Best-Selling Ornaments
The Christmas-Industrial Complex begins its annual awakening precisely when Mariah Carey's cryogenic chamber beeps to life somewhere beneath Sunset Boulevard. Like a bedazzled Sleeping Beauty stirring from her glitter-encrusted slumber, her festive energy radiates outward, compelling even the most reserved collectors to dust off their vintage ornament catalogues.
This year's offerings read like a fever dream curated by a pop culture historian on acid. The golden grand piano, a miniature tribute to Liberace's living room, dangles from noble fir branches nationwide, catching light like a disco ball in a retirement home. One might imagine tiny ghost-performers tickling its keys at midnight, playing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in an endless loop.
Then there's the chihuahua-mariachi mashup, fondly dubbed the "chiwaula" by someone who clearly enjoyed too much eggnog during the naming meeting. These little glass dogs, adorned in sombreros and serapes, seem perpetually caught between a yap and a yodel. They're essentially the Christmas tree equivalent of those velvet paintings of dogs playing poker – simultaneously tasteless and irresistible.
For the Generation X nostalgics, the glass cassette tape ornament emerges as this season's must-have piece. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like hanging a replica of technology that required a pencil for basic maintenance. Each one comes complete with a tiny painted label, perfect for squinting at and pretending to read "Christmas Mix '86."
Rounding out the collection, the burger and fries combo dangles like a fast-food fever dream, a greasy homage to American excess that somehow makes perfect sense nestled between candy canes and angel hair. Because nothing honors the birth of Christ quite like a glass-blown Quarter Pounder.
This year's offerings read like a fever dream curated by a pop culture historian on acid. The golden grand piano, a miniature tribute to Liberace's living room, dangles from noble fir branches nationwide, catching light like a disco ball in a retirement home. One might imagine tiny ghost-performers tickling its keys at midnight, playing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in an endless loop.
Then there's the chihuahua-mariachi mashup, fondly dubbed the "chiwaula" by someone who clearly enjoyed too much eggnog during the naming meeting. These little glass dogs, adorned in sombreros and serapes, seem perpetually caught between a yap and a yodel. They're essentially the Christmas tree equivalent of those velvet paintings of dogs playing poker – simultaneously tasteless and irresistible.
For the Generation X nostalgics, the glass cassette tape ornament emerges as this season's must-have piece. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like hanging a replica of technology that required a pencil for basic maintenance. Each one comes complete with a tiny painted label, perfect for squinting at and pretending to read "Christmas Mix '86."
Rounding out the collection, the burger and fries combo dangles like a fast-food fever dream, a greasy homage to American excess that somehow makes perfect sense nestled between candy canes and angel hair. Because nothing honors the birth of Christ quite like a glass-blown Quarter Pounder.
Bye bye old Christmas balls
Welcome to 2024's collection of glass ornaments that would make Grandmother clutch her pearls before reaching for the sherry. These aren't the kinds of decorations that inspire quiet contemplation of silent nights. No, these are the ornaments that crash the party wearing leopard print and bring questionable jello shots.