Little star

Oh, yeah, I like this little glass star-shaped penguin. Out of all the excellent ornaments I bought in St. Michael’s, I picked this one to be No. 800.

Small glass star-shaped penguin with red scarf with white polka dots and rainbow striped hat

Acquired: August 8, 2010, The Christmas Shop, St. Michael’s, Md.

Number: 0800

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: $6.95

Red revisited

Here’s yet another in the series of black and red penguins I posted in October, and now I know more about these ornaments. They are the work of Stephanie Stouffer, a Vermont artist whose designs can be found on cards, stoneware, textiles and cards. I noticed "07Stouffer" stamped on the back side of this Santa on a motorcycle, which led me to the sites on the colored links. It turns out the other black and red ornaments have the same stamp on them. I still don't know how many more of these nifty ornaments might still be out there for me to discover, but I found a couple of my other ornaments are also Stouffer designs in a different style.

Stouffer 07 black and red Santa on a motorcycle

Acquired: August 8, 2010, The Christmas Shop, St. Michael’s, Md.

Number: 0799

Size: 3.5 inches tall and wide

Price: $2 (originally $6.95)

Silver beauties

My visit to The Christmas Shop in St. Michael’s, Md., yielded an unusual number of silver penguins. I was so happy with the blue penguin tree last year that I might try a silver or silver and gold tree next year.

Frosty silver and white penguins with black feet and beaks

Acquired: August 8, 2010, The Christmas Shop, St. Michael’s, Md.

Number: 0797 0798

Size: 3 and 3.25 inches tall

Price: $6.95 each

Four penguins with long silver stocking hats

Black polka dot ball

Acquired: August 8, 2010, The Christmas Shop, St. Michael’s, Md.

Number: 801

Size: 3.25 inches tall

Price: $7.50

Silver tree

Number: 0802

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: $6.95

Long silver box

Number: 0803

Size: 4 inches wide

Price: $6.95

Silver candy cane

Number: 0804

Size: 3.5 inches tall

Price: $7.50

Small glass silver penguin and chick with white frosty bellies

Acquired: August 8, 2010, The Christmas Shop, St. Michael’s, Md.

Number: 0809

Size: 4.75 inches tall

Price: $8.95

Painted penguin

On the way home from Rehoboth Beach, Del., St. Michael’s, Md., seemed like it would be a good place to stop for lunch. It also turned out to be a good place to stop for penuin Christmas tree ornaments. This penguin looks a little cross-eyed here, but it’s a beautiful ornament with a distinctive style. Wait ‘til you see the others I found.

Antique wood look ceramic penguin with holly and “Love” on front

Acquired: August 8, 2010, The Christmas Shop, St. Michael’s, Md.

Number: 0796

Size: 2.75 inches tall

Price: $7.50

The Radko wall

I had a little trouble booking a hotel for my spur of the moment trip to Rehoboth Beach, Del., last summer. I was only going to be there one night and there was nothing available online within 50 miles. Then I wondered, “What if I were staying two nights.” I adjusted the trip search, hit enter, and all of a sudden there were room available everywhere. I was prepared to pay for the extra night, but when we checked out early, the front desk clerk gave me a credit for the unused balance. It’s a good thing, because the extra money came in handy when I stopped by Christmas Spirit. Their Christopher Radko wall was stocked with all the new ornaments. In addition to these three ornaments, I bought another one that I thought had a penguin, but it turned out to be a kitten. I found out at the checkout counter, but the sales clerks guilted me into buying it anyway because it was for charity, benefiting the ASPCA. I gave it as a gift to my sister Gale and her dog, Lulu.

Christopher Radko Candy Cane Club with three penguins climbing a giant candy cane

Acquired: August 7, 2010, Christmas Spirit, Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Number: 0793

Size: 5.5 inches tall

Price: $45

Christopher Radko Storybook Trio, three penguins in wooden soldier hats reading Nutcracker Suite

Acquired: August 7, 2010, Christmas Spirit, Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Number: 0794

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $52

Christopher Radko Hide and Peek, three penguins in a pyramid of gifts, Limited Edition, No. 207 of 500

Acquired: August 7, 2010, Christmas Spirit, Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Number: 0795

Size: 6.25 inches

Price: $55

Penguin dreams

This is a very nice glass ornament that I bought in Cape May, N.J., last summer. I wish I had more to say about it, other than that it is a beautifully painted ornament. I really like the giant gold bell with its red bow. An interesting thing happened to me this week. I had my first dream about penguin ornaments. All I can remember is that I had a tree set up somewhere and I was having trouble making time to retrieve it.

Small glass ornament with Santa hat holding a big gold bell with red bow

Acquired: August 7, 2010, Westwood Gifts, Cape May, N.J.

Number: 0792

Size: 2.75 inches tall

Price: $2.99

Look familiar?

I should have put these penguins up on Groundhog Day. They’re repeats of some other ornaments that are cut from the same mold, but painted differently and sold under different brand names. They keep popping up. The top one’s distinction is the “Cape May” inscription, which makes it a nice souvenir of my visit there. I bought another one a few months later. Two others have already appeared on the blog last June (No. 208) and November (No. 486). I discovered the similarities when I was getting ready to decorate the trees for Christmas. You can clearly see a birdhouse under the right wing, but I haven’t been able to figure out what’s under the other wing, though it looks like a gift on at least one of the ornaments.

Small glass Cape May penguin with Santa hat and blue scarf

Acquired: August 7, 2010, Westwood Gifts, Cape May, N.J.

Number: 0791

Size: 3.25 inches tall

Price: $2.99

Another small glass penguin with birdhouse

Acquired: November 20, 2010, Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Number: 0863

Size: 3.25 inches tall

Price: $4.32 (originally $8)