Lights out

So Pier 1 was out of the famous penguin ornament from the store’s ad campaign, but the clerk said, “We do have this one.” It almost sounded like she was apologizing. When she held up this ornament to show me, I almost fell over. It’s got a unique shape and incredible style. I don’t even remember what that other ornament looked like.

Light bulb shaped white frosted glass penguin with black beak, red hat

Acquired: December 19, 2011, Pier 1, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 1027

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $12.95

There’s always another one

“We don’t have the one you’re looking for,” was the first thing out of the Pier 1 clerk’s mouth when I asked about penguins. Maybe you saw the chain store’s tv and print ads that featured a really nice looking penguin ornament. Little did she know that I’m not so fussy when it comes to which penguins I get and which ones I don’t get. The one from the ads was sold out, but I didn’t leave the store empty handed. Even though I have several ornaments like this one, it’s still a bright addition to my penguin tree, especially with it’s changing colored lights. But wait, there’s more. Tune in tomorrow.

Light up particle ball with green knit hat

Acquired: December 19, 2011, Pier 1, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 1026

Size: 6 inches tall

Price: $5.95

The ugly truth

My friends Jen and Evan had an ugly Christmas sweater. The idea was to put as much junk that would fit on a sweater, then we voted on the best (worst) three. Jen even made Christmas ornament trophies for the winners. When I placed third, we had to add a penguin to my ornament so it would be legit for my penguin tree.

Red third place glass ball from ugly Christmas sweater party

Acquired: December 18, 2011

Number: 1025

Size: 2.5 inches tall

Price: priceless

Woodwork

Before leaving Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, I found a couple more penguins. The woman at the booth was meticulously personalizing a couple of other ornaments for another customer when I brought mine to the counter. She seemed almost relieved that I didn’t need an inscription. I was tempted though, because she was doing a very good job. It’s possible that I have the name of the shop wrong, but I was trying to figure it out after the fact using a sketchy diagram of the fair. I’ll probably go back next year and try to double check.

Two flat, painted wood penguins with blue hat and scarf and red hat and scarf

Acquired: Dec. 18, 2012, Wild Duck Pottery, Christkindlmarkt, Bethlehem, Pa.

Number: 1023 1024

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $7 each

Christkindlmarkt

These two treasures came from one of the booths at Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, Pa. Either I lost the receipt or never had one because I paid for them in cash. I think they might have been $18 to $20 each and certainly worth it. 

Christkindlmarkt was set up on the grounds of the old steel mill in Bethlehem, where they are establishing an arts complex. Christkindlmarkt was in a couple of tent-like structures and the open space between and around them. 

Inside were lots of Christmas and other items, including a Käthe Wohlfahrt shop from Germany and a Coca-Cola polar bear house made of Coke cartons with a Sprite carton Christmas tree inside. 

Outside, were glass-blowing and ice sculpture demonstrations and a garden of ice creations, including a pair of penguins.

Uzbekistan needle painted round ornament with fishing penguin and fish

Acquired: December 18, 2011, Christkindlmarkt, Bethlehem, Pa.

Number: 1021

Size: 2.5 inches in diameter

Price: no receipt

Uzbekistan needle painted egg-shaped ornament with two big penguins and distant march

Acquired: December 18, 2011, Christkindlmarkt, Bethlehem, Pa.

Number: 1022

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: no receipt

Star of wonder

I finally made it to the annual Christkindlmarkt in Bethleham, Pa., a crafts festival based on German traditions. Not only did I get a lot of Christmas shopping done, but I also found some Christmas goodies for myself, including this nice glass penguin from my old friend Käthe Wohlfahrt, the big Christmas shop empire from Germany. The ornament has her trademark shooting star emblem attached at the top. You can see some of the treasures I found on a visit a couple of years ago by clicking here. You have to go through a few posts to see them all. And stay tuned for more from Bethlehem’s Christkindlmarkt in the next few posts.

Käthe Wohlfahrt glass penguin with tree

Acquired: December 18, 2011, Christkindlmarkt, Bethlehem, Pa.

Number: 1020

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: $8.62

Double the fun

When I got these ornament as gifts, I was hoping that they weren’t duplicates of some I bought several years ago, but that wasn’t the case. Not that I mind getting duplicate ornaments. The other S’mores ornament I bought was one of several from a baseball trip to Missouri, but the new one is the only one from a good colleague and friend. The other snowman ornament is like one that I found in a drugstore near where I live, but this one came from my sister and brother-in-law who showed up with his parents at one of my retirement celebrations.

Midwest CBK S’mores snowman

Acquired: December 14, 2011

Number: 1018

Size: 2.5 inches tall

Price: gift from colleague, Karen, my last week at work

Snowman on a sled with two penguins in red and blue hats

Acquired: December 14, 2011

Number: 1019

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: gift from my sister Xena and brother-in-law John at retirement celebration

Big blue

It’s a big ornament, but I’ll always find room for another blue penguin at My Penguin Tree, especially one decked out with a holly boutonniere.

Blue knit penguin with holly boutonniere

Acquired: December 10, 2011, Kmart, Mount Pocono, Pa.

Number: 1017

Size: 6.5 inches tall

Price: $2.39 (originally $3.99)

Where’s the penguin?

