Shopaday: Open the House of Hallmark

Last weekend it was the Holiday Open House at
Hallmark Gold Crown Stores (mine is Jan's on Whitesburg.)

Then again, it was also Open House back in October & July.

Call me smitten;  I'll avoid Christmasy stuff until Thanksgiving, EXCEPT for the Hallmark stuff.  They know how to market to the likes of me
ALL. YEAR. LONG.

So, three weekends of loot in one easy page:

Best excuse to shop Xmas early?
It's for the kids.

I've been been working on acquiring Hallmark's Snowman books, but I'm missing at least half of the volumes.  DLG has taken a shine to snowmen.

DLG's two ornaments: her yearly "Making Memories" features a snowparent & snowchild "Reading Is 'Snow' Much Fun!" and the Precious Memories Disney Special Edition "Alice in Wonderland." (Not all P.M. have enchanted me, but this blonde charmer with her kitten is so DLG.)

There's two ornaments for MLB: his yearly "Season's Treatings" features "Treats for Santa" on a Santa plate and the Limited Edition "Season's Treatings" features a "Bûche de Noël."

I'm not sure if the other two ornaments-- the retro "Jolly Jukebox" and retro "Captain Nello's Ray Gun" (real tin accents! 3 ray gun sounds!)-- will be for the kids themselves or for them to give to their father.  He has a soft spot for all things from the way-back machine, and the Hallmark artist "Nello" gets them detail perfect.

And like they need one more electronic "countdown," but maybe they'll finally leave their father's microphone alone.

Why should the kids get
ALL the goodies?

There are treasures for us.

I started with Hallmark's newest "12 Days of Christmas" series just last year with "2 Turtle Doves;" these birds are mixed-media darlings whose plumage is partly crafted from music sheets.  We "late comers" found the resales of the first year's issue sparse and pricey, and thought we had to content ourselves with this year's "3 French Hens" (just the one, but it laid a golden egg inscribed with "Three,") BUT! for the October Open House Event, Hallmark re-issued a limited edition package of the first two years. (Oh yeah!)

I'm starting the new series "North Pole Tree Trimmers;" some of my favorite stage-tech people run electric, light & sound, so this little elf ready to test a bulb with a battery & clamps-- he's my kind of elf.

The "Skating Santa" was part of a "premium bonus" at the December Open House; I got a snowflake tote bag, a snowflake cakeplate, a Spruce-scented candle in a hob-nail votive holder and a gift-planning journal (the Magic Cord was a bonus in November.)

The other things?
      A special elf ornament for a special cousin who is a year-round friend of
          Santa's Elves (now marketed as "Elf on the Shelf.")
     (A hat box from Hobby Lobby because it was good for staging these pics
          before I load it up with hats.)
      A pair mystery gifts.

Shhh!  No peeking.