Snowboard, Santa and snowman

I went a little crazy last year with the Hallmark ornaments after I found out they have events starting in the summer to release each year’s Keepsake ornaments. I made sure I got to the Hallmark store early so I wouldn’t miss out on any of the penguins, and there were a lot of them. One of the benefits of going ornament shopping in summer was that Jill’s Hallmark had a big discount aisle in addition to the new releases for 2010. This set of ornaments, featuring a snowboarding penguin with a dancing snowman and Santa was marked down. I know, it’s three ornaments, but I only assigned it one number, because there’s only one penguin in the set. I used the penguin on the winter sports tree at the Trolley Museum, but left the snowman and Santa in the box. Next year, I’ll probably find a place where I can hang them together again.

Hallmark “Santa’s Merry Crew”

Acquired: July 11, 2010, Jill’s Hallmark, Broadheadsville, Pa.

Number: 0780

Size: 1.75 inches tall, 1.5 inches long (penguin)

Price: $3.75 (75 percent off)

Snowboardin' in style

I think I was shopping for picture frames the day I found this and another penguin ornament. Penguins. They’re everywhere.

Timeless Treasures by Nicole snowboarder with a huge red bow tie and long orange beak

Acquired: December 17, 2009, A.C. Moore craft store, Stroudsburg, Pa.

Number: 0758

Size: 5.25 inches tall

Price: $2

The bridge club

I’ve been playing bridge with the same group of friends for more than a quarter of a century, maybe two or three times a year. In the very beginning, we had four or five extra players who could fill in as the fourth, but it didn’t take long for us to settle on a regular foursome. There has been one big change. When I moved away from New York, the group invited Wallace Schroeder into the fold. I returned a few years later, and became part of the foursome after Rusty King passed away. The other two members, Anne Cronin and Dave Kipin have been playing since the beginning. We take turns hosting dinner and bridge night, and combine it with birthday and holiday celebrations. This wooden snowboarder is one of the penguin ornaments Wallace gave me at one of our “Christmas” bridge nights. He’s got a good eye for penguin ornaments and a good eye for cards. I put quotation marks around Christmas because we don’t always celebrate until some time after the holiday. This year we’re playing our delayed Christmas bridge tonight, on the far side of February. We don’t always do a lot of other things. We don’t always remember whose deal it is or who is supposed to lead. We don’t always play three rubbers. We don’t always finish the wine we’ve brought. We don’t always stay up until the wee hours like we used to. But we always have fun, we always have fascinating conversations, and we always hope our next bridge night is not too many months away.

Wooden snowboarder on a metal board with yellow scarf and hat

Acquired: December 18, 2004, gift from Wallace Schroeder

Number: 264

Size: 3.5 inches tall