From the front it doesn’t look like a penguin ornament, but spin the Snowbaby around on her sled disk and you’ll see she has a passenger.

Wait. Is that a speck of dirt on my computer screen? Oh, it’s just the little penguin’s itty bitty eye. This is my third Snowbabies ornament. Click here and here to see the others.

Snowbabies In a Spin

Acquired: Dec. 9, 2011, Boscov’s department store, Steamtown Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 1016

Size: 2.25 inches tall

Price: $15.50

Early bargains

I was surprised when I took this ornament and the parachutist from yesterday’s post to the checkout counter and found out how cheap they were. Christmas was still weeks away, but the ornaments and other decorations were all marked down from an already marked down price. Nice.

Black glittery body, red top hat, red and yellow candy cane, bow tie, red and blue buttons

Acquired: December 9, 2011, Bon Ton, Steamtown Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 1015

Size: 4.5 inches tall

Price: $3.84 (double markdown of 60 and 20 percent from $12)

Jumper

I added about 140 penguin ornaments to the collection this season, but I don’t think any of them are more fun than this one.

Living Quarters red glittery parachute

Acquired: December 9, 2011, Bonton, Steamtown Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 1014

Size: 7 inches tall

Price: $3.20 (double markdown of 60 and 20 percent from $10)

Jingle bells . . . all the way

This is where I get into trouble. I was in the local Lowe's looking for some practical household items, but I couldn't help stopping by the Christmas decorations department. They had a display of these penguin jingle bell ornaments with about 20 different varieties of penguins celebrating different walks of life, like motherhood, golfing, nursing, beach bumming, etc. I tried to stick with the most generic Christmas themes, but I couldn't resist the cowboy.

Eight jingle bell penguins, three with green hats, 2 with red hats, 1 with earmuffs, 1 with top hat, 1 cowboy
Acquired: December 9, 2012, Lowe's, Bartonsville, Pa.
Number: 1006 through 1013
Size: 2.5 inches tall
Price: $2.97 each

Light lite

Here’s an ornament I picked up after I finished setting up the tree at the trolley museum last month. I’ve got some others like it, but I like the smaller size of this one.

Small, red changing-light ball, penguin and tree inside

Acquired: December 4, 2011, JC Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 1004

Size: 3 inches tall

Price: $4.99 (originally $9.99)

Unfinished business

Christmas came, Christmas went, and we never got around to this ornament kit that makes two penguins. There wasn’t time for everything and it’s too late to renumber all the other new ornaments, but I think we’ll save the project for next Christmas.

Foam cutout craft kit skating penguins

Acquired: November 25, 2011, Target, Lower Nazareth, Pa.

Number: 1001 1002

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $2/set

Pushup pop penguin top

I’ve never had a pushup pop before and I’m not sure what it is, but my guess is that it’s a lollipop in a plastic tube. For me, it’s another penguin ornament, whether or not I ever eat the candy.

Acquired: Weis Market, Tannersville, Pa.

Number: 1003

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $1.19

Third time’s the charm

I bought four circular penguin ornaments together on a trip to Target, but then found out on the store's website that there was a fifth color in the set. That meant three trips to Target this season just to buy penguin ornaments. Part of the problem was the mysterious rush on penguin ornaments in the stores near where I live. Look at this rack of ornaments at the same Target store where I bought the purple disc ornament. The empty row is where they had the penguins like the one I posted a couple of days ago.

Plenty of ornaments left, but just one penguin. Hmm.

Magenta, blue, green and turquoise Merry Market round, flat penguins with googly eyes

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0994 0995 0996 0997

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $2 each

Purple Merry Market round, flat penguin with googly eyes

Acquired: December 8, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 1005

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $2 each

A trolley from Wilmington

The trolley tree came down today. It was my fourth visit to the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton this season — the setup, opening night, visit with relatives last week and takedown today. On the visit last week, I found out more about the trolley next to the spot that I chose for my entry in the Festival of Trees.

It turns out that Car No. 120 ran from about 1904 to 1929 in Wilmington, Del., where I was born. This means that my grandparents, John Mundell Truitt and Nettie Lee Abbott Truitt, almost certainly rode this trolley or one of its sister cars run by the Delaware Electric Power Company.

Maybe even my mother, Mary Jeannette Truitt Parsons, rode on it as a baby, and certainly her brothers, Lee and Joe Truitt rode it along with Catherine, the sister she never knew. I don’t know how often my father’s parents made it into the city, but they may have been on the trolley too. All I wanted was a spot that would make a good photo with my tree. Looks like I hit the jackpot.

That's my sister Xena taking a picture of my penguin tree in front of the trolley.

Inside looking toward the back of the trolley.

Here's the full story from the Electric City Trolley Museum. Sorry I didn't get a clearer shot.

Set apart

These two penguins each came from a group of six other ornaments, kind of like sets, but sold individually. The clay penguin goes with a Santa, a moose-like reindeer and three different snowmen. The knitted penguin matches an owl, an elephant, a sock-like monkey, a blue jay and a lion. All were nice ornaments, but you know me. Penguins only, please.

Clay penguin with purple knit hat with ear flaps

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0992

Size: 2 inches tall

Price: $3

Knit Merry Market blue penguin, red earmuffs and scarf, green striped body

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0993

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $2