Jingle bells . . . all the way

This is where I get into trouble. I was in the local Lowe's looking for some practical household items, but I couldn't help stopping by the Christmas decorations department. They had a display of these penguin jingle bell ornaments with about 20 different varieties of penguins celebrating different walks of life, like motherhood, golfing, nursing, beach bumming, etc. I tried to stick with the most generic Christmas themes, but I couldn't resist the cowboy.

Eight jingle bell penguins, three with green hats, 2 with red hats, 1 with earmuffs, 1 with top hat, 1 cowboy
Acquired: December 9, 2012, Lowe's, Bartonsville, Pa.
Number: 1006 through 1013
Size: 2.5 inches tall
Price: $2.97 each

Light lite

Here’s an ornament I picked up after I finished setting up the tree at the trolley museum last month. I’ve got some others like it, but I like the smaller size of this one.

Small, red changing-light ball, penguin and tree inside

Acquired: December 4, 2011, JC Penney, Viewmont Mall, Scranton, Pa.

Number: 1004

Size: 3 inches tall

Price: $4.99 (originally $9.99)

Unfinished business

Christmas came, Christmas went, and we never got around to this ornament kit that makes two penguins. There wasn’t time for everything and it’s too late to renumber all the other new ornaments, but I think we’ll save the project for next Christmas.

Foam cutout craft kit skating penguins

Acquired: November 25, 2011, Target, Lower Nazareth, Pa.

Number: 1001 1002

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $2/set

Pushup pop penguin top

I’ve never had a pushup pop before and I’m not sure what it is, but my guess is that it’s a lollipop in a plastic tube. For me, it’s another penguin ornament, whether or not I ever eat the candy.

Acquired: Weis Market, Tannersville, Pa.

Number: 1003

Size: 5 inches tall

Price: $1.19

Third time’s the charm

I bought four circular penguin ornaments together on a trip to Target, but then found out on the store's website that there was a fifth color in the set. That meant three trips to Target this season just to buy penguin ornaments. Part of the problem was the mysterious rush on penguin ornaments in the stores near where I live. Look at this rack of ornaments at the same Target store where I bought the purple disc ornament. The empty row is where they had the penguins like the one I posted a couple of days ago.

Plenty of ornaments left, but just one penguin. Hmm.

Magenta, blue, green and turquoise Merry Market round, flat penguins with googly eyes

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0994 0995 0996 0997

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $2 each

Purple Merry Market round, flat penguin with googly eyes

Acquired: December 8, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 1005

Size: 4 inches in diameter

Price: $2 each

A trolley from Wilmington

The trolley tree came down today. It was my fourth visit to the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton this season — the setup, opening night, visit with relatives last week and takedown today. On the visit last week, I found out more about the trolley next to the spot that I chose for my entry in the Festival of Trees.

It turns out that Car No. 120 ran from about 1904 to 1929 in Wilmington, Del., where I was born. This means that my grandparents, John Mundell Truitt and Nettie Lee Abbott Truitt, almost certainly rode this trolley or one of its sister cars run by the Delaware Electric Power Company.

Maybe even my mother, Mary Jeannette Truitt Parsons, rode on it as a baby, and certainly her brothers, Lee and Joe Truitt rode it along with Catherine, the sister she never knew. I don’t know how often my father’s parents made it into the city, but they may have been on the trolley too. All I wanted was a spot that would make a good photo with my tree. Looks like I hit the jackpot.

That's my sister Xena taking a picture of my penguin tree in front of the trolley.

Inside looking toward the back of the trolley.

Here's the full story from the Electric City Trolley Museum. Sorry I didn't get a clearer shot.

Set apart

These two penguins each came from a group of six other ornaments, kind of like sets, but sold individually. The clay penguin goes with a Santa, a moose-like reindeer and three different snowmen. The knitted penguin matches an owl, an elephant, a sock-like monkey, a blue jay and a lion. All were nice ornaments, but you know me. Penguins only, please.

Clay penguin with purple knit hat with ear flaps

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0992

Size: 2 inches tall

Price: $3

Knit Merry Market blue penguin, red earmuffs and scarf, green striped body

Acquired: November 21, 2011, Target, Stroudsburg, Pa.:

Number: 0993

Size: 4 inches tall

Price: $2