Every year, Hallmark releases a slew of ornaments that appeal to the geeks. I have been collecting them since 2000. In the past, I focused mostly on DC Comics superheroes. However, in 2017 Hallmark began releasing LEGO®-themed ornaments as well, starting with LEGO® Batman. Every year since, they’ve included a number of Minifigure-based sculpts in their annual offerings. I’ve collected Batman, Robin, Lloyd, and Wonder Woman. But I’ve also missed out on a great deal more. You see, Hallmark is not that common in my area anymore. Store numbers have dwindled and now I have to drive fairly far to visit one. To complicate matters even more, they do not all carry the LEGO® ornaments. This year, I had to visit five stores over several months to try and get my ornaments. But get them I did, and now I can share the 2023 Hallmark ornaments.
Mele Kalikimaka…
My quest to purchase the 2023 Hallmark ornaments began in April, when the collection was revealed. At that point, I already knew I would be on vacation in Hawaii when the first wave of decorations hit store shelves. As it turned out, there was a Hallmark almost right next door to the LEGO® Store in downtown Honolulu. The Mandalorian and Grogu topped my wish list, and I wanted to buy them in Hawaii for a little Mele Kalikimaka spirit. However, fate had different plans. As I excitedly marched into Hallmark at the Ala Moana Center and asked for Mando, the kind staff informed me that particular ornament was delayed until October.
Fast forward to October. I am no longer in beautiful, sunny, and warm Hawaii with the surf splashing at my feet. Instead, I find myself back in Montreal with perpetually falling leaves that require me to go out and rake every two days for a month. In between leaf clean-up sessions, I drove out to my closest Hallmark store. Sadly, they had none of the LEGO® ornaments in stock. Subsequently, in November, I drove out farther into the actual city of Montreal (where I very rarely venture), and visited two different stores downtown. The second location had two of the three LEGO® ornaments… but not the Mando and Grogu I really wanted.
This is the way.
Finally, this December, I was out picking up a Bricklink order for a set customization I was working on (more on that to come). On my way, I passed a Hallmark and decided to stop and check. I finally found my Mandalorian and Grogu pair just in time to decorate my Christmas tree. I love the Hallmark LEGO® ornaments. They are really nicely detailed and stay true to the original Minifigure designs. The characters are larger than actual Minifigures, and more along the lines of the keychain flashlights in size. But that makes them more visible on your tree. This year’s selection did not disappoint me either. The only way to make it better would be to include a superhero in Minifigure form to match the majority of my other ornaments 😉
I posted a little video on Instagram when I found Harry Potter and the Gingerbread Woman. As I lamented in the description that I couldn’t find Mando, several people DM’d me about pre-ordering their ornaments. I’ll have to remember to try that out in 2024 if the LEGO® offerings continue. Did you buy any Hallmark ornaments this year? Let me know which ones in the comments or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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