The survivor

I bought two fantastic Waterford ornaments at Lord & Taylor. This one on a sleigh has what looks like a pineapple painted on its belly. I didn’t take a photo of the other one, because it lies shattered in its box, one of four ornaments that I’ve had to retire. However, I did find a small photo online to show what it looks like. A couple of years ago, I heard a little pop in the other room where I had my Christmas tree. I went to look and found a tiny pile of glass fragments on the carpet and a hole in one corner of the ornament. This is not the only time I’ve had a glass ornament explode, but usually it’s just a tiny hole. I was able to hang the broken ornament the following year, but last year even more had broken while it was in storage. This year, I have the delicate ornaments stored inside the house, but I’m afraid that this is the eventual fate of all blown glass ornaments.

Waterford sledding pineapple penguin

Acquired: November 26, 2005, Lord & Taylor, New York City

Number: 0272

Size: 5.25 inches tall

Price: $45

Waterford penguin couple with leafy bellies and green and magenta hats

Acquired: November 26, 2005, Lord & Taylor, New York City

Number: 0273 (retired)

Price: $45

Guilty pleasure

It was an innocent enough idea. At a small family gathering in New York, someone suggested we go look at the Christmas windows. Lord & Taylor, which does just about everything well, has some of the best. Of course, once we got there, we had to go inside to look around. A stop at the Christmas decorations department turned out to be an expensive one for me. In addition to the Czech ornament posted yesterday, I also found this beautiful Christopher Radko snowman with a skating penguin and a couple of glass Waterford ornaments, which I’ll talk about tomorrow. I would have waited for the post-holiday markdowns, but I was afraid I might miss out. Also I didn’t know if I’d make it back to Lord & Taylor in time. I don’t like spending so much on myself before Christmas, but I also found some clothes on sale that I really needed and also picked up a couple of gifts for other people, which made me feel a little less guilty.

Crystal Bright by Radko snowman and skating penguin

Acquired: November, 26, 2005, Lord & Taylor, New York City

Number: 0271

Size: 5.25 inches tall

Price: $25

Fuzzy, wuz ‘e?

This blown glass ornament is coated with black and white flocking except for the face which has black painted circles for eyes and a red painted beak. The green felt scarf is neatly tied around its neck. Simplicity goes a long way in this elegant little ornament.

Bowling pin shaped flocked penguin with pointed red beak and green felt scarf, made in Czech Republic

Acquired: November 26, 2005, Lord & Taylor, New York City

Number: 0270

Size: 4.25 inches tall

Price: $14