his brethren in any display you’d create with the rest of the series since he has a nice, flat bottom.  The only problem with this is you won’t get the glow effect since he can’t sit on a cord.  Of course, you’ll notice he doesn’t have a series marker since he’s not officially part of the series.

Or you can put him on your tree, which is the best way to take advantage of the option lighting effect.  The loop for hanging the ornament is on the top of his top hat.  Slip a hook through there and you’ll find that he hangs straight, although putting lights in his base might effect that.

This really is a special ornaments that fans of the series will want to track down.  So if you are missing Douglas J. Spruce from your collection, I suggest you find it down today.

Check out the rest of the official and unofficial Snowtop Lodge ornaments.

Original Price: $19.95