Dancing with the penguin stars

I bought two pairs of dancing penguin ornaments in separate trips to Noël Eternel in Montreal in 2006 and 2009. I call them dancing penguins because they seem to dressed for a night on the town and they’ve got some fancy footwork going on. I love the tangle of Christmas lights in the early pair. And  the tutus worn by both of the females are fantastic.

Designers Studio, Kansas City, pair of grinning, dancing penguins with strings of Christmas lights

Acquired: September 11, 2006, Noël Eternel, Montreal, P.Q.

Number: 0297 0298

Size: 5.5 inches tall

Price: 14.99 $CAN

Designers Studio, Kansas City, pair of dancing penguins with glittery accents

Acquired: July 1, 2009, Noël Eternel, Montreal, P.Q.

Number: 0708 0709

Size: 5.5 inches tal

Price: 14.99 $CAN

Montreal through the years

Both of these ornaments have the same design that says, “Joyeux Noël Eternel, Montreal” on one side. They have different penguins painted on the opposite side. One has a single penguin with pink hat and the other shows a family of three. The one I bought in 2009 has the year on the penguin side and one from 2006 has the year on the other side. It was nice to see that the price hadn’t changed in the time between them, but I'll bet the exchange rate was different each time.

2006 porcelain Noël Eternel icicle-like ornament with penguin family of three

Acquired: July 1, 2006, Noël Eternel, Montreal, PQ

Number: 0295

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: 9.99 $CAN

2009  porcelain Noël Eternel icicle-like ornament with single penguin in a pink hat

Acquired: September 11, 2009, Noël Eternel, Montreal, PG

Number: 0710

Size: 4 inches tall

Price:9.99 $CAN

It’s raining penguins

There’s a whole lot of fun packed into these three penguins with their colorful umbrellas. The one in the upside down umbrella is attached, but for the other two, you hang the umbrella on the Christmas tree and then hang the penguins from the umbrella handles.

Three penguins with umbrellas

Acquired: Noël Eternel, Montreal, PQ

Number: 0292 0293 0294

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: each 19.98 $CAN 

Polar bear express

What’s a flightless bird to do when he has to get somewhere fast? Why, just find a winged polar bear and you’re on your way. It’s a wonder this ornament ever made it to the tree. The bear’s right forepaw broke during the trip from Montreal to New Jersey. Then I nearly destroyed it and myself when I fell on it from the back of my couch while reaching to hang some decorations. The bear’s wings had to be glued back together and every year I have to reattach a feather or two.

Krinkl Xmas penguin on a flying polar bear with gold crowns

Acquired: July 1, 2006, Noël Eternel, Montreal, PQ

Number: 0291

Size: 3.5 inches long

Price: 15.99 $CAN

Tigers and Blue Jays and Penguins. Oh, my!

I was driving from Detroit to Toronto when I found this key ring at a gas station in Ontario, Canada. I was on a trip around Lake Erie, also stopping in Cleveland, to see baseball games in my quest to visit all the major league stadiums. I finished that collection a few years later (though now I’m missing the new ballpark in Minneapolis), but the penguin ornament collection shows no signs of letting up. This penguin is another key ring that I decided was close enough for me to put it on the tree.

Canada key ring

Acquired: June 12, 2004, Ontario, Canada gas station

Number: 247

Size: 4 inches tall

I wonder

My first visit to Canada was in 1986 with my mother and my two nieces, Nikki and Lona. We were going by RV across America via Niagara Falls, Chicago, Wisconsin and Mt. Rushmore, then south to New Mexico where we would meet up with my older brother and sister, who were Lona’s father and Nikki’s mother. I picked up a few ornaments along the way, including this one that came from a souvenir shop in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It’s a mystery why I can remember exactly where I got some ornaments, but can’t remember anything about others that I bought a few days earlier or later. Maybe there’s some magic in this one, like the souvenirs in a short-lived TV series called Wonder Falls. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s worth looking for the DVD.

Metal silhouette ornament with crystal star

Acquired: July 29, 1986, Niagara Falls, Ontario

Number: 0050

Size: 4.25 inches tall

Price: 4.59 $CAN