This is the first to the best of my recollection for the company in conjunction with the most popular pop culture convention in the world.  All of the ornaments definitely appeal to the usual audience for this convention and are sure to be quite popular.

They include:

• DC Comics 75th Anniversary (pictured)
• Mr. Burns from The Simpsons holding a candy cane
• K-3PO (red) and R-3PO (white) two pack of protocol droids from The Empire Strikes Back

The ornaments are limited to just this weekend, so don’t be expecting to find these at your local Hallmark store any time soon.

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San Diego Comic Con 2010 Hallmark Exclusive Ornaments

Of course the most important ornament to me was Frosty Friends 2010, the 31st in the series.  I have collected this series since 1981, when the second one was released.  yes, sadly I am missing the first in the series from 1980, and if you can find one of those for under $400 now, it’s a miracle.

The only thing that disappoints me is I have to head back in October to pick up the Christmas Vacation ornament, but smart marketing on their part as it gets me back in the store again.

Here is what I picked up so far for this year:

• Frosty Friends 2010, 31st in series
• Triple-Dog Dare (A Christmas Story)
• Poor Ralphie’s One Chance (A Christmas Story)
• U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek)
• A Star Is Born (Rudolph, Red-Nosed Reindeer)
• Jack Skellington’s Surprise (A Nightmare Before Christmas)
• Snow One Like Tinker Bell

I know this sounds like an awful lot of ornaments, and I’m heavy on characters, but I use Hallmark ornaments for more than just my main Christmas tree.  Like, I have all the Jack Skellington ornaments with my other Nightmare Before Christmas collectibles.  (What can I say, I love Halloween, too)

Which ornaments have you picked up so far this year?

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The First 2010 Hallmark Ornaments Have Arrived

With your kids at home for the summer, you’re bound to hear a lot of moans about “I’m bored!”  Instead of giving them a couple dollars to go buy junk food, or setting them down in front of the TV, why not start working on some crafts for this coming Christmas?

Now of course we aren’t talking making a gingerbread house in July (ignore the picture in this post on that part), but instead things like making ornaments.  Name a grandparents that wouldn’t love getting a handmade ornament from their grandchild.  Exactly, you can’t do it.  Instead of waiting to until a week before Christmas when everyone is busy, you can do it now and take your time with the project.

And also think about the lessons you can teach your kids with this.

• Christmas is about a spirit of giving, and you can keep it in your heat all year long.
• Handmade gifts can always beat store bought ones.
• It’s never too early to get an “assignment” done.

So it may seem a little odd to be making a Christmas ornament with fireworks going off, but it can keep kids entertained while teaching them sneaky lessons about life and family.

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Summer Activities To Prepare For Christmas

Back at the end of May we brought you information on the 2010 Keepsake Ornaments Dream Book being released, and already it’s time for the Premiere Weekend.  Is it just me or is this getting earlier every year.  Are we going to see it on New Year’s Day eventually?

There will be lots of reasons to drop by your local Hallmark store that weekend, from special ornaments to bonus points for your purchases:

• Ornament Club members will receive the Smiling Soldier ornament (pictured to the right) for a purchase of an ornament priced at $7.95 or more.
• The first two ornaments in the Peanuts Fun on Ice series will be released that weekend (with the other three released over the following months)
• Disney and Peanuts ornaments will get you 100 bonus points.

You can see all of the offers at the member’s exclusive page.

It looks like it will be a good launch weekend, although some ornaments won’t be available until the fall (like the Christmas Vacation one I am waiting for … darn it!).

The stores will be opening at 8 AM local time, so if you’re really anxious for something, you may want to be there early rather than later.

Is there anything you are really anxious for?

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Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Premiere Weekend Coming July 10 & 11

Hallmark has released its Keepsake Ornaments Dream Book online so you can browse through the entire catalog of this year’s ornaments, and it clocks in at a whopping 71 pages this year.  Sadly, a couple series are coming to an end this year:

• At The Ballpark
• Doorways Around the World
• Noel Nutcrackers
• Yuletide Treasures

However, my personal favorite series, Frosty Friends, which I have collected since the second in the series, is continuing for its 31st year.  I’m not sure how many more ideas they can come up with for this list Eskimo and his friends. Although, I do have to say, this year’s is pretty darn cute.

Some popular Christmas movies are also getting some nice ornaments this year such as A Christmas Story, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Polar Express and one my personal favorites, Christmas Vacation. (see picture at bottom)

Hallmark ornaments usually start releasing in August, although some do not hit the stores until October.  Which ornaments are you most excited about this year?

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Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments Dream Book 2010 Released

The line-up of new ornaments for the popular Star Wars line includes:

• Luke Skywalker – 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (14th in the Star Wars series)
• Snowspeeder – 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Darth Vader before Emperor Palpatine – 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite (Set of two miniature ornaments) – 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Lando Calrissian – 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Captain Rex and Yoda (Set of two miniature ornaments) – Star Wars: Clone Wars

No official photos have been released yet, but you can see fan taken photos here.

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Hallmark Announces 2010 Star Wars Ornaments

While we all seem to be more and more pinched for space in our homes, it can be nice to have all of our Christmas decorations and lights stored in one place so that we can easily access them any time we need to.  And, no, we don’t mean the attic.  Who wants to up there twice a year to bring them down and put them back up?

While the term “Christmas Closet” is the one most commonly thrown around, it can really be any centralized place in your home to keep all of your Christmas items.  With clearance sales right after Christmas each year, you should be stocking up for next year with your wrapping paper at least, and wouldn’t it be nice to have easy access to it?  What about keeping all of your lights and ornaments in plastic tubs, or at least clearly labeled boxes?

The other benefit to such a spot in your home is allowing you to keep gifts you buy throughout the year, and then being able to locate them at the appropriate time.  No one ever said you can only start your Christmas shopping in November or early December, you can actually do it all year long.  Check out those summer sales, and when you find the perfect gift, just put it in your Christmas closet so you can get to it later.  Heck, you have easy access to your wrapping paper, you could even wrap and tag it so it as completely ready.

What are you waiting for?  Get organized!

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Preparing For Christmas All Year Long With Your Christmas Closet

While the Christmas tree is of course most associated with the holiday it is named for, there is no rule saying you can’t use it for other holidays. It can be a pain to take it out of storage, set it up for a month and then drag it back into storage for the next year. If you enjoy your tree, and are willing to keep it dusted, why not keep it up all year and change its decorations with the holidays of the season?

Around RememberingChristmas, we all love Christmas lights, and have found by using white lights on our tree, we can change the tree to match just about any holidays.  Easter is coming up in the spring for instance, why not make ornaments out o those plastic eggs you put little prizes inside of into ornaments?

Valentine’s Day?  Cover it in kids Valentines or heart decorations.

You get the idea that if you can find ites related to a holiday that are fairly small, you can make a tree out of it.  The only thing you need to do is to remember to dust it as if you’re lights build up dust on them they can begin to overheat which will smile quite badly once they do.

Have you found any alternate uses fo ryour Christmas tree in other parts of the year?

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Use Your Christmas Tree Year Round For Other Holidays

Inevitably you always have a few unused Christmas cards laying around when the season ends, so who not do something creative with them like making ornaments for your tree?  The Frugal Babe blog has a great idea of how to just use some cards, embroidery floss and a needle to make these nifty ornaments that you can hang on your tree, or even give them away as gifts next year to family and friends.

I would even add that you could use cards sent to you.  Use the area where people signed them and wrote little notes, and then you could add another ornament each year of your favorite cards you received.  It is a great way to repurpose them as opposed to just throwing them in a drawer or out with all of the other Christmas trash.

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Make Christmas Ornaments From Christmas Cards