Snow angel

I have penguins with snowmen, penguins with snowballs, penguins playing in the snow, even penguins filled with snow, but this is the only penguin I have making a snow angel. The flat glass bulb is covered with a snowy frosting and a painted penguin is flapping its wings and feet to make the angels wing and flowing gown. The ornament is also filled with snowflakes, like a number of others in the collection. I wonder if I’m supposed to fill them with water so the snow inside can be shaken like a snow globe, but I’m afraid of making a mess or breaking the ornament.

Snow Caps by Seasons of Cannon Falls, MN, flat glass snow-filled bulb with painted penguin making a snow angel

Acquired: July 29, 2009, Christmas Spirit, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Number: 692

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $17.50

Alice Springs angel

Who says penguins can’t fly? Not the Australians. It took me years to find my first penguin angel, but in one short visit to Australia, I found two. This one is from the Outcrop Shop, a gift store in downtown Alice Springs, one of the most unlikely places I’ve ever been. I never would have expected to find such an unusual and fantastic penguin ornament in such a faraway place, even though Christmas was not far off. Look on a map and you’ll see that Alice Springs is about as far away from anywhere as you can get. They even have a post in town with arrowed signs pointing in all directions: Chicago 15,749 km, Johannesburg 10,308 km, Rome 14,281 km, etc. The only reason I was there is because it was somewhat close to Uluru, the mystical monolith in Australia’s Red Center formerly known as Ayres Rock, and I thought I ought to stop by for a look. I’m glad I did.

It was Thanksgiving, which is not a holiday in Australia, and I was feeling a tiny bit homesick about it. A few days before, on the way to Phillip Island, we stopped at a farm that had kangaroos and turkeys in side-by-side pens. That morning, out in the desert at Uluru, one of the cafes at the Ayres Rock Resort had something with cranberries on the menu (maybe a muffin, I don’t remember) so turkey dinner was on my mind. I went to a roadhouse-style restaurant that could have been the real-life inspiration for the décor at Outback restaurants. Looking at the menu, with its expected sampling of burgers and Aussie bush tucker offerings, I found the perfect dish for my Thanksgiving dinner: pumpkin gnocchi. Maybe there was an angel looking over my shoulder.

The Australian Open is over today and, as if I planned it perfectly, I’ve run out of Australian penguin ornaments to talk about. I have a lot more stories to tell about Australia, but I guess they will have to wait for another day on a different blog.

Russ “Celebrate & Decorate” penguin with filigree wings, green and red hat and scarf, sequins and beads

Acquired: November 26, 2004

Number: 253

Price: 12.50 $AUS

Size: about 8 inches tall

Angry angel

I have several penguin angels, and I think they’ve all had a turn at the top of a tree, including this one with his angry, yet adorable face. I love the little sewn on buttons and those plaid wings. He was one of the two ornaments I found at the cavernous Christmas Cave in the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. I made use of Melbourne’s wonderful and extensive public transportation system to get to the store, but finding this little ornament made the long ride worthwhile.

Raggedy felt penguin angel with plaid wings and an angry expression

Acquired: November 20, 2004, the Christmas Cave, Melbourne, Australia

Number: 250

Price: 5.95 $AUS

Size: About 4.25 inches tall

Angel in the outfield

I looked for a penguin angel for the top of my tree for years. I never expected it to take so long, and I never expected to find one in Cooperstown, N.Y., in the midst of all the baseball memorabilia shops around the Hall of Fame.

I was there for the Hall of Fame exhibition game between the Florida Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers, part of the induction festivities in 2001. Hoping to score some rare Marlins souvenirs, I instead walked away with one of my favorite ornaments. It was unexpected — out of left field — the only penguin ornament at the Christmas shop, but just what I wanted.

Debbie Mumm's Holiday Collection penguin glass ornament with checkered angel wings, holding a blue and gold star and wearing a holly necklace. Santa's World, Kurt S. Adler. Handcrafted in China.

Acquired: Monday, Aug. 6, 2001. Cooperstown, N.Y.

Number: 154

Size: About 5 inches tall

Price: $10.